Political Science
| Degree: | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) |
| Major: | Political Science |
| Specializations: | Political Science Pre-Law |
| Minors: | Political Science Pre-Law/Political Science |
| Department: | Reubin O'D. Askew Department of Government Building 50, Room 120 (850) 474-2929 http://uwf.edu/govt/ |
| College: | Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities |
| CIP Code: | 45.1001 |
| Semester Hours Required For Degree: 120 | |
The B.A. in Political Science provides students with a foundation in the liberal arts and social sciences. Courses in the degree plan cover fundamental questions pertaining to the governance of human societies, the origin and evolution of law and justice, the comparative performance of democracies and dictatorships, the exercise of political leadership, the origins of war, and the maintenance of peace. Students will analyze competing theories of human nature and political organization subjecting them to the test of reason, history, and experience. The political science major is appropriate for many students, including those seeking a professional degree in government and public service, specific expertise in international security and diplomacy, familiarity with political organizations, and preparation for employment in advocacy, corporate, education, or non-profit sectors.
The Pre-Law Specialization emphasizes core courses in American government, with attention paid to American political thought, constitutional law, and judicial politics. Students then take courses across a broad array of subjects, including political theory, as well as history, economics and business, philosophy, literature, communications, and statistics. The political science/pre-law major is appropriate for students seeking a pre-professional degree in law.
Program Requirements
In addition to the University’s general requirements, students seeking the B.A. in Political Science must meet the following requirements. Students must earn a 2.0 for each mandatory core course of the program.
As a prerequisite, students majoring in Political Science need to earn at least a “C” in POS 2041 American Politics, or to transfer 3 sh of an equivalent lower-division course in American government or political science with a grade of “C” or higher.
Political Science Specialization
General Education
In addition to the General Education requirements listed on this page, students must satisfy all additional University requirements, including the Gordon Rule, multicultural, and foreign language requirements. With appropriate planning and coordination with an academic advisor, students may satisfy some of the general University requirements through the General Education curriculum. For a complete listing of general degree requirements, refer to the "University Requirements" section of this catalog.
General Education Curriculum:
Multicultural Requirement
Civic Literacy Requirement
The 2017 Florida Legislature amended Section 1007.25, Florida Statutes, to require students initially entering a State University System (SUS) and/or Florida College System (FCS) institution in 2018-2019 and thereafter to demonstrate competency in civic literacy. The 2021 Legislature further amended Florida Statutes, requiring students to complete both a civic literacy course and an exam. As a result, there are three cohorts of students currently matriculating at Florida public institutions subject to varying requirements. As demonstrated in the table below, the exact civic literacy requirements are based on the academic term in which a student first enrolled in a Florida public institution.
| Students Included in Cohort | Civic Literacy Competency Requirement |
| Cohort 1: Students first entering the SUS or FCS prior to fall 2018 | None |
| Cohort 2: Students first entering the SUS or FCS in fall 2018 – summer A 2021 | Complete a course or exam |
| Cohort 3: Students first entering the SUS or FCS in summer B 2021 (on or after July 1, 2021) and thereafter | Complete both a course and exam |
Additionally, the 2021 Legislature made two additional exceptions: approving the use of accelerated mechanisms for meeting the course competency requirement and exempting high school students who pass the Florida Civic Literacy Exam in high school from the postsecondary exam requirement. These two changes are in effect for Cohort 3.
There are multiple ways to satisfy this requirement. Students should work with their academic advisor to determine which option is best for their degree requirements/degree plan.
Additional information can be found on our Civic Literacy website.
