B.A. in Political Science

Political Science Minor | POS Requirement Checklist

Political Science examines the nature of politics from diverse perspectives. The requirements for majors in the department teach students to think critically about the fundamental theories, principles, institutions, and practices of politics in their social and historical contexts. Course work in the department is required in four main sub-fields of the discipline of political science — American Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Political Theory — so that students will acquire knowledge and skills for further study in law school or graduate school, or will be prepared for careers in public service or related fields.

Political Science Major Requirements:

Major Requirements:
(Detailed course information is available in the University of Maine online catalog)
1. POS 100, American Government.

2. A minimum of 36 credit hours in POS courses with grades of ‘C-‘ or better.

a. The 36 hours must be distributed as follows:
-American Politics 6 credit hours
-International Relations 6 credit hours
-Comparative Politics 6 credit hours
-Political Theory 6 credit hours
-POS Electives 12 credit hours (POS 100 may be used as an elective)

b. At least 21 of the 36 hours must be at the 300, 400 or 500-level.

  • Majors within the department may not receive more than a total of 12 credits toward graduation for any combination of internships and field experience, and not more than 6 credits may be used toward the departmental major. A field supervisor normally participates in the evaluation of an internship or field experience course.
  • A minimum of 18 of the 36 POS credits required must be completed at the University of Maine.

The requirements listed on this page are specific to this particular major. Students are also responsible for meeting any graduation requirements set out by their college. Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) should make sure to review those requirements as stated on the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences page of the catalog.

Note: Students must have a minimum of 60 credit hours outside their major. All students must complete the University of Maine general education requirements.

Department of Political Science
Minor Requirements

A minor in Political Science shall consist of at least 18 credits.  Students are required to take POS 100 – American Government.  The remaining 15 credits may be chosen by the student from our list of Political Science courses.  A minimum of nine (9) POS credits must be taken at UMaine.  A maximum of three pre-approved internship/field experience credit hours can be used towards the minor.  Students must earn grades of ‘C’ or better in POS courses for the courses to count towards the minor.