Main Departmental Office
Wooten Hall, Room 125
Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle, #305340
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2276
Web site: www.psci.unt.edu
Political Science Advising Office
Wooten Hall, Room 141
940-565-2310
Professors Booth, Breuning, Forde, Ishiyama, Martinez-Ebers, Mason, Meernik, Sahliyeh. Associate Professors Books, Cox, Enterline, Hensel, King, Oldmixon, Paolino, Ruderman, Todd. Assistant Professors Clough, Collins, Eshbaugh-Soha, Greig, Hendrix, Maeda, Matsubayashi, Salehyan, Turgeon. Lecturers Kirby, Meaders, Solowiej.
Department courses meet the needs of both undergraduate and graduate students preparing to enter national, state and local government employment; public and private foreign service; law; politics; public and private research; writing and reporting of public affairs and political science; and government and social science teaching.
UNT annually prepares many students to enter law schools. No prescribed program of courses has been found to be key for a successful law career. A grade point average of 3.5 or higher will be competitive for admission to a nationally recognized school, but a minimum of 3.0 is suggested to apply for admission to law school. While many students undertake a liberal arts degree, law schools place important emphasis on the diversity of their student body and seek persons from different backgrounds, including the natural sciences. Consequently, there is no pre-law program of courses; however, UNT offers an array of courses that will help prepare you.
Future law school students should take courses that emphasize writing and oral skills, research into problems facing society, logical reasoning, the American legal system and Constitutional Law. Pre-law students should take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) during the summer before or fall term/semester of their senior year. Students should plan to attend a pre-law orientation session early in their career (freshman or sophomore year) at UNT. For more information, check www.cas.unt.edu/advising/prelaw/ or send inquiries to prelaw@unt.edu.
The university may not award a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic certificate unless the student has completed 6 hours of credit in American government that include consideration of the Constitutions of the United States and Texas. The university may determine that a student has met the requirement in whole or in part on the basis of credit transferred from another accredited college or upon successful completion of an advanced standing examination. Completion of 12 semester hours of upper division ROTC courses may be substituted for PSCI 1050. The student may satisfy part (3 hours) or all of the 6-hour political science requirement by credit through examination.
The department offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the following areas:
Concentrations under the political science major are available at the master’s and doctoral levels in political theory and political methodology.
The Department of Political Science is home to several study abroad programs. Students may participate in the summer study program in London, where courses on British politics, British legal systems, European politics and terrorism have been taught. Students also meet with members of the British Parliament, key leaders of British political parties, cabinet ministers, and judges and practitioners in the British legal system. The summer program in The Hague, Netherlands, brings students to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia where they study international law and attend sessions of the court. Students also meet with judges, members of the prosecutor’s office and other top officials.
1. Hours Required and General/College Requirements: A minimum of 120 semester hours, of which 42 must be advanced, and fulfillment of degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree as specified in the “General University Requirements” in the Academics section of this catalog and the College of Arts and Sciences requirements.
2. Major Requirements: All students entering UNT and wishing to pursue the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in political science must first enter as pre-majors. Before applying for political science major status, pre-majors must complete at least 24 hours of college course work including the following:
a. 6 hours of courses including PSCI 1040 or 1041, and PSCI 1050 or 1051 or 1060, or the equivalent, with a 2.5 GPA or better on these 6 hours;
b. pre-majors who have completed the above requirements and who have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 (UNT and transfer credit) may file a formal application for major status.
Political science majors must complete 30 hours in political science: PSCI 1040 or 1041, and either PSCI 1050 or 1051 or 1060, 2300, any political theory course and 18 other hours, including at least one advanced course in each of three of the listed areas of study (not including political theory). Advanced courses are offered in six areas of study.
Field A, American Government and Politics: PSCI 3010, 3100*, 3110, 3120, 3130, 3160, 3420, 4020, 4100, 4120, 4140 and 4450.
Field B, Public Law: PSCI 3200, 3210, 4200, 4210, 4220 and 4810.
Field C, Political Theory and Methodology: PSCI 3310, 3320, 4320 and 4330*.
Field D, Public Policy: PSCI 3420, 4130, 4450 and 4490.
Field E, Comparative Government and Politics: PSCI 3600, 3700*, 4630, 4640, 4650, 4660, 4670, 4700, 4710 and 4720.
Field F, International Relations: PSCI 3500, 3810, 4520, 4800, 4810, 4820*, 4821, 4822, 4823, 4824, 4825, 4830, 4840, 4850 and 4860.
Courses listed in more than one area of study may be counted toward the requirements of only one area.
*May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
3. Electives: See four-year plan.
4. Other Requirements: Academic requirements for graduation with a BA degree in political science: A student must have a minimum of 2.5 grade point average in all work attempted, including transfer, correspondence, extension and residence work in all courses, and in all courses counting toward the political science major.
