For best results, print using Chrome.
 Jump to Transfer Major Map
 Jump to recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (NEXT STEP Pathway)

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Science in Social Sciences (Reynolds Community College)
Reynolds Community College
Reynolds Community College
Associate degree

Associate of Science in Social Sciences 

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

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

Students are guaranteed admission to this degree program with:

  • Completion of the associate degree
  • Minimum GPA of 2.5
  • All courses completed with a "C" grade 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
2025-2026

Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Reynolds Community College (Associate of Science in Social Sciences)

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 cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
Experience Year 2
  • Submit the NEXT Step Interest Form.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Political Science department, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Submit the NEXT Step Interest Form.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Political Science department, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Reynolds Community College (Associate of Science in Social Sciences)

Reynolds Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
Year 1
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I UNIV 111-112 3 General education
ITE 152 Introduction to Digital Literacy BUSN 1XX 3 Elective
World Language Select one: ASL 101 Beginning American Sign Language I, or FRE 101 Beginning French I, or SPA 101 Beginning Spanish I Note: students are eligible for a waiver of VCU's language requirement if they successfully completed through the third level of a foreign language in high school. VCU equivalent 4 Major (Ancillary)
MTH Select one: MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning or MTH 161 Precalculus I MATH 131 or MATH 141 3 General education
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
Science Select one: BIO 101 General Biology I, CHM 111 General Chemistry I, or GOL 105 Physical Geology. VCU equivalent 4 General education
World Language Select second course in the language sequence: ASL 102 Beginning American Sign Language II, or FRE 102 Beginning French II, or SPA 102 Beginning Spanish II VCU equivalent 4 Major (Ancillary)
History Select one: HIS 101 Western Civilizations pre-1600 CE or HIS 121 United States History to 1877 HIST 101 or HIST 103 3 General education
Select one: ART 100 Art Appreciation, or HUM 202 Modern Humanities, or MUS 121 Music in Society, or PHI 220 Ethics. VCU equivalent 3 General education
Year 2
History Select one: HIS 102 Western Civilizations Post-1600 CE or HIS 122 United States History since 1877 HIST 3 Elective
MTH Select one: MTH 245 Statistics I or MTH 261 Applied Calculus I STAT 210 or BUSN 212 3 Elective
Science Select second course in the science sequence: BIO 102 General Biology II, CHM 112 General Chemistry II, or GOL 106 Historical Geology VCU equivalent 4 General education
Literature Select one: ENG 246 American Literature or ENG 258 African American Literature. ENGL 3 General education
Social Science Select one: PSY 200 Principles of Psychology or SOC 200 Principles of Sociology PSYC 101 or SOCY 101 3 General education
Literature Select one: ENG 225 Reading Literature: Culture and Ideas, or ENG 245 British Literature, or ENG 246 American Literature, or ENG 250 Children’s Literature, or ENG 255 World Literature, or ENG 258 African American Literature, or ENG 275 Women’s Literature ENGL 3 Elective
Social Science Select one: PSY 200 Principles of Psychology, PSY 230 Developmental Psychology, or SOC 200 Principles of Sociology VCU equivalent 3 Elective
PLS 135 U.S. Government and Politics (preferred) Note: Please discuss your course options with a VCU transfer advisor if PLS 135 is not available at your community college. POLI 103 3 Major (Ancillary)
Select two: CST 100 Principles of Public Speaking, or CST 110 Introduction to Human Communication, or GEO 210 People and the Land VCU equivalent 6 General education
Reynolds credits transferred to VCU 62
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Year 3
POLI 103 U.S. Government and Politics (only take if you were unable to take PLS 135 at community college). 0 to 3 Major (Ancillary)
POLI 105 International Relations 3 Major (Ancillary)
POLI 109 Comparative Politics 3 Major
Open electives (consider a minor or second major) Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. 6 Elective
POLI 107 Political Theory 3 Major
POLI Political science concentration electives (select two) 6 Major
Open electives (consider a minor or second major) Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. 3 to 6 Elective
Year 4
POLI 320 Research Methods in Political Science 3 Major
POLI 490 Senior Seminar 3 Major
POLI Political science concentration electives (select two) 6 Major
POLI Political science electives (select two) 6 Major
Open electives (consider a minor or second major) Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. 12 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 58
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 120