Political Science

Why Study Political Science?

We have a lot to offer you. There are five options for you to choose from:

Standard Major: In addition to a number of required courses, you can select any three elective courses to take in the department to fulfill the major.
International and Comparative Politics: Students in this program are interested in international affairs and thus complete two years of a foreign language and often participate in the Study Abroad semester. Also, the department has a Model Arab League program as well as Model United Nations in selected years.
Public Law: This is a very popular program with most students planning to attend law school upon graduation. There is a very intensive Mock Trial Program which enters various competitions each year. A number of Public Law students are team members each year.
American Public Policy: This program concentrates on U.S. politics and policy, while also providing an introduction to other subfields in the discipline. Many students in this program complete a Public Policy Internship to get experience grappling with policy problems in various governmental agencies or in legislative affairs.
Secondary Education Major: More than ten percent of all our students in political science are in this program. There are elective credits available within this major so that a Secondary Education student can select courses that will be of most interest and best future application in the classroom.

Michael Schreuder, International and Comparative Politics (1997) is a Foreign Service officer with the Department of State, currently serving in the North Africa/ Middle East region.

The department's five majors are very popular with students. The number of majors in the department is more than 500 and the number of minors is well over 100. There are a number of scholarships that students can compete for but most are not available until junior or senior years. The department prides itself on its individualized advising system where each major and minor is assigned to a faculty member who then follows that student throughout his/her time at Western. Our Institute of Government and Politics regularly offers speakers and other programs that undergraduates are invited to attend. The department encourages prospective students to contact the Political Science office at 269-387-5680 and make an appointment to visit with one of our faculty members.

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