Common Prerequisites
State-mandated common prerequisites must be completed prior to graduation, but are not required for admission to the program. See the Common Prerequisite Manual for course substitutions from Florida colleges and universities.
| Students must complete two introductory courses (6 sh) in Political Science with a POS, INR, or CPO prefix. | 6 | |
Lower Division Electives
| Students must complete sufficient 1000/2000 level electives to satisfy at least 60 sh in the lower division. Current UWF students may use elective courses at any level (1000-4000) to meet this elective requirement. It is recommended that the following courses be taken at the lower division because all three are required for the Political Science degree: POS 2041 American Politics, CPO 2002 Comparative Politics, INR 2002 International Politics | 18-21 | |
| Recommend electives: | ||
| Comparative Politics | ||
| International Politics | ||
| American Politics | ||
| Total Hours | 18-21 | |
Major
| POT 4601 | Modern Masters of Political Thought + | 3 |
| or POT 4013 | Ancient Masters of Political Thought | |
| POS 3413 | The Presidency + | 3 |
| or POS 3424 | The Legislative Process | |
| POS 3033 | Political Analysis + | 3 |
| POS 3608 | Constitutional Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers + | 3 |
| or POS 3624 | Constitutional Law: Individual Rights and Privileges | |
| 3/4000 level CPO course + | 3 | |
| 3/4000 level INR course + | 3 | |
| 3/4000 level POS course + | 3 | |
| 3/4000 level POT course + | 3 | |
| 3/4000 level Political Science (CPO, INR, POS, POT) courses + | 6 | |
| If not completed at the lower division: | ||
| CPO 2002 | Comparative Politics | 3 |
| INR 2002 | International Politics | 3 |
| POS 2041 | American Politics | 3 |
| Total Hours | 39 | |
- +
Courses included in the major GPA
Upper Division Electives
| Student must complete sufficient 3000/4000 level electives to meet UWF’s requirement of 48 sh in the upper division or complete all departmental requirements at the 3000/4000 level, whichever is greater. | 21-30 | |
| Total Hours | 21-30 | |
Pre-Law Specialization
General Education
In addition to the General Education requirements listed on this page, students must satisfy all additional University requirements, including the Gordon Rule, multicultural, and foreign language requirements. With appropriate planning and coordination with an academic advisor, students may satisfy some of the general University requirements through the General Education curriculum. For a complete listing of general degree requirements, refer to the "University Requirements" section of this catalog.
General Education Curriculum:
Multicultural Requirement
Civic Literacy Requirement
The 2017 Florida Legislature amended Section 1007.25, Florida Statutes, to require students initially entering a State University System (SUS) and/or Florida College System (FCS) institution in 2018-2019 and thereafter to demonstrate competency in civic literacy. The 2021 Legislature further amended Florida Statutes, requiring students to complete both a civic literacy course and an exam. As a result, there are three cohorts of students currently matriculating at Florida public institutions subject to varying requirements. As demonstrated in the table below, the exact civic literacy requirements are based on the academic term in which a student first enrolled in a Florida public institution.
| Students Included in Cohort | Civic Literacy Competency Requirement |
| Cohort 1: Students first entering the SUS or FCS prior to fall 2018 | None |
| Cohort 2: Students first entering the SUS or FCS in fall 2018 – summer A 2021 | Complete a course or exam |
| Cohort 3: Students first entering the SUS or FCS in summer B 2021 (on or after July 1, 2021) and thereafter | Complete both a course and exam |
Additionally, the 2021 Legislature made two additional exceptions: approving the use of accelerated mechanisms for meeting the course competency requirement and exempting high school students who pass the Florida Civic Literacy Exam in high school from the postsecondary exam requirement. These two changes are in effect for Cohort 3.
There are multiple ways to satisfy this requirement. Students should work with their academic advisor to determine which option is best for their degree requirements/degree plan.
Additional information can be found on our Civic Literacy website.
