Political Science, Law and Policy Emphasis, B.A.

Lower Division Major Requirements [16 Units]

Upper Division Major Requirements [36 Units]

Additional Elective Requirement [12 units]

Complete three additional upper division courses in Political Science.

Political Science Honors Program

UC Merced Political Science majors may petition to join the Political Science Honors Program, which will consist of coursework and an Honors thesis in addition to the standard Political Science major requirements. Undergraduate majors who are accepted and successfully complete the Honors Program will receive a notation to that effect on their diploma and on their undergraduate transcript thereafter.

Students apply to join the Honors Program in the spring of their second or third year, and can fulfill the requirements during their third or fourth year. To be eligible for the Honors Program, a Political Science major must have an overall GPA of 3.3 and a minimum GPA of 3.7 in the major. A student with a GPA in the major between 3.5 and 3.69 may request an exemption from the Political Science Undergraduate Chair. Students admitted to the Political Science Honors Program will be required to complete POLI 175 (or an equivalent such as ECON 110, PSY 105, or COGS 105) and then, enroll in POLI 194H during the spring of their third or fourth year and will count toward the three nonemphasis track specific upper division courses that are required of all Political Science. Please contact SSHA Advising for more information.

Transfer Students

Transfer students planning to major in Political Science should complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) at their community college. Transfer students may not be admitted to the Political Science major without specific major preparation. Below are the current Transfer Selection Criteria for the Political Science Major.