Program: B.A., Political Science
Public Policy and Management Option
Program Description
This option offers a variety of courses in Public Policy and Management and allows students to form a thorough understanding of the political institutions through which public plans are formulated and implemented. The option may be selected by students who want to prepare for careers in government, politics and public offices within public and nonprofit organizations or the private sector.
Program Requirements
1. Basic Requirements (15 units)
POLS 155 American Political Institutions (3)
or POLS 355 American National, State and Local Governments (3)
POLS 156 Introduction to Comparative Politics (3)
or POLS 225 Elements of International Relations (3)
POLS 350 Great Questions in Politics (3)
or POLS 411 Greek, Roman and Medieval Political Theory (3)
or POLS 412 Modern Western Political Theory (3)
or POLS 414 Western Political Theory in the 20th Century (3)
POLS 360 Public Administration (3)
or POLS 361 Introduction to Public Policy (3)
2. Advanced Requirements in Upper Division (33 units)
a. Choose three courses in Domestic Politics and Policy (9 units)
Domestic:
POLS 360, POLS 361, POLS 380, POLS 403, POLS 404, POLS 405, POLS 406, POLS 407, POLS 413, POLS 440, POLS 441, POLS 441A, POLS 443, POLS 444, POLS 445, POLS 446, POLS 447A, POLS 448, POLS 449, POLS 450, POLS 455, POLS 457A, POLS 457B, POLS 460, POLS 461, POLS 462, POLS 463, POLS 465, POLS 466, POLS 467, POLS 469/L, POLS 471A, POLS 471E, POLS 471F, POLS 494I/A, POLS 494IB, POLS 494J/A
b. Choose three courses in Global Politics and Policy (9 units)
Global:
POLS 310, POLS 321, POLS 332, POLS 410, POLS 420A, POLS 420B, POLS 420C, POLS 420D, POLS 420E, POLS 420F, POLS 420G, POLS 420H, POLS 421, POLS 422, POLS 423, POLS 426, POLS 427A/L, POLS 428, POLS 429, POLS 432A, POLS 432B, POLS 433A, POLS 434A, POLS 434B, POLS 435B, POLS 436A, POLS 438, POLS 439A, POLS 448, POLS 471B, POLS 471C, POLS 480, POLS 481
c. Choose two Proseminars (6 units)
*Internship (POLS 494I/A), Judicial Internship (POLS 494J/A), Model United Nations (POLS 427A/L or POLS 427B/L) or The Politics of Community Actions (POLS 449) may be substituted for 3 units of POLS 471.
d. Choose two courses on the following list (6 units)
POLS 405 Policy Framing and Agenda Setting (3)
POLS 406 Analyzing Policy Problems (3)
POLS 407 Policy Implementation and Program Evaluation (3)
POLS 429 United States Foreign Policy (3)
POLS 443 Congress and the Legislative Process (3)
POLS 461 Environmental Policy (3)
POLS 464 Comparative Public Policy (3)
e. Choose one upper division course in any area of POLS (3 units)
3. General Education (48 units)
Undergraduate students must complete 48 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (ES) graduation requirement.
9 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: POLS 372 satisfies B5 Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning; POLS 156 or POLS 225 satisfies 3 units of D1 Social Sciences; and POLS 155 or POLS 355 satisfies D3/D4 Constitution of the United States/State and Local Government.
If taken, POLS 310, POLS 350 or POLS 380 satisfies upper division D1 Social Sciences; and POLS 321 and/or POLS 332 satisfies 3-6 units of upper division F Comparative Cultural Studies.
Total Units in the Major/Option: 48
General Education Units: 39
Additional Units: 33
Total Units Required for the B.A. Degree: 120
Contact
Department of Political Science
Chair: Tyler Hughes
Sierra Hall (SH) 210
(818) 677-3488
Program Learning Outcomes
Students receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science will be able to:
- Demonstrate persuasive and rhetorical communication skills for strong oral and written communication in small and large groups.
- Demonstrate knowledge and theories relevant to global politics and policies. This includes knowledge of Western and non-Western political systems, the role of state and nonstate actors, processes, values and models of politics and patterns of interaction among them.
- Demonstrate an understanding and respect for economic, socio-cultural, political and environmental interaction of global life.
- Understand the importance of active citizenship and civic engagement in a democratic society.
- Apply an understanding of historical and contemporary policy issues to problems in the community.
- Demonstrate an ability to apply prior knowledge to their coursework, experiential learning programs, internships or community service projects.
- Demonstrate increasingly sophisticated skills in reading primary and secondary sources critically.
- Identify, present, and support arguments.
- Research and evaluate the models, methods and analyses of others in the field of political science, and critically integrate them in their own work.
- Demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of policy issues and the political institutions through which public policies are formulated, modified, and implemented in national, state, or urban contexts.
- Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of political elites and the mass public and how they interact in the decision-making process in national, state, or urban settings.
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of research designs, hypothesis formulation, measurement of variables, data collection, and analysis.
- Have an in-depth understanding of historical and contemporary power structures, the effects they have on political outcomes and marginalized groups in society, and be familiar with the struggle for inclusion.
Degree Road Maps
Political Science/Public Policy and Management Option (2023-Present)
Transfer Road Maps
Political Science/Public Policy and Management Option (2023-Present)
ADT/STAR Act Degree Road Maps
Students who have graduated with a verified Associate Degree for Transfer and have been admitted to a CSUN program that has been deemed similar will be able to complete the baccalaureate degree within 60 semester units. For additional information, see ADT/STAR Act Degree Road Maps.
Political Science/Public Policy and Management Option - AA-T in Political Science (2023-Present)