Major & Minor Requirements

Note: This page is designed to assist students, faculty, and advisors by providing degree requirements and recommendations in an easy-to-use format. The course catalogue remains the official source of degree requirements -- please report any discrepancies with this page to the department chair.  

Major Requirements for Politics

A minimum of 11 courses distributed as follows:

1. One course in statistics: STA 201 (Statistical Methods I) or STA 348 (Mathematical Statistics).
2. At least ten courses in Politics and Public Policy, including:
   • At least one course in Political Thought,
   • At least three courses in International Relations and/or Comparative Politics,
   • At least three courses in American Politics and/or Public Policy,
   • At least six courses at the 300 or 400 level (other than POL 380),
   • Research Seminar (POL 483) or, for qualified students, course credit for an independent project directed toward pursuit of departmental honors.
3. The Department strongly encourages students to participate in a political affairs internship or comparable off-campus program while at Cornell. 

Notes:

• Majors who have a special interest in legislative and electoral politics should take POL 262, 280/380, 325, 363, and 364.
• Politics courses of particular value to pre-law students include POL 222, 252 (when the topic is Principles of Advocacy), 262, 325, 361, 364, 365, and 366. Law schools will accept majors in any academic discipline.

Teaching Major Requirements

A minimum of nine course credits in politics, including:

• Foundations of the First Amendment (222)
• International Politics (242)
• Comparative Politics (243)
• American Politics (262)
• U.S. Foreign Policy (348)
• Congress and the Presidency (364)
• Three course credits selected from:
  • Anglo-American Constitutional Thought (325)
  • Race, Sex, and the Constitution: Public Law in the Age of Multiculturalism (361)
  • Campaigns and Elections (363)
  • Constitutional Law: The American System (365)
  • Constitutional Law: Rights and Liberties (366)
  • Urban Politics (367)
  • Environmental Politics (368)

• In addition to the foregoing requirements, prospective teachers must also apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program (preferably at the start of their sophomore year) and complete a second major in Secondary Education as described on the Education Web site. Prospective teachers should request a current list of the specific teaching major course requirements from the Education Office.

Second Teaching Area in American Government:
The following program in conjunction with a teaching major in Anthropology (individualized major), Economics and Business, History, Psychology, or Sociology will enable the student to apply for licensure to teach both the major subject and American Government:

• American Politics (262)
• Congress and the Presidency (364)
• Two course credits selected from:
  
  • Foundations of the First Amendment (222) or Anglo-American Constitutional Thought (325)
  • U.S. Foreign Policy (348)
  • Campaigns and Elections(363)
  • Race, Sex, and the Constitution: Public Law in the Age of Multiculturalism (361) or Constitutional Law: The American System (365) or Constitutional Law: Rights and Liberties (366)
  • Urban Politics (367) or Environmental Politics (368)

Minor Requirements

The Department offers three specialized minors. It is possible to earn more than one minor; however, no course may be counted toward more than one of the three minors. Qualifying courses are grouped by minor field on the Politics Course Information page.

Political Thought Minor:

• A minimum of five course credits in Political Thought and Constitutional Law, at least three of which must be at the 300 level.
• Up to two courses in political philosophy may be counted toward the five courses.
• The philosophy courses presently approved for inclusion in the Political Thought minor are:
  • Marx & Marxism (PHI 307)
  • Philosophy of Law (PHI 353)
    
  • Political Philosophy (PHI 354)

International Relations and Comparative Government Minor:

• A minimum of five course credits in International Relations and Comparative Government, at least three of which must be at the 300 level.
• An appropriate internship may be substituted for one of the five courses.  
• Not available to students with an International Relations major.

American Politics Minor:

• A minimum of five course credits in American Politics, at least three of which must be at the 300 level.
• An appropriate internship may be substituted for one of the five courses.