The major in Political Science requires 36 credits, normally fulfilled by completing 12 three-credit courses.

These courses must include both:

• PSC 10100: American Government and Politics (3 credits)
• PSC 12400: Political Ideas and Issues (3 credits)

And also at least 10 more courses, including the following distribution across the four subfields of political science:

• United States Politics and Government: At least two courses.
• Comparative Politics and Government: At least one course.
• International Relations: At least one course.
• Political Theory and Philosophy: At least one course.

The Department recommends that you take one of the courses listed below, by subfield, as your first course in each of the areas:

• United States Politics and Government
  PSC 22000: The Judiciary
  PSC 22100: The Congress
  PSC 22200: The Presidency

• Comparative Politics and Government
  PSC 10400: World Politics*
  PSC 23000: Contemporary Comparative Politics

• International Relations
  PSC 10400: World Politics*
  PSC 25000: Contemporary International Relations
  
  *PSC 10400: World Politics can be taken in place of either PSC 23000 or PSC 25000. It cannot take the place of both courses.

• Political Theory and Philosophy
  PSC 27300: Classical Political Thought
  PSC 27400: Modern Political Thought up to 1848
  PSC 27500: Contemporary Political Thought, 1848-present

All Political Science majors must also complete the following courses:

• The New Student Seminar or New Transfer Student Seminar (0 credits)
• English 11000: Freshman Composition (3 credits)
• English 21000 or equivalent: Second Level Writing Course (3 credits)
• Speech 11100 (3 credits) or passage of the Speech Proficiency test
• The College Core Curriculum suitable for a B.A. in political science

• Complete the College Proficiency Examination (after completing 45 but no more than 60 credits).
• Demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language, either by having completed four years of foreign language in high school or a fourth semester-level course at City College.
• Fulfill requirements for Writing Across the Curriculum, which involves three elective-level courses that are identified as requiring at least 3,500 words of writing. Courses designated with a (W) at the end of their course descriptions fulfill this requirement.