While no specific major is prescribed for admission to law school, many prelaw students elect to major in political science. These individuals usually choose the prelaw emphasis within the political science major. Prelaw students are encouraged to work closely with a prelaw advisor in planning their program. By judicious use of electives, students build a firm foundation for law school entry and acquire a broad training which can result in career options upon graduation. For further information, consult one of the School's prelaw advisors or the College of Sciences Prelaw Advisor. The following curriculum meets the requirements for a Political Science degree and prepares you for professional school.
Political Science (B.A.), Prelaw Track may be completed fully online, although not all elective options or program prerequisites may be offered online. Newly admitted students choosing to complete this program exclusively via UCF online classes may enroll with a reduction in campus-based fees.
Degree Requirements
- Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog.
- Co-op or internship credit cannot be used in this major without prior school approval
- Students should consult with a school advisor
- The School Residency Requirement consists of at least 21 semester hours of regularly scheduled courses taken from the UCF School of Politics, Security, and Intl Affairs.
- All prerequisites of courses taught within the College of Sciences will be enforced.
- Courses designated in 1 (General Education Program) and 2 (Common Program Prerequisites) are usually completed in the first 60 hours
Double major/dual degree policy in Political Science programs and minors
- Students who double major/degree in any Political Science track and International and Global Studies shall not count more than two courses toward both programs, except the following courses;
- POS 2041 - American National Government
- POS 3703 - Scope and Methods of Political Science
- Students who major in any Political Science track, and minor in International and Global Studies, shall not count more than one course toward both programs.
- The myKnight Audit cannot capture overlapping courses between two or more programs; therefore, students should have their program reviewed by the School before filing for graduation.
Degree Requirements
Core Requirements: Advanced Level
3 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- In addition to completing POS2041 (GEP) and POS3703 (CPP),
- Complete the following:
- POS4284 - Judicial Process and Politics (3)
- POS4961 - Exit Course
- POS4961 is completed during graduating semester.
Restricted Electives
27 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- INR4401 - International Law (3)
- POS4603 - American Constitutional Law I (3)
- POS4604 - American Constitutional Law II (3)
- Complete all of the following
Area A: American Politics and Policy- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- POS3076 - American Indian Politics (3)
- POS3122 - State Government and Public Policy (3)
- POS3173 - Southern Politics (3)
- POS3182H - Honors Florida Politics (3)
- POS3233 - Public Opinion (3)
- POS3234 - Protest in American Politics (3)
- POS3235H - Honors Mass Media and Politics (3)
- POS3258 - Politics in Film (3)
- POS3272 - Civic Engagement (3)
- POS3273 - Voting and Elections (3)
- POS3413 - The American Presidency (3)
- POS3424 - Congress and the Legislative Process (3)
- POS3443 - Political Parties and Processes (3)
- POS3463 - Interest Groups (3)
- POS4764 - GIS for Political Analysis (3)
- POS4023 - The Politics of LGBTQ+ Policy (3)
- POS4764 - GIS for Political Analysis (3)
- POS4074 - Latino Politics (3)
- POS4023 - The Politics of LGBTQ+ Policy (3)
- POS4204 - Political Behavior (3)
- POS4244 - Political Socialization (3)
- POS4412 - Presidential Campaigning (3)
- POS4603 - American Constitutional Law I (3)
- POS4604 - American Constitutional Law II (3)
- POS4622 - Politics and Civil Rights (3)
- POS4623 - Guns, Freedom and Citizenship (3)
- POS4700 - Teaching American Politics and Government (3)
- POS4764 - GIS for Political Analysis (3)
- PUP3203 - Environmental Politics (3)
- PUP3204H - Honors Sustainability (3)
- PUP3314 - Minorities in American Politics (3)
- PUP4003 - American Public Policy (3)
- PUP4209 - Urban Environmental Policy (3)
- PUP4323 - Women and Public Policy (3)
- PUP4404 - Education and Politics (3)
