IMPORTANT NOTE

The requirements below apply to those students with a 2023-2024 catalog year. Students are required by college policy to follow the major (and minor) requirements found in the catalog in effect at the time they declared their first major. To find your catalog year, please visit your Grades and Academic Records found in myOxy and access the catalog that matches your catalog year.

 

Access the worksheet for the Politics major*

*Must have an oxy.edu email address to view

Students interested in the Politics major should consider taking POLS 101 (American Politics and Public Policy) during their first year. (POLS 101 is a prerequisite for several upper-level courses in the major.) In addition, the Politics major requires students to complete a course in each of the following six subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Public Law. For additional information, including lists of qualifying courses for each of the subfields, please refer to the College Catalog.

Placement Information

No placement exams are specifically required for the Politics major.

Sample 4-Year Plan


Fall

Spring

Year 1

  • Fall FYS course

  • POLS 101 (CPUD)

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • Spring FYS course

  • Subfield Course

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Year 2

  • Subfield Course

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • Subfield Course

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • Core Requirement (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Year 3

  • POLS 300 (CPMS)

  • Subfield Course

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • Additional POLS Elective*
  • POLS 300-level Writing Seminar
  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Year 4

  • Subfield Course

  • Additional POLS Elective*

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • POLS 495 (Senior Seminar)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

  • General Elective (4 units)

Curricular Notes

  • POLS 101 can be taken in either the Fall or the Spring semester

  • POLS 300 must be taken before POLS 495

  • "Additional POLS Electives" must be selected from one of the subfields noted in the catalog.

Transfer Credit Policies

The Politics Department policy on transfer credit conforms to College policy. The department accepts at most three courses in transfer to count toward the major and at most two courses in transfer to count toward the minor. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.

Contact Politics
Johnson Hall 317

Administrative support: J 101A