Political Science and Public Service

Professor Christopher Horne, Head

The UTC Department of Political Science and Public Service equips students to examine, refine, and promote, through political and voluntary action, their conceptions of a good society.

Students majoring in Political Science and Public Service earn a Bachelor of Science degree with one of six concentrations: American Politics, International and Comparative Studies, Public Law, Public Administration and Nonprofit Management, Public Policy, or Politics (a flexible, generalist option). Through rigorous curricula that balance theory and practice, all of the concentrations give students the opportunity to achieve the following learning objectives:

Students are able to apply key concepts used to study governmental and non-state structures and actors in political systems.
Students are able to analyze political phenomena and critique arguments in a theoretically informed manner.
Students are able to apply their disciplinary knowledge to address contemporary, real-world problems.
Students are able to identify, evaluate, and accurately apply verifiable sources of evidence, including empirical research.

Students may earn credit by completing internships in local, national, and international government and nonprofit agencies. Students interested in careers as leaders in government and nonprofit agencies may get a head start on the department’s Master of Public Administration degree by enrolling in PSPS/MPA JUMP (Joint Undergraduate to Masters Program).

The department also offers a Political Science minor, a Public Administration and Nonprofit Management minor, and a wide range of courses in the university’s general education curriculum.