Major Requirements

Prior to declaring a major in Political Science, students should have completed at least 2 courses in Political Science, one of which should be at the 100 level. Majoring in Political Science requires the completion of 9 courses. These courses are grouped into four distinct categories as follows:

  • 100 Level Courses - Introductions:
    These courses emphasize writing, critical reading, and analytical interpretation and introduce students to the study of politics from a variety of perspectives. The department recommends that these courses be taken in the first and second year, or immediately following the declaration of the major. These courses may be offered in either lecture or seminar format.  FYSE courses taught by members of our department can also count toward introductory courses.
  • 200 Level Courses - Surveys:
    These courses survey broad topics in the study of politics. They engage students in the study of different institutions, countries, regions, theories, and modes of political thought. They focus on such key phenomena as power, justice, order, conflict, mobilization, and development. These courses may be offered in either lecture or seminar formats.
  • 300 Level Courses - Research Seminars:
    Research Seminars in politics allow students to deepen their own inquiries into politics. They encourage students to develop research skills through the examination of debates and topics in politics. Students should take at least one of these courses in their second or third year to facilitate subsequent work in the Department’s thesis program. These courses have prerequisites, limited enrollment, and may have a substantial writing requirement.
  • 400 Level Courses - Specialized Seminars:
    Specialized seminars might include in-depth investigations into specialized or conceptually complex issues, these courses may utilize new pedagogical approaches, may require more engaged forms of writing than lower-level courses, and may allow students to design and implement research in novel settings. These courses have prerequisites and limited enrollment.  When offered POSC 410, Senior Honors Seminar does not fulfill our 400 level requirement and does not replace Senior Tutorial courses (POSC 498/499). While special topics (POSC 490) and senior tutorial courses for thesis students (POSC 498/499) also have 400 numbers, these courses cannot count towards the 400-level requirements.
  • Majors in Political Science must take 9 courses: Of the 9 courses, students must take a minimum of 6 within the Political Science department at Amherst College, at least one from each of the four levels (but no more than two 100 level courses will be counted toward the major). The level requirements must be fulfilled with courses from Amherst College Political Science Department offerings. When offered POSC 410, Senior Honors Seminar does not fulfill our 400 level requirement and does not replace Senior Tutorial courses (POSC 498/499). Special Topics (POSC 490) and Senior Tutorial (POSC 498/499) courses have 400 numbers, but these courses cannot count towards fulfilling the 400-level requirement. If you are a double major, the nine courses that are counted towards the POSC major may also be counted towards your other major(s) (if the other major permits it).
  • Majors may also include among courses to complete the major 1 course from outside the discipline of political science. Such a course should be designated as counting toward the major at the end of registration, or, if the course is completed prior to declaring the major, at the time of the declaration.
  • Credits are available for study abroad, 5 college courses, and transfer students.
  • No courses in political science taken under the pass/fail option will count toward completion of the major. 

In total, majors in Political Science must complete 9 courses for rite, or 11 for honors (a result of 2 additional thesis research courses in the senior year, POSC 498 & 499), in courses offered or approved by the Amherst College Political Science Department.