As a student of political science at The College of New Jersey, you will be acquainted with both national and global perspectives with courses in American, Comparative, and International relations, as well as Political Theory. Additionally, students in our Department develop an excellent foundation in economics, law, and quantitative methods, which they can later apply hands-on through our extensive internship program.
Fifteen total course units are required for the Political Science major, including 12 course units in the Political Science core. Transfer students are required to take half of the 12 course units in the Political Science core at TCNJ. Once they are enrolled at TCNJ, majors may not take core political science courses at a two-year institution. Students who have taken the AP exams for American Government and Politics or for Comparative Politics will receive credit towards the major by earning a score of five (5). Students should be careful not to repeat AP courses or courses taken elsewhere here at TCNJ because you cannot be credited twice. Click here for a printable Program Planner
Political Science Core Major Requirements
| Requirement | Courses |
|---|---|
| Correlate Courses | STA 215/Statistical Inference and Probability ECO 101/Microeconomics ECO 102/ Macroeconomics (see notes below on the correlate courses) |
| Political Science Breadth Distribution | POL 110/American Government POL 130/International Relations POL 150/Comparative Politics 1 Political Theory Course (POL 275 or POL 365 or POL 372) |
| Research Core Sequence | POL 200/Political Analysis (typically taken sophomore year) POL 390/Junior Tutorial in Political Science (typically taken junior year, POL 200 with a grade of C or higher is a prerequisite) POL 498/Senior Seminar in Political Science (typically taken senior year, POL 390 is a prerequisite) |
| Electives | 5 Political Science courses |
| Upper Division Requirements | 5 of 12 Political Science courses must be a 300 or 400 level course |
Correlate Courses:
ECO 101/Microeconomics and ECO 102/Macroeconomics require MAT 95/Intermediate Algebra as a prerequisite. If you did not submit your SAT or ACT scores (with an SAT math score of 550 or higher or ACT math score of 24 or higher) when you applied to TCNJ, please take the math placement test (only the algebra section, not the calculus section). If you place out of MAT 95, you can enroll in the economics courses. If you do not place out of MAT 95, you need to complete that course prior to enrolling in the economics courses.
Only certain sections of STA 215 are suitable for Political Science majors. All sections of STA 215 have a math prerequisite, so the Political Science office must enroll you to waive the prerequisite. Please contact the department for enrollment assistance.
Political Science Major Four Year Program Planner
| Year | Course Title | Course Unit(s) |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| FYS First Year Seminar | 1 course unit | |
| HSS 99/Orientation to Humanities and Social Sciences | 0 course units | |
| POL 110/American Government* | 1 course unit | |
| POL 130/International Relations | 1 course unit | |
| POL 150/Comparative Politics | 1 course unit | |
| STA 215/Statistics | 1 course unit | |
| Foreign Language (if not exempted)** | 2 course units | |
| Second Year/Sophomore | ||
| POL 200/Political Analysis | 1 course unit | |
| Foreign Language (if not exempted)** | 1 course unit | |
| POL Electives | 1 course unit | |
| ECO 101 | 1 course unit | |
| ECO 102 | 1 course unit | |
| College Core courses | 2-3 course units | |
| Third Year/Junior | ||
| POL 390/Tutorial in Political Science | 1 course unit | |
| POL Electives | 3 course units | |
| College Core courses | 1-2 course units | |
| Electives | 2-4 course units | |
| Fourth Year/Senior | ||
| POL 498/Seminar in Political Science | 1 course unit | |
| POL Electives | 2 course units | |
| Electives | 4-5 course units |
*Students who have taken a course in American politics or government prior to TCNJ should take POL 150, POL 130, or POL 250 instead.
**It is recommended that students exempted from these courses take other College Core courses. Note: Chinese 151/152 and Japanese 151/152 are intensive courses and carry two course units of credit each. Students should take this into account when planning a normal four-course semester.
Students may take STA 115 instead of STA 215.
The following courses are pre-approved substitutes for the designated POL course: PHL 240 for POL 275; ECO 231 or SOC 302 for POL 200. These other courses may have prerequisites controlled by their home department.