2024-2025 Catalog
Political Science
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 Return to: Academic Departments, Programs, and Requirements for Majors and Minors
Political Science
Associate Professors Haschke, Moraguez (Co-Chairs); Professor Gibney; Assistant Professors Pleites-Hernandez, Shrode
The Political Science Department offers diverse courses in a flexible program designed to help students prepare for meaningful careers in government and international public service, law, journalism, teaching and other related areas. In the liberal arts tradition, programs and courses are fashioned to help students develop the skills and background necessary to interpret the political world and understand how politics shapes contemporary life. The department’s goals are to help students improve their capacity to creatively ask and systematically answer questions, and to improve their skills in communicating their knowledge and insights in both written and oral fashion. Students are encouraged to work closely with their advisors to plan their study and to sample widely from a variety of course offerings. Students must also participate in either community service and/or research activities appropriate to their career goals and interests.
Dual Degree Option with the University of Essex, United Kingdom
Political Science majors at UNC Asheville have the option of pursuing a joint degree with the University of Essex to earn both a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Political Science from UNC Asheville and a Master of Arts (M.A.) or a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Human Rights from the University of Essex in roughly 4.5 years. Students pursuing this option pay tuition and fees to UNC Asheville while enrolled here for the beginning of the program, and then pay tuition and fees to Essex where they enroll for the remainder of the program.
To be eligible, students must complete the Liberal Arts Core and at least 28 credits of required and elective courses for the Political Science major with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Students would then complete the remainder of their major (at least 10 credits), as well as 35 additional elective credits, at the University of Essex, earning an M.A. or LL.M. in Human Rights in the process. The 12 month (October-October) “dissertation” module completed at Essex will fulfill the student’s senior competency in Political Science (the equivalent of POLS 490), with the approval of faculty from both institutions.
Students must complete a minimum of 30 hours at UNC Asheville to be eligible for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Upon receipt of the final transcript from the University of Essex showing the awarding of the Master’s degree, transfer credit will be added to the student’s UNC Asheville record, and the Bachelor of Arts degree awarded at the next conferral date. Contact the Political Science department chair for additional information.
Political Science
CoursesPolitical SciencePolitical Science - Special Topics
Return to: Academic Departments, Programs, and Requirements for Majors and Minors
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