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2021-2022

Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (accelerated masters degree option)

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Science: General Studies (Brightpoint Community College (program-specific pathway))
Brightpoint Community College
Associate degree

Associate of Science: General Studies

Program description

Political science is the systematic study of institutions, behavior and ideas in order to further our understanding and explanation of government and politics at the local, state, national and international levels. The discipline has a rich history that bridges the present with the past and future, is pluralistic in its modes of inquiry and adopts a critical approach that makes use of qualitative and quantitative analytic methods.


The Department of Political Science uses its unique position on an urban campus located in the state capital and just a short distance from Washington, D.C. to provide our students with transformative learning experiences that promote active and engaged citizenship, domestically and globally. We integrate our teaching with cutting-edge scholarship that advances the boundaries of the discipline and meaningfully impacts public debate and policy.

Career opportunities

A bachelor’s degree in political science can lead to exciting careers in federal, state and local governments; law; business; international organizations; nonprofit associations and organizations; campaign management and polling; journalism; precollegiate education; electoral politics; research; and university- and college-level teaching.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Compliance officer
  • Equal opportunity representative
  • Fundraiser
  • Insurance adjuster, examiner and investigator
  • Intelligence analyst
  • Legislator
  • Municipal clerk
  • Paralegal and legal assistant
  • Risk management specialist
  • Staff and legislative assistant
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Attorney
  • Diplomat
  • Government Agency Administrator
  • Policy Advisor
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • Quantitative Foundations requirement only
Science required
  • Natural Sciences requirement only
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.0+ major GPA
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Political Science with concentration in Civil Rights, Comparative Politics, Human Security, International Relations, Political Theory and Methodology, Politics and Government, Public Policy and Administration, U.S. Government

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2021-2022

Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (accelerated masters degree option)

Brightpoint Community College (program-specific pathway) (Associate of Science: General Studies)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Attend Tyler Orientation.
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Register for SDV course.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your ENG and MTH classes. Visit the Academic Resource Center on either campus.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester and cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus or in your community.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Browse careers related to Political Science through the career coach.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
  • Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and explore Career Pathways at VCU.
  • Understand how you will fund your education. Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Use the career coach to take a career assessment.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
Experience Year 2
  • Take service-learning classes or volunteer to address a current issue through ConnectVA or HandsOnRVA.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the Political Science department.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus and in your community (i.e. international festival).
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Attend Tyler Orientation.
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Register for SDV course.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your ENG and MTH classes. Visit the Academic Resource Center on either campus.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester and cultivate relationships with your professors.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus or in your community.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Browse careers related to Political Science through the career coach.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
  • Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and explore Career Pathways at VCU.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Understand how you will fund your education. Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Use the career coach to take a career assessment.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Take service-learning classes or volunteer to address a current issue through ConnectVA or HandsOnRVA.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the Political Science department.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus and in your community (i.e. international festival).
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2021-2022

Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (accelerated masters degree option)

Brightpoint Community College (program-specific pathway) (Associate of Science: General Studies)

Brightpoint Community College (program-specific pathway) courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning MATH 131 3 General education
CST 100 or CST 110 Public Speaking or Introduction to Communication SPCH 121 3 Elective
History elective Select 1: HIS 111, 112, 121, 122 HIST 3 General education
Art elective Arts Elective: ART 101, 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 226 VCU equivalent 3 General education
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Elective
Social/Behavioral Science Social/behavioral science (select 1): PSY 200, SOC 200, SOC 211 (PSY 230 will be accepted if Associate degree is completed) VCU equivalent 3 General education
ITE 115 Introduction to Computer Applications. Additional Course Options: BUS 100, ECO 201, ECO 202, HLT 160, ADJ 100, ITE 119, ENG 211. INFO 160, 161, 162 3 Elective
PLS 135 U.S. Government and Politics POLI 103 3 Major (Ancillary)
Laboratory Science Laboratory Science (select 1): BIO 101, CHM 101, CHM 111, ENV 121, PHY 101, PHY 201 VCU equivalent 4 General education
Foreign Language Foreign Language (101-level) Note: The foreign language requirement at VCU can be waived for students who have completed 3 or more years of a language at high school. Additional Course Options: PHI 220, REL 230, PHI 101, REL 100, PHI 111. VCU equivalent 3 to 4 General education
ENG Any 200-level ENG literature course (select 1) ENGL 3 General education
HLT 160 Personal Health and Fitness. Additional Course Options: BUS 100, ECO 201, ECO 202, ADJ 100, ENG 211. VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Social/behavioral science Social/behavioral science (select 1): PSY 200, SOC 200, SOC 211 (PSY 230 will be accepted if Associate degree is completed) VCU equivalent 3 General education
Laboratory Science Laboratory Science (select 1): BIO 101, 102, CHM 101, CHM 112, ENV 121, PHY 101, PHY 202 VCU equivalent 4 General education
Foreign Language Foreign Language (102-level) Note: The foreign language requirement at VCU can be waived for students who have completed 3 or more years of a language at high school. Additional Course Options: PHI 220, REL 230, PHI 101, REL 100, PHI 111. VCU equivalent 3 to 4 General education
Transfer elective PLS 241 International Relations POLI 105 3 Major (Ancillary)
Transfer elective Transfer elective VCU equivalent 3 Elective
John Tyler credits transferred to VCU 60 to 62
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
POLI 107 Political Theory 3 Major
POLI 109 Comparative Politics 3 Major
POLI 320 Research Methods in Political Science 3 Major
POLI 490 Senior Seminar 3 Major
POLI Select upper-level Political Science concentration electives (see VCU advisor) 18 Major
Upper-level electives (300- or 400-level courses): consider a minor or a second major Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. 24 Elective
Open electives 10 to 12 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 58 to 60
Bachelor's degree total 120