The discipline of political science is within the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and the minor is offered by the School of Public Policy. Undergraduate courses in political science are intended to broaden students’ perceptions of political processes and governmental institutions. Many of these courses are taught under the PUBP or INTA prefix. Students should consult with the political science faculty concerning course offerings.
Political science courses may be used to satisfy the distribution requirement in social sciences, including the state-mandated requirement on constitutions of the United States and Georgia. This requirement may be satisfied by completion of POL 1101 or PUBP 3000, or INTA 1200, or HIST 2111 or 2112. The requirement also may be satisfied by examination.
Certificate and minor programs in political science, administered by the School of Public Policy, are available for students who wish to concentrate coursework in this discipline. The certificate in political science requires 12 hours of coursework (at least 9 hours at the 3000 level), chosen in consultation with the faculty coordinator. The minor in political science requires 18 hours of coursework (at least 12 hours at the 3000 level), also chosen with the advice of the faculty coordinator.
The Minor in Political Science requires POL 1101 (or equivalent) and 15 additional semester credits in political science of which at least 12 must be at the 3000-level or above with a letter grade of C or higher in each. The Certificate in Political Science requires POL 1101 (or equivalent) and 12 credits in public policy of which at least 9 are 3000-level or above, with a letter grade of C or better in each.
In all cases, students should have their program of study approved by the Political Science Minor/Certificate supervisor before enrolling in a course they intend to count toward the minor/certificate. For a general guide of possible courses with which to develop a program, students should consult the catalog and recent Oscars.
- POL 2101 State and Local Government
- PUBP 2010 Political Processes
- PUBP 2030 Organizations and Policy
- PUBP 3000 American Constitutional Issues
- PUBP 3016 Judicial Process
- PUBP 3200 Metropolitan Governance
- PUBP 3201 Introduction to Social Policy
- PUBP 3214 African-American Politics
- PUBP 3315 Environmental Policy and Politics
- PUBP 4120 Survey Research Methods
- PUBP 4200 Social Policy Issues
- PUBP 4212 Women and Public Policy
- PUBP 4226 Business and Government
- PUBP 4410 Science, Technology, Innovation, and Policy
- PUBP 4416 Critical Issues in Science and Technology
- PUBP 4514 Mass Communication Policy
- INTA 2210 Political Philosophies and Ideologies
Note: The Georgia Tech Registrar's form "Approved Program of Study: Minor in Political Science" includes several courses that have been deactivated or replaced: PUBP 2014, 3010, 3212, 4314, and 4512
Institute and School Guidelines
The minor/certificate degrees follow Institute and School guidelines that include the following:
- No more than 6 semester hours of Special Topics courses may be included in a minor/certificate program. No more than 3 semester hours of pre-approved political science internship credit may be applied to the Political Science minor or certificate.
- Courses required by name and number and/or used to satisfy Core Areas A through E in a student's major degree program may not be used in satisfying the course requirements for a minor/certificate. Important: if a student is using a course to fulfill the social science requirement in the student’s major, that course cannot be counted toward the Political Science minor/certificate. However, courses used in a minor/certificate also may be used to fulfill other elective requirements (free electives, technical electives, etc.) in the student's major degree program.
- A course may not be counted toward more than one minor and/or certificate.
- In some cases, students may be pre-approved to count one political science-related course taught in another school at Georgia Tech toward the Political Science minor/certificate.
- All courses counting toward the minor/certificate must be completed in residence at Georgia Tech, be taken on a letter-grade basis, and completed with an overall grade point average of at least 2.00.
Students who also wish to obtain a minor in Public Policy should note that although several courses are listed for both the Political Science and the Public Policy minors, students can select no more than TWO of the following courses to fulfill the requirements for both minors: PUBP 2012, 3201, 4200, 4212, 4314, 4410, and 4514.
Students who also wish to obtain a certificate in Public Policy should note that although several courses are listed for both the Political Science and the Public Policy certificates, students can select only ONE of the following courses to fulfill the requirements for both certificates: PUBP 2012, 3201, 4200, 4212, 4314, 4410, and 4514. Students who wish to obtain a Pre-Law certificate can count either PUBP 3000 or PUBP 3016 for both certificates.
More information on the Political Science Minor can be found in the Georgia Tech Course Catalog.
See also the Political Science Minor Program of Study Form.