Common Prerequisites
State-mandated common prerequisites must be completed prior to graduation, but are not required for admission to the program. See the Common Prerequisite Manual for course substitutions from Florida colleges and universities.
| Students must complete two introductory courses (6 sh) in Political Science with a POS, INR, or CPO prefix. | 6 | |
Lower Division Electives
| Students must complete sufficient 1000/2000 level electives to satisfy at least 60 sh in the lower division. Current UWF students may use elective courses at any level (1000-4000) to meet this elective requirement. It is recommended that the following courses be taken at the lower division because POS 2041 plus one other of the following courses are required for the Political Science Pre-Law Degree: CPO 2002 Comparative Politics and INR 2002 International Politics | 18-21 | |
| Recommended electives: | ||
| Comparative Politics | ||
| International Politics | ||
| American Politics | ||
| Total Hours | 18-21 | |
Major
| POS 3424 | The Legislative Process + | 3 |
| POS 3608 | Constitutional Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers + | 3 |
| POS 3624 | Constitutional Law: Individual Rights and Privileges + | 3 |
| POT 4204 | American Political Thought + | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Modern Masters of Political Thought + | ||
| Ancient Masters of Political Thought + | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Political Analysis + | ||
| Choose three of the following: | 9 | |
| Democracies + | ||
| International Law + | ||
| Jurisprudence + | ||
| The Presidency + | ||
| Constitutional Controversies + | ||
| First Amendment Freedoms + | ||
| The Founders' Constitution + | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| If not completed at the lower division: | ||
| American Politics | ||
| Comparative Politics | ||
| International Politics | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Major-Related
| Choose five from at least four areas and do not choose more than two from an area: | 15 | |
| History | ||
| American Revolutions, 1763-1828 + | ||
| Civil Rights + | ||
3000/4000 level advisor approved course + | ||
| Legal Specialties | ||
| Criminal Justice System + | ||
| Courts + | ||
| Environmental Law + | ||
| Media Law and Ethics + | ||
| Law and Society + | ||
| Legal Research and Writing + | ||
3000/4000 level advisor approved course + | ||
| Literature and Communications | ||
| Leadership Communication + | ||
| Shakespeare + | ||
| Milton + | ||
| Law and Politics in Literature + | ||
3000/4000 level advisor approved course + | ||
| Skills | ||
| Latin I | ||
| Principles of Financial Accounting | ||
| Principles of Economic Theory and Public Policy + | ||
| Political Economy + | ||
| Elements of Statistics | ||
3000/4000 level advisor approved course + | ||
| Philosophy | ||
| Greek Philosophy + | ||
| Modern Philosophy + | ||
| Modern Logic + | ||
| Ethics + | ||
3000/4000 level advisor approved course + | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
- +
Courses included in the major GPA
Upper Division Electives
| Student must complete sufficient 3000/4000 level electives to meet UWF’s requirement of 48 semester hours in the upper division or complete all departmental requirements at the 3000/4000 level, whichever is greater. | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Political Science
All courses must be completed at UWF and directed studies may not be taken to fulfill requirements. Political Science majors and Political Science/Pre-Law majors may not earn this minor.
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Comparative Politics | ||
| International Politics | ||
| American Politics | ||
| Choose one of the following | 3 | |
| The Legislative Process | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Political Analysis | ||
| Modern Masters of Political Thought | ||
| Ancient Masters of Political Thought | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Constitutional Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers | ||
| Constitutional Law: Individual Rights and Privileges | ||
| Choose any 3000/4000 level course with an INR prefix | 3 | |
| Choose any 3000/4000 level course with a CPO prefix | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Political Science/Pre-Law
The Minor in Political Science/Pre-Law is designed for students who seek to gain a theoretical understanding of the law pursuant to applying to law school. Political Science majors and Political Science/Pre Law majors may not earn this minor.
| POS 2041 | American Politics | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Constitutional Law: Federalism and Separation of Powers | ||
| Constitutional Law: Individual Rights and Privileges | ||
| Choose three of the following | 9 | |
| Modern Masters of Political Thought | ||
| Ancient Masters of Political Thought | ||
| Constitutional Controversies | ||
| Jurisprudence | ||
| The Presidency | ||
| The Legislative Process | ||
| The Founders' Constitution | ||
Directed Study-Advisor approved | ||
Any advisor approved POS or POT course | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |