Curriculum

As a political science major, you will learn from experienced Oregon State faculty in the only online political science degree with extensive coursework in environmental politics and policy.

The program includes a diverse selection of courses that go beyond U.S. politics and law. You'll study topics such as politics of Western Europe, how the U.S. is viewed abroad, international relations, politics of sports, environmental politics, and politics of climate change.

Political science academic advisor Andy Edwards enjoys helping students grow in their views of the world through the diverse curriculum offerings in the online political science program. Read more »

Degree requirements

A minimum of 180 quarter credits — at least 60 of which must be upper-division credits — are required to graduate with your political science degree, including:

• OSU's Baccalaureate Core (general education)
• B.A. or B.S. requirements
• College of Liberal Arts Core (for all majors in OSU's College of Liberal Arts)
• Major requirements: Political science

Honors degree online

As an undergraduate degree-seeking student, you can apply to earn an honors degree online in your academic major. Earning this prestigious degree gives you the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on research, complete a comprehensive thesis experience and engage in co-curricular activities.

Sample course topics

• American politics and government
• Comparative politics
• Constitutional law
• Current issues in rural policies
• Eastern and Central European politics
• Gender and law
• Global food politics and policy
• International relations
• Middle East politics
• Political analysis
• Politics and the media
• Politics of climate change
• Sustainable living: Practices and policies

Additional program features

Accelerated Master's Platform

Get a jump-start on your Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree while working toward your undergraduate degree in political science. Through Oregon State’s Accelerated Master’s Platform, current undergraduate political science students can take graduate-level courses online that will be applied to their bachelor’s degree, and the credits earned will be transferred to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program. Students enrolled in Ecampus graduate courses will pay the graduate tuition and fees rate.

Transfer credits

Some degree requirements may be transferred from other institutions. Please note that a minimum of 45 credits of the last 75 credits in this degree program must be completed at Oregon State (online or on campus) to meet the academic residency requirement.

Previously earned credits will need to be reviewed upon admittance to OSU for appropriate articulation. Additional information about transferring credits is available through OSU’s Transfer Credit Central.

Add a minor

As an OSU Ecampus student, you can add a minor to your degree program. OSU offers a diverse selection of minors online. You can combine horticulture with a minor in business or geography to create an even more powerful résumé fit for today's competitive job market.