The following four-year plan is one example of a variety of ways in which you can complete your chosen degree in four years, and will serve as guide for you to design your pathway to degree completion. Variations will depend on whether you need to take prerequisites or have college credit from exams or dual enrollment.
The College of Arts and Sciences expects you to have completed the State recommended high school program and be ready to enroll for Language 2040 or a mathematics course above college algebra. If you are not prepared for this level, the necessary prerequisites will either replace electives or increase the hours required for the degree.
| Course | Hours |
|---|---|
| ENGL 1310, College Writing I, or ENGL 1313, Computer Assisted College Writing I* | 3 |
| LANG 2040, Foreign Language (intermediate, may be used to satisfy a portion of the Understanding the Human Community requirement)** | 3 |
| PSCI 1040, American Government* | 3 |
| MATH (see approved list)** | 3 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Course | Hours |
|---|---|
| ENGL 1320, College Writing II, or ENGL 1323, Computer Assisted College Writing II* | 3 |
| LANG 2050, Foreign Language (intermediate, may be used to satisfy a portion of the Understanding the Human Community requirement)** | 3 |
| PSCI 1050, American Government, or PSCI 1060, American Government: Topics* | 3 |
| Natural Sciences** | 3 |
| Visual and Performing Arts* | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Course | Hours |
|---|---|
| HIST 2610, United States History to 1865* | 3 |
| PSCI 2300, Introduction to Political Research | 3 |
| PSCI Field C (advanced) | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Physical Sciences** | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Course | Hours |
|---|---|
| HIST 2620, United States History Since 1865* | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Humanities* | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Course | Hours |
|---|---|
| PSCI Elective | 3 |
| PSCI Field Elective (advanced, see major requirements) | 3 |
| Elective (advanced) | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Laboratory Science** | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Course | Hours |
|---|---|
| PSCI Elective | 3 |
| PSCI Field Elective (advanced, see major requirements) | 3 |
| PSCI Field Elective (advanced, see major requirements) | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Course | Hours |
|---|---|
| PSCI elective | 3 |
| Elective (advanced) | 3 |
| Elective (advanced) | 3 |
| Elective (advanced) | 3 |
| Elective (advanced) | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Course | Hours |
|---|---|
| Elective (advanced) | 3 |
| Elective (advanced) | 3 |
| Elective (advanced) | 3 |
| Elective (advanced) | 3 |
| Elective (advanced) | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
*See the University Core Curriculum section of this catalog for approved list of course options.
** See Arts and Sciences degree requirements section of this catalog for approved list of course options.
Actual degree audits may vary depending on availability of courses in a given semester.
Some courses may require prerequisites not listed.
Students may wish to use opportunities for electives to complete a minor of their choice.
During the sophomore year of enrollment, the student should make a degree audit. The student must bring or send all transcripts of prior college work, if any, to the departmental advisor, with whom an advisory sheet is made. Transcripts and advisory sheets are then taken to General Academic Building, Room 220, for the completion of the degree audit. The process should be completed in time for the next registration period.
Students wishing to obtain a minor in peace studies must complete a minimum of 18 hours (6 advanced), including PSCI 3500 plus at least one course from each of these three areas:
Any of the following courses may also be taken to fulfill the remaining 6 hours: AECO 4420; HIST 4070, 4260, 4350, 4650, 4660; PSCI 3600, 3810, 4630, 4830; or, when topic is appropriate, ANTH 2350, 4030, 4610; JOUR 4240; SOCI 4160 or 4750. Practicums and special problems courses may also apply if approved by the Director of Peace Studies. Interested students should contact Dr. David Mason, Department of Political Science, Wooten Hall, by phone at 940-565-2386, or by e-mail at masontd@unt.edu.
A minor in political science requires 18 hours: PSCI 1040 and 1050, plus 12 semester hours that include 6 advanced.
Fifteen hours, at least 9 of which must be upper division, including PSCI 3500 (Introduction to Peace Studies) and at least one course from each of three areas in the peace studies minor: determinants of violence, conflict resolution and issues of justice. Three hours of internship credit can be accepted.
The department offers degree programs leading to the Master of Arts, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. Undergraduates who anticipate political science graduate study should take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) during their senior year. For information, consult the Graduate Catalog.
The department annually awards two $1,000 scholarships based on merit to incoming students (fall term) who declare their intention to major in political science. The awardees are known as Pender Scholars in honor of the first chair of the political science department, J.W. “Dad” Pender.
High school seniors must rank in the top quarter of their class and have a score of at least 1100 recentered on the SAT (or its equivalent). Transfer students must have a 3.5 grade point average and a score of at least 1100 recentered on the SAT (or its equivalent). Application deadline is August 30; awards are announced September 15. Contact the undergraduate advisor in Wooten Hall, Room 141, for more information.
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The “Course and Subject Guide,” found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
Date of initial release: July 1, 2009 — Copyright © 2008 University of North Texas
Page updated:
March 22, 2010
— Comments or corrections: catalog@unt.edu
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