- PUP4503 - Government and Science (3)
- PUP4510 - Space Policy (3)
- PUP4744 - Government and Business (3)
- PUP4931 - Topics in Public Policy (3)
- POS4682 - National Security Law (3)
- POS4407 - The Intelligence Community (3)
- POS4300 - Research Methods and Intelligence (3)
Area B: International Relations and Comparative Government- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- CPO3034 - Politics of Developing Areas (3)
- CPO3057 - Contemporary Revolution and Political Violence (3)
- CPO3103 - Comparative Politics (3)
- CPO3104 - Politics of Western Europe (3)
- CPO3132 - Canadian Politics (3)
- CPO3403 - Politics of the Middle East (3)
- CPO3614 - Politics of Eastern Europe (3)
- CPO4062 - Comparative Judicial Process (3)
- CPO4074 - Political Economy (3)
- CPO4101 - Politics of the European Union (3)
- CPO4123 - Government and Politics of Great Britain (3)
- CPO4303 - Comparative Latin American Politics (3)
- CPO4400 - Kurdish Politics: Identity, Violence, and Democracy (3)
- CPO4514 - Politics of East Asia (3)
- CPO4541 - Chinese Politics (3)
- CPO4541 - Chinese Politics (3)
- CPO4643 - Government and Politics of Russia (3)
- CPO4710 - Women in Comparative Politics (3)
- CPO4731 - Politics of Democratization (3)
- CPO4754 - Comparative Political Institutions (3)
- CPO4784 - Political and Economic Inequality in Comparative Perspective (3)
- CPO4794 - Indigenous Politics and the Environment (3)
- GEO3471 - World Political Geography (3)
- INR2002 - International Relations-Theory and Practice (3)
- INR3016 - Global Political Issues (3)
- INR3250 - Politics of Pan-Africanism (3)
- INR3253 - International Politics of Africa (3)
- INR4008 - Global Perspectives (3)
- INR4011 - Politics of Globalization (3)
- INR4030 - Diplomacy (3)
- INR4035 - International Political Economy (3)
- INR4054 - Global Politics of Energy (3)
- INR4060 - Causes of War (3)
- INR4063 - The Cold War (3)
- INR4074 - Immigration Policy (3)
- INR4075 - Human Rights Policy (3)
- INR4076 - Global Drug Policy (3)
- INR4084 - Politics of International Terrorism (3)
- INR4085 - Women, Gender, and Globalization (3)
- INR4102 - American Foreign Policy (3)
- INR4104 - Topics and Cases in American Foreign Policy (3)
- INR4114 - American Security Policy (3)
- INR4115 - Strategic Weapons and Arms Control (3)
- INR4224 - Contemporary International Politics of Asia (3)
- INR4225 - The Vietnam War (3)
- INR4243 - International Politics of Latin America (3)
- INR4274 - International Politics of the Middle East (3)
- INR4304 - Issues in International Public Policy (3)
- INR4335 - Coercion in International Politics (3)
- INR4350 - Global Environmental Politics (3)
- INR4351 - International Environmental Law (3)
- INR4363 - Intelligence Analysis and Reporting (3)
- POS4407 - The Intelligence Community (3)
- INR4401 - International Law (3)
- INR4404 - Space Law (3)
- INR4502 - International Organizations (3)
- INR4714 - Politics of International Trade Policy (3)
- INR4764 - Cyberwarfare Policy (3)
- INR4765 - Emerging Space Powers (3)
- INR4744 - Militaries in World Politics (3)
- POS3733 - Designing Political Science Research (3)
- PUP3014 - Comparative Public Policy (3)
- PUP4510 - Space Policy (3)
- CPO4406 - Minorities and Majorities in the Middle East (3)
- POS4407 - The Intelligence Community (3)
- POS4300 - Research Methods and Intelligence (3)
- INR4084H - Honors Politics of International Terrorism (3)
- INR4942 - Intelligence Studies Capstone (3)
Area C: Political Theory- Earn at least 3 credits from the following:
- INR4603 - International Relations Theory (3)
- POS4206 - Political Psychology (3)
- POT3302 - Modern Political Ideologies (3)
- POT4003 - Political Theory (3)
- POT4025 - Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Political Philosophy (3)
- POT4066 - Contemporary Political Theory (3)
- POT4305 - Democracy, Capitalism, and the Individual (3)
- POT4305 - Democracy, Capitalism, and the Individual (3)
- POT4331 - Utopia/Dystopia (3)
- POT4632 - Religion and Politics (3)
- POT3206 - Political Ideals and the U.S. Constitution (3)
- POT4320 - Conspiracy Theories and Democracy (3)
Any Area- Earn at least 9 credits from the following types of courses: Three courses chosen from Area A, B, or C.
Grand Total Credits: 30
Total Undergraduate Credit Hours Required: 120
Electives
- Select primarily from upper level courses after meeting with a school advisor. Courses may be outside the school.
