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Political Science (BA/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 (ba)

credit hours (bS)

Developing A Christian Mind
DCM 2301 - Developing a Christian Mind

3

3

English

12

9

ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric I

ENGL 1302 - Composition and Rhetoric II

ENGL 2301 - World Literature I

and/or

ENGL 2302 - World Literature II

Fine Arts
FINE 1306 - Introduction to Fine Arts

3

3

Foreign Language
*Six hours at the 2000 level if adequate requisites are met

14*

0

Foundations for Excellence

1

1

FOUN 1101 - Foundations for Excellence

is required of all first-year and transfer students with fewer than 15 credit hours. (AP, CLEP, IB, or dual/concurrent credit earned while in high school does not count toward these 15 credit hours.)

History

6

6

Choose two:

HIST 1301 - U.S. History to 1865

HIST 1302 - U.S. History Since 1865

HIST 2301 - World Civilization I

HIST 2302 - World Civilization II

Kinesiology

2

2

KNES 1101 - Fitness for Living

and one additional activity course (KNES 1102-1122); for veterans or those 25 years of age or older prior to enrollment at DBU, KNES courses are waived.

Mathematics

3

3

(BA)

Choose one:

MATH 1301 - Math for Liberal Arts

MATH 1303 - College Algebra

MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis

MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I


(BS)

Choose one:

MATH 1303 - College Algebra

MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis

MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I

Natural Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only)

4

15

One laboratory science (BA)

or

15 credit hours of laboratory science (BS)

selected from two or more areas of Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, Physical Science, or Physics

Religion

9

9

RELI 1301 - Old Testament Survey

RELI 1302 - New Testament Survey

and

three additional credit hours depending on credit hours transferred at time of initial enrollment

TOTAL GENERAL STUDIES HOURS

57

51

Political Science Major

30

30

POLS 2301 - American National Government.

POLS 2302 - State and Local Governments

POLS 3305 - Constitutional Law

POLS 4305 - American Political Tradition

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

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

Plus 12 elective political sciences hours with a minimum 6 upper level hours.

Electives

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

24

9

24

15

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED

120

120

A 120-credit-hour minimum for a bachelor's degree is required, including 42 upper-level credit 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

See information about the Political Science minor here.

A Minor in Legal Studies is offered for interested students.

ACCELERATED DEGREES AVAILABLE

DBU also offers Accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s degree program(s) for this degree available for qualifying undergraduate students. Refer to Accelerated Bachelor's and Master's Degree Program Requirements for additional information.BA/BS in Political Science/MA in International Studies

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.