Undergraduate Program

The Major in Political Science

Students who major in political science must complete 39 upper-division hours in political science course work. Moreover, to assure a general familiarity with the breadth of the discipline, majors are required to take one course in each of its major subfields - American Government, Public Policy and Public Administration, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Empirical Analysis. At the same time, however, the department also recognizes the need to provide majors with in-depth training in those areas that will equip them for their careers. Accordingly, students may choose from among six different tracks, each tailored to prepare the student for a given career. These tracks are:

• Law and Legal Studies (for majors planning careers in law, criminal justice, and law-related fields).

• Government and Business (for majors interested in combining the study of political science with business).

• Public Policy and Public Administration (for majors who intend to pursue careers as policy analysts or administrators in the government, in non-profit organizations, or businesses needing specialists in public affairs).

• Environmental Studies (for majors who wish to work in areas dealing with the environment).

• International and World Affairs (for majors who have career interests in agencies dealing with international affairs, foreign governments, or international trade).

• General (for majors who are primarily interested in a general liberal arts background in preparation for a wide variety of careers).

Political science majors also are required to take 6 hours in economics (Econ. 201 & 202), and depending on their track option, to complete at least 12 hours at the 200-level or above in a minor field. Political science majors typically minor in such fields as business, economics, history, psychology, philosophy, geography, sociology, journalism, English, communications, statistics, or computer science.

Internships And Special Programs

The Department of Political Science, in conjunction with the West Virginia Legislature, the Governor's Internship Program, and the Washington Center in Washington, D.C., sponsors a number of internships and other off-campus learning experiences for college credit. These include:

• Frasure-Singleton Student Legislative Program
• Herndon Legislative Internship
• Washington Center Internships

The department also participates in or sponsors several special programs. These include:

• West Point Conference on U.S. Affairs
• Annapolis Conference on International Affairs and U.S. Foreign Policy
• Model United Nations
• Model OAS
• Debate Team

National Scholarships

Many political science majors at WVU have received highly competitive national scholarships. Among the more prestigious scholarships received by the department's majors are:

• Rhodes Scholarship
• Truman Scholarship
• Fullbright-Hays Fellowship
• Rotary Foundation Scholarship
• Marshall Scholarship

Advising

Political Science majors are assigned a faculty advisor in the Department of Political Science at the beginning of their sophomore year and retain the same advisor for the remainder of their college career. Faculty advisors provide information and counseling regarding course selection and academic progress, graduate and law school admissions processes, including the Graduate Record Examination (GRE),the Graduate Management Examination (GMAT), and the Law School Aptitude Test (LSAT), and career opportunities in business and government. In addition, the department offers Pol. S. 199, Orientation to Political Science and Law for students interested in majoring in political science.

Faculty

The Department of Political Science has a distinguished faculty with degrees from some of the nation's leading colleges and universities. More than half of the department’s faculty have received the University's Outstanding Teaching Award, the Award for Outstanding Research, the Outstanding Honors Faculty Award, and the Distinguished State Service Award, as well as several national awards. Two faculty members occupy endowed chairs, the Eberly Professorship for Outstanding Teaching and the Eberly Distinguished Professor of Political Science. The department is designated as a"Program of Excellence" by the West Virginia University Board of Trustees and rated among the "strongest" programs at West Virginia University by The Fiske Guide to Colleges.

• Neil Berch (Ph.D., U. Washington).
  State politics, political behavior, economic policy.

• Richard A. Brisbin, Jr. (Ph.D., Johns Hopkins U.).
  Public law, judicial politics, law and policy.

• R. Scott Crichlow (Ph.D., Louisiana State U.).
  International relations, political psychology, national security