- Internship Program: For students who excel, a limited number of internships may be available each semester for three to six hours of credit. Under the Internship Director, the student is typically placed in an office of local, state, or national government, a law office, or campaign headquarters.
- Students who qualify for Senior Scholars Program may enroll in graduate level courses to satisfy major requirements to take Area courses.
- The following courses are not required, but serious students should consider taking these as free electives:
- ACG 2021 - Principles of Financial Accounting
- ACG 2071 - Principles of Managerial Accounting
- BUL 3130 - Legal and Ethical Environment of Business
- ENC 3241 - Writing for the Technical Professional
- ENC 3250 - Professional Writing
- LIN 4105 - History of the English Language
- MHF 3302 - Logic and Proof in Mathematics
- PHI 2101 - Formal Logic I
- PLA 3108 - Legal Research
- PLA 3155 - Legal Writing
- POS 4941 - Political Science Internship
Foreign Language Requirements
Graduation
- Proficiency equivalent to two semesters of college instruction in a foreign language or in American Sign Language (ASL). Standardized examinations for foreign languages may be used. ASL proficiency is met by successful completion of ASL 2140 and ASL 2150 or an appropriate score on the ASL proficiency exam. Contact the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (https://healthprofessions.ucf.edu/csd/) regarding the ASL proficiency examination.
Program Exit Requirements
- Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all courses used to satisfy major requirements.
- Complete the POS 4961 Exit Course during the student's graduating semester.
University Minimum Exit Requirements
- A 2.0 UCF GPA
- 42 semester hours of upper division credit completed
- 60 semester hours earned after CLEP awarded
- 30 of the last 39 hours of course work must be completed in residency at UCF.
- A maximum of 45 hours of extension, correspondence, CLEP, Credit by Exam, and Armed Forces credits permitted.
- Complete the General Education Program, the Gordon Rule, and nine hours of Summer credit.
High Impact Learning Experiences
High Impact Learning Experiences are available to all students. Interested students may select from the following options:
- POS 3940 Internship*
- POS 3955 Study Abroad*
- POS 4903H Honors Directed Reading I*
- POS 4904H Honors Directed Reading II*
- POS 4912 Directed Independent Research*
- POS 4941 Internship*
- POS 4955 Study Abroad*
- POS 4970H Undergraduate Honors Thesis*
- Any course designated as Research Intensive
- Any course designated as Service Learning
- Any course designated as an Integrated Learning Experience
* These courses may also be taken with an INR, CPO, PUP, or POT prefix.
Honors In Major
- Application and admission through The Burnett Honors College. More information about Honors in the Major can be found at honors.ucf.edu/research.
- Interested students who meet the requirements are encouraged to participate in the HIM program. Contact the school for information about the program and the HIM coordinator.
Related Programs
- Economics (B.S.)
- History (B.A.)
- Philosophy (B.A.)
- Legal Studies (B.A. or B.S.)
- Criminal Justice (B.A. or B.S.)
- Diplomacy Certificate
- Intelligence and National Security Certificate
- Civics Teaching Certificate
- Business Minor
- Criminal Justice Minor
- Diplomacy Minor
- Economics Minor
- English, Creative Writing Minor
- English, Technical Communication Minor
- History Minor
- Human Communication Minor
- Intelligence and National Security Minor
- Legal Studies Minor
- Mass Media Minor
- Philosophy Minor
- Public Administration Minor
- Sociology Minor
- Writing and Rhetoric Minor
Advising Notes
- Contact your college advisor in the College of Sciences Advising Services (COSAS) office (CSB 250) for more information about overall progress toward your degree, GEP and other university requirements, academic probation, special problems as well as general academic advising.
Transfer Notes
- Lower division courses do not substitute for upper division courses.
- Courses transferred from private and out-of-state schools must be evaluated for equivalency credit. The student must provide all supporting information.
- Submit your requests for course evaluations at https://sciences.ucf.edu/cosas/ and click on "COS Course Evaluation".
- The following substitutions for common program prerequisites are acceptable if taken prior to transferring to UCF:
- POS 2041: any three hours of introductory Political Science classes will satisfy the CPP. However since this course is required in the core of the major and is a prerequisite to subsequent courses, it still must be taken.
- POS 3703: any three hours of introductory Political Science classes will satisfy the CPP. However since this course is required in the core of the major, it still must be taken.
Program Academic Learning Compacts
- Program Academic Learning Compacts (student learning outcomes) for undergraduate programs are located at: http://www.oeas.ucf.edu/alc/academic_learning_compacts.htm
