Department

Department of Political Science

Melanie H. Ram, Chair
McKee Fisk Building, Room 244
559.278.2988
http://fresnostate.edu/polisci/

Degrees and Programs Offered

BA in Political Science, B.A.
MN in Political Science, Minor
MN in Public Administration, Minor
MPA in Public Administration, M.P.A. - Continuing & Global Education
MPA in Public Administration, M.P.A.

Courses Offered

Courses offered by the Department of Political Science are intended to help all students become more effective participants in a democratic society, both as makers of public policy and as individuals affected by those policies. Students study voting, elections, the structures of government institutions, and how governments around the world differ and interact. They also explore local, national, and global issues.  We prepare our majors for a wide variety of careers in government, education, business, journalism, the nonprofit sector, and international affairs, as well as law school and graduate school.

Students may elect to concentrate within political science on American government and politics, international politics, legal studies, or public policy. Detailed course and career information on each of these optional tracks is available. For those who achieve a high measure of proficiency in their undergraduate program, the department offers advanced work leading to the master’s degree in public administration.

Requirements

Public Administration Minor Requirements

The following minor requirements are in addition to the General Education requirement in social science.

Public Administration

PLSI 1, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, or 189T (12 units)
Select from PLSI 103, 110, 111, 114, 150, 151, 160, 163, 170, or 175 (9 units)
Total (21 units)

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Faculty

Our full-time faculty are experts in their fields and hold doctoral degrees and/or law degrees. Prolific researchers, they have published numerous articles and books, and often bring to their courses prior practical experience from their work in government, the private sector, and nonprofit organizations.

Courses typically provide a mixture of lecture and class discussion and encourage the expression of a variety of viewpoints.  Our faculty are dedicated to working closely with students to engage them in learning about politics and advise them throughout their college careers.

For faculty phone numbers and e-mail, see the campus directory.

For more on the faculty, see the faculty pages.
The faculty pages are updated by the department or program.