Major & Minor Requirements

Note: This page is designed to assist students, faculty, and advisors by providing degree requirements and recommendations in an easy-to-use format. The course catalogue remains the official source of degree requirements -- please report any discrepancies with this page to the department chair.  

Major Requirements for Politics

A minimum of nine course credits in Politics, including at least:

• Four courses at the 300 level (excluding internships)
• One course in Political Thought (222, 225, & 315-327)
• One course in International Relations (242, 335-339, & 348-349)
• One course in Comparative Government (243 & 330-346)
• One additional course in International Relations or Comparative Government
• Two courses in American Politics (262, 282, & 355-372)

Notes:

• Statistical Methods (INT 201) may be counted toward the nine credits in Politics.
• The Department also encourages majors to participate in a political affairs internship or comparable off-campus program while at Cornell.
• Majors who intend to pursue graduate study in political science or public policy should take Statistical Methods (INT 201) and  Methods of Public Policy Analysis (382).
• Majors who have a special interest in legislative and electoral politics should take POL 262, 280/380, 325, 363, and 364.
• Politics courses of particular value to pre-law students include POL 222, 252 (when the topic is Principles of Advocacy), 262, 325, 361, 364, 365, and 366. Law schools will accept majors in any academic discipline.
• Students who declared their majors prior to March 24, 2006, may choose to graduate under these requirements:
  • A minimum of nine course credits in politics, including:
    • At least four courses at the 300 level (excluding internships)
    • At least two courses in each of the three subfields:
      
      • Political Thought
      • International Relations and Comparative Government,
      • American Politics
    • Statistical Methods (INT 201) may be counted toward the nine credits in politics

Recommended Course Sequence

Teaching Major Requirements

A minimum of nine course credits in politics, including:

• Foundations of the First Amendment (222)
• International Politics (242)
• Comparative Politics (243)
• American Politics (262)
• U.S. Foreign Policy (348)
• Congress and the Presidency (364)
• Three course credits selected from:
  • Anglo-American Constitutional Thought (325)
  • Race, Sex, and the Constitution: Public Law in the Age of Multiculturalism (361)
  • Campaigns and Elections (363)
  • Constitutional Law: The American System (365)
  • Constitutional Law: Rights and Liberties (366)
  • Urban Politics (367)
  • Environmental Politics (368)

• In addition to the foregoing requirements, prospective teachers must also apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program (preferably at the start of their sophomore year) and complete a second major in Secondary Education as described on the Education Web site. Prospective teachers should request a current list of the specific teaching major course requirements from the Education Office.

Second Teaching Area in American Government:
The following program in conjunction with a teaching major in Anthropology (individualized major), Economics and Business, History, Psychology, or Sociology will enable the student to apply for licensure to teach both the major subject and American Government:

• American Politics (262)
• Congress and the Presidency (364)
• Two course credits selected from:
  
  • Foundations of the First Amendment (222) or Anglo-American Constitutional Thought (325)
  • U.S. Foreign Policy (348)
  • Campaigns and Elections(363)
  • Race, Sex, and the Constitution: Public Law in the Age of Multiculturalism (361) or Constitutional Law: The American System (365) or Constitutional Law: Rights and Liberties (366)
  • Urban Politics (367) or Environmental Politics (368)

Minor Requirements

The Department offers three specialized minors. It is possible to earn more than one minor; however, no course may be counted toward more than one of the three minors. Qualifying courses are grouped by minor field on the Politics Course Information page.

Political Thought Minor:

• A minimum of five course credits in Political Thought and Constitutional Law, at least three of which must be at the 300 level.
• Up to two courses in political philosophy may be counted toward the five courses.
• The philosophy courses presently approved for inclusion in the Political Thought minor are:
  • Marx & Marxism (PHI 307)
  • Philosophy of Law (PHI 353)
    
  • Political Philosophy (PHI 354)

International Relations and Comparative Government Minor:

• A minimum of five course credits in International Relations and Comparative Government, at least three of which must be at the 300 level.
• An appropriate internship may be substituted for one of the five courses. 
• Not available to students with an International Relations major.

American Politics Minor:

• A minimum of five course credits in American Politics, at least three of which must be at the 300 level.
• An appropriate internship may be substituted for one of the five courses.