2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog


Political Science

Political science is available as a major and a minor on both the BA and BS degrees. The Department of Political Science offers course concentration in the following seven sub-fields:

•    American Politics

•    Political Theory

•    International Politics

•    Comparative Politics

•    Public Law

•    Research Methods

•    Public Affairs Internships

Honors College

Political science majors seeking to achieve departmental honors must be members of the Honors College and complete the following courses:

POSC 20093

POSC 40001

POSC 40003

POSC 30003 (or POSC 40093)

Please note that students must complete POSC 20093 prior to enrolling in POSC 40001, which in turn must be completed prior to POSC 40003.

A suggested timeline for completing the sequence might be:

Spring of sophomore year or Fall of junior year: POSC 20093

Spring of junior year: POSC 30003 (or POSC 40093) AND POSC 40001

Fall of senior year: POSC 40003

Spring of senior year: Graduate with Departmental Honors

Political Science Honor Society

The department sponsors the Beta Lambda Chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, national honor society in political science. Membership requires completion of a minimum of 10 semester hours of political science (at least 6 in regular classroom courses on TCU’s campus and at least 3 advanced, i.e., 30000 level or above), at least a 3.0 GPA in political science courses and at least a 3.5 GPA overall. Applicants need not be a political science major or minor. Washington Internship Program

TCU is affiliated with the Washington Center, which provides placements, supervision and housing for students who seek a professional experience in a public or private organization in the nation's capital. Students selected for the program must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and must return to TCU for at least one semester after the internship. Students apply each fall, a year in advance of their internship, and must attend a non-credit preparatory seminar in the spring. Up to 15 hours of credit may be earned through this program, which is multidisciplinary and available to students in any major field.