Political Science and International Relations Major: Sample 4-Year Plan
The plan listed below is designed to provide suggestions for sequencing your major courses, but there are also other ways to sequence most majors. This plan is meant to provide aid in early, provisional planning. Please consult with your academic advisor to make strategic academic decisions about which courses to take each semester.
Sample Four Year Plan: Political Science and International Relations (BA/BS)
Semester 1
- TRU 120: First Year Seminar (3 cr)
- POL 161: American National Government (*) (3 cr)
- ENG 190: Writing as Critical Thinking (3 cr)
- Elementary Foreign Language I (3 cr)
- Math 156: College Algebra (3 cr), OR Math 186 Precalculus (****) (4 cr)
Semester 2
- POL 171: Intro to Political Science (**) (3 cr)
- COMM 170: Public Speaking (3 cr)
- Elementary Foreign Language II (3 cr)
- Math 157: Plane Trigonometry (****) (2 cr)
- Free Elective (3 cr)
Semester 3
- POL 250: Intro to International Relations (3 cr)
- STAT 190: Basic Statistics (3 cr)
- MS 101: Intro of Military Science II (if also taken in Spring) (1 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course: STEM Lab Science (4 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3-6 cr)
Semester 4
- POL 300: WE/Political Science Methodology (4 cr)
- BA/BS Requirement (3 cr)
- Free Elective (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3 cr)
Semester 5
- POL 310: WE/Comparative Politics: Theory and Research (4 cr)
- Minor/Required Support (3 cr)
- JINS 3XX: WE/____________ (3 cr)
- Dialogues Curriculum course (3-6 cr)
Semester 6
- POL 398: WE/Advanced Survey of Political Thought (4 cr)
- POL 344: WE/Principles of Public Administration (***) (4cr), OR POL XXX: Political Science Elective (3 cr)
- Minor/Required Support (3 cr)
- Minor/Required Support (3 cr)
- Free Elective (3 cr)
Semester 7
- POL 410: WE/Advanced Public Policy: Theory and Research (4 cr)
- POL XXX: Political Science Elective (3 cr)
- Minor/Required Support (3 cr)
- Free Elective (3-6 cr)
Free Electives to 120 Hours
Semester 8
- POL 460: WE/Senior Seminar in Political Science and International Relations (4 cr)
- POL XXX: Political Science Elective (3 cr)
- Minor/Required Support (3 cr)
- Free Elective (3-6 cr)
Free Electives to 120 Hours
NOTES:
- (*) = Fulfills the Missouri Statute Requirement and a Social Perspective Course.
- (**) = Satisfies the Intercultural Requirement.
- (***) = Required of B.S. students. The course may be taken as an elective by B.A. students.
- (****) = Students must take MATH 156 (3cr) and MATH 157 (2cr), OR take MATH 186 (4cr) to fulfill both courses.
- A total of 120 hours are required for graduation; 40 of these must be 300 level or above courses.
- A 2.0 cumulative GPA and a 2.0 major GPA are necessary to graduate with a Political Science and International Relations major.
- WE = Writing Enhanced course
- If you have not completed the Civics Exam, we recommend doing so in your first year.
- Truman students are required to complete a Portfolio to graduate. We recommend starting to compile your work for the Portfolio sooner than later.
- Students must complete their Application to Graduate the semester prior to graduating. Apply to graduate through TruView.
- Graduating seniors need to complete their seniors test and questionnaire. We recommend reviewing the Assessment & Testing page to plan accordingly.
- The Dialogues curriculum requires a certain number of courses/credit hours in the following Perspectives: Social, Arts and Humanities, STEM, Communications, and Statistics. The exact number of courses a student will be required to take during their undergraduate career varies individually according to the credit transferred in.
Department Chair: Please contact the Center for Academic Excellence with any updates to the plan above. Rev. 8-6-24
This is a sample course sequence to illustrate class offerings for this major. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for certifying completion of degree requirements based on requirements specified in Truman's Official Catalog.
Sample Plans for Related Majors
History Major: Sample 4-Year Plan PHRE Sample Four-Year Plan