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Political Science (BS)

The mission of Dallas Baptist University's Political Science program is to foster an appreciation for the study of government and politics and to encourage students to become informed and concerned participants in a democratic society. To achieve this purpose, the program offers a broad introduction to political institutions, processes, and behavior. In doing so, the program seeks to produce servant leaders who have the ability to integrate faith and learning through their respective callings.

Goals of the Political Science Major

  • Expose students to foundational courses in American national government and state and local government.

  • Offer a variety of upper-level courses in the areas of American government, comparative governments, international relations, political theory, constitutional law, and public administration.

  • Provide a broad liberal arts background for those students intending to enter public service, to attend law school, or to pursue graduate study.

  • Encourage students to take advantage of practical learning opportunities through internship programs.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

courses

credit hours (bS)

CORE EXPERIENCE

DBUE 1301 - Foundations for the DBU Experience

3

Developing A Christian Mind
DBUE 2301 - Developing a Christian Mind

3

English

9

ENGL 1301/1401 - Composition and Rhetoric I

ENGL 1302 - Composition and Rhetoric II

and

ENGL 2301 - World Literature I

or

ENGL 2302 - World Literature II

Fine Arts
FINE 1306 - Introduction to Fine Arts

3

History HIST Lower Level (LL)

3

Choose one 3-hour course from HIST LL Course List.

Kinesiology

1

KNES 1101 - Fitness for Living

Mathematics (3-4 hour course)

3

Choose one:

MATH 1303 - College Algebra

MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis

MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I

Natural Science (3-4 hour LL course)

3

Choose one 3-hour course from Nat. Lab Science LL Course List.

Religion

9

RELI 1301 - Old Testament Survey

RELI 1302 - New Testament Survey

and one additional RELI course from RELI Course List.

Social Science

3

POLS 2301 - American National Government

Total Core Experience

40

Additional Program General Education Hours

11

Choose two 4-hour courses from Nat. Lab Science LL Course List.

Choose one 3-4 hour course from STEM LL Course List.

Political Science Major

27

POLS 2302 - State and Local Governments

POLS 3305 - Constitutional Law

POLS 3313 - Internship in Political Science (S-L)

POLS 4302 - Comparative Government

POLS 4305 - American Political Tradition

POLS 4306 - Religion and Politics in the United States

POLS 4310 - Fundamentals of International Relations (S-L)

Please select two additional upper level POLS classes.

Electives

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

27

15

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED

120

A 120-credit-hour minimum for a bachelor's degree is required, including 36 upper-level credit hours.

At least 12 credit hours in the major program must be completed at Dallas Baptist University, including nine upper-level course hours.

Minimum GPA Required for Graduation from Dallas Baptist University

DBU requires a minimum institutional cumulative, major, and minor GPA of 2.0.

(S-L) = Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.

MINOR IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

A Minor in Legal Studies is offered for interested students.

Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Find course descriptions by category under the Undergraduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.