POLSC-BA - Political Science (BA)

Additional Policies

• All courses applied toward the major offered for a letter grade must be taken for a letter grade of C or higher.

• Up to two units in Political Science courses not offered for a letter grade may be applied toward the major if completed for a CR or S grade. Courses not offered for a letter grade may only be applied to the Additional Related Coursework requirement.

  • Non-Political Science department classes not offered for a letter grade may not be applied to the major. 

  • Courses with a grade of CR (credit) in winter quarter 2020, S (satisfactory) in spring quarter 2020, and CR (credit) in Academic Year 2020-2021 may be counted towards satisfaction of undergraduate degree requirements that otherwise require a letter grade.

    • See the honors website for grading standards for 2020-2021 honors courses.

• No more than two 3-unit Stanford Introductory Seminar or Sophomore College courses can be applied toward the 70-unit major requirement.

• No more than five units of directed reading units may count toward the Political Science major. Directed readings require a petition.

• Student Initiated Courses (SIC) must be petitioned using the petition form to apply to the major. If a petition is approved, a maximum of 2 units of Student Initiated Courses may be applied to the major. Student Initiated Courses may only be applied to the Additional Related Coursework requirement for the major.

Counting non-Political Science Courses Toward the Major

• Students may count up to 25 units of coursework from outside the Political Science Department toward the Political Science major. Pre-approved non-Political Science courses can be applied directly to the major. Courses outside the department that have not been pre-approved can be petitioned toward the major using a petition form. Course petitions are reviewed and, if appropriate, approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Petitions must be submitted to Alexandra Davidovich, the Undergraduate Student Services Officer, within one quarter of course completion or within one quarter of declaring the major.

  • BOSP and SIW courses, including Oxford tutorials, are non-Political Science courses and count toward the 25-unit limit listed above. Some have been pre-approved, while others require a petition. All Oxford tutorials require a petition.

• Pre-approved and petitioned courses, including BOSP and SIW classes, may be applied to the major in any combination of the following ways:

  • Up to one pre-approved or petitioned course may count toward the primary track.

  • Up to one pre-approved or petitioned course may count toward the secondary track.

  • One pre-approved course may count toward the methods course requirement. course, course, course,  course, and CS 106B are courses outside the Political Science Department and count toward the 25-unit limit. course does not count toward the 25-unit limit.

  • Pre-approved and petitioned courses may count toward the additional coursework requirement.

Double Counting Courses

• Students pursuing a double major may not double count any courses in the Political Science major aside from course, The Science of Politics, and the Methods courses: course, CS 106B, course, course, course.

  •  course may be taken to fulfill the methods requirement but may not be double counted.

• Students pursuing a primary/secondary major may double count up to 30 units in the Political Science major.

• Students pursuing a minor in another department may not double count any courses in the Political Science major aside from course, The Science of Politics.

WIM course must be taken for 5 units.

The Political Science Research Honors Program leads to a Bachelor of Arts with Honors (BAH) in Political Science. Students pursuing the BAH are expected to complete the standard Political Science major as well as conduct research under the supervision of a faculty member, culminating in an honors thesis.

Application Process

To participate in the Research Honors Program in Political Science, students must apply and be accepted to the program during winter quarter of their junior year. A complete application includes:

• The Political Science Research Honors Program application form, signed by their chosen honors advisor. The advisor must be a Political Science faculty member or a courtesy faculty member (non-lecturer).

• An essay outlining the student’s research interest.

• A letter of recommendation from a Political Science faculty member or a teaching assistant in a Political Science course. Letters of recommendation can be sent directly by email to Alexandra Davidovich.

• A copy of the unofficial transcript.

Students are expected to have research experience before applying to the honors program. The Political Science Summer Research College (SRC) program is one way to acquire this experience. SRC is a ten-week program in which students are paid to work with faculty on their ongoing research projects. The SRC application typically opens in winter quarter. Students may also pursue research with faculty during the academic year.

Prerequisites for Admission

• GPA of 3.5 or higher

• course The Science of Politics

• course Data Science for Politics; students may substitute course Programming Methodology, course Introduction to Statistical Methods (Postcalculus) for Social Scientists, course Data Science 101, or course Introduction to Statistical Methods: Precalculus.

• Research experience

Research Honors Program Requirements

To graduate with honors in Political Science, students must:

1. Secure an honors advisor at the time of application to the research honors program. The honors advisor must be a Political Science faculty member or a courtesy faculty member (non-lecturer).

2. Complete course Research Design in spring quarter of the junior year.

3. Complete course Honors Thesis Seminar in autumn quarter of the senior year. 

4. Complete course Honors Thesis in winter quarter of the senior year and course Honors Thesis in spring quarter of the senior year. Enroll in both of these with the honors thesis advisor.

5. Earn a grade of B or higher in course Research Design and course Honors Thesis Seminar. Students unable to meet these requirements may be removed from the program.

6. Submit a completed thesis, approved by the advisor, in spring quarter of the senior year. The thesis must receive a grade of ‘B+’ or higher. The thesis grade also serves as the grade for course Honors Thesis and course Honors Thesis.

Up to 20 units of honors coursework may be applied toward the additional related coursework requirement for the major.