Political Science & International Affairs

The Department of Political Science & International Affairs offers undergraduate courses leading to both Associate and Bachelor degrees. Majors include International Affairs, Political Science, and Strategic & Security Studies. Within the political science major, the department offers concentrations in American politics and pre-law. Minors are available in international affairs, public administration & public service, and political science. The department also offers two graduate degrees; the Master of Public Administration (MPA) and the Master of Arts in International Affairs (MAIA) degree. For information regarding these graduate programs, please contact the office of Graduate Studies or visit the University of North Georgia website.

The PSIA department provides coursework in the following areas: American political institutions (presidency, congress, and courts), public administration, constitutional law, political theory, strategic studies, comparative politics, international relations, and Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and European politics.

The PSIA department offers an Associates of Arts (AA) in Core Curriculum with Pathway courses in Political Science. This degree is offered both face-to-face and through North Georgia Online.

The department also offers a variety of Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science. Majors have the option of selecting from three degree programs: a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Political Science, a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Political Science with a concentration in an American Politics, or a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Political Science with a concentration in pre-law. The traditional political science degree provides a well-rounded background in the discipline as well as enabling students to focus on areas of interest to them. Students who choose to earn a B.S. degree in Political Science can count up to 9 credit hours of internship coursework towards their degree. The American politics and pre-law concentrations are designed to prepare students for specialized careers by developing the skills needed to succeed in those respective fields. These concentrations require internships.

The International Affairs (BA) degree program provides a basic background in international relations for students interested in pursuing careers in diplomacy, intelligence, and related fields. The degree requires an area of specialization (Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East are presently offered), as well as both a study abroad and an international internship. In order to increase the student’s cross-cultural skills, advanced foreign language training is also encouraged within the student’s regional area of expertise. Above and beyond the region specific coursework, students are introduced to International Political Economy, International Security Issues, International Organizations, International Law, Comparative Government and International Relations Theory. These courses provide students with a broad understanding of international relations beyond their regional areas. The degree is designed to prepare students for careers in international diplomacy, international service careers, and for further study in International Affairs and international business. As part of this program students are expected to participate in a study abroad experience of at least 25 days in country to satisfy the study abroad requirement of the IA major. However, the International Affairs faculty encourages students to participate in semester-long programs. Students are also expected to complete an international internship of 320 hours.

The Strategic and Security Studies program focuses on the theory and application of intelligence and military power to the construction of national defense policy. This interdisciplinary program includes courses from the following areas: Intelligence, Military Science, Critical Languages, Geospatial Intelligence, History, International Affairs and Cyber-Security. Through this interdisciplinary program students will be introduced to various aspects of security and will have the opportunity to specialize in one of the six areas of concentration for the degree. A study abroad or international internship is required for this degree.

POLS 1101 is a prerequisite for all 3000-4000 level political science courses. POLS 2401 is required for all majors within the department, and is a prerequisite for all 3000-4000 level political science courses in comparative politics and international relations.

No grade below “C” will be acceptable in any Political Science or International Affairs course or any course in the major area for Political Science, Strategic & Security Studies, or International Affairs majors.

Programs

Associate of Arts

Political Science (A.A.)

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Science

Minor