Program Requirements

About the major

Mercer University’s Political Science curriculum is designed to provide:

  • Academic training in the theoretical, empirical, and philosophical aspects of the discipline
  • An environment in which students can develop basic skills in analysis, critical thinking, writing and research
  • The background and competence necessary to pursue graduate studies
  • A broad liberal education in politics, law, and government for all students.

A Political Science major requires 33 hours. Majors are strongly advised to complete the required 200-level courses before taking other Political Science courses, and STA 126 (Introductory Statistics) should be completed before POL 295 (Introduction to Political Science Research). Students in Political Science are encouraged to enroll in other courses as complements to the major or minor, such as ECN 150 and 151 (Principles of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, respectively) , GDS 200 (Introduction to Development Theory and Practice), or foreign languages. Students are also encouraged to take American Founding Principles (POL 176), which may be used to meet the Western Heritage block requirement in General Education.

About the minor

A minor in Political Science consists of 18 semester credit hours, including three 300-level courses.

Departmental honors

Majors may attain departmental honors in Political Science by meeting the following requirements:

  • Achieve an overall grade point average of 3.5.
  • Achieve a grade point average of 3.6 in the Political Science major.
  • Write and present an original research paper during senior year.

Secondary teacher certification program

Teacher certification in political science for grades sixth through 12th is available. Students planning to teach government and civics in secondary school should notify their advisor and contact the chair of teacher education in the Tift College of Education.