Degree Requirements for Politics & Government

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General Requirements for the Major or Minor

General university degree requirements stipulate that 1) at least four units of the major or three units of the minor be taken in residence at Puget Sound; 2) students earn at least a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken for the major or the minor; and 3) all courses taken for a major or minor must be taken for graded credit. Any exceptions to these stipulations are indicated in the major and minor degree requirements listed below.

Requirements for the Major in Politics and Government (BA)

Completion of a minimum of ten units in the Department of Politics and Government to include
1. Three 100-level courses (PG 101, 102, 103, or 104);
2. PG 200; Students must earn a C- or better for PG 200 to count towards the major. Students may only retake PG 200 more than twice with approval of the chair of the Department of Politics and Government
3. Five 300-level courses, three of which must be taken in the student’s area of concentration within the discipline:
  U.S. Politics: CONN 397; PG 304, 305, 306, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 344, 346, 353, 354, or 355
  Comparative Politics: CONN 397; HIST 323; PG 315, 321, 323, 326, 328, 330, 336, 337, 347, 360, 361, 363, 372, 378, 379, 380, 382, 383, 384, 386
  International Relations: PG 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, 338, 339, 343, 354, 361, 382, 383, 384, 385, 387
  Political Theory: PG 334, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349, 390
  Law, Politics, and Society: PG 311, 313, 315, 316, 322, 333, 338, 348
4. One 400-level senior capstone course in the student's area of concentration;
At least five units of the total must be completed at Puget Sound.
Any deviation from these requirements requires written approval by the chair of the Politics and Government Department.

Note: Only courses for which the student earned a C- or better can count towards the student's area of concentration.

Requirements for the Minor in Politics and Government

Completion of a minimum of five units in the Department of Politics and Government to include
1. Two 100-level courses (PG 101, 102, 103, or 104);
2. Three units at the 300 level. One course may be at the 400 level;
Any deviation from these requirements requires written approval by the Chair of the Politics and Government Department.

Notes for the major and minor

Students who study abroad may apply one approved course toward a minor or two approved courses toward their Politics and Government Major. Of these courses, only one may apply to the student's area of concentration.
One unit of PG 498 may apply toward the major.
Independent study courses may count toward the major with prior approval of the department.
The Politics and Government Department will determine on a case-by-case basis the acceptability of courses that may be applied to a major or minor based on the age of the course.
Students wishing to write a senior thesis can apply for entry into PG 490 (Thesis in Politics and Government) in the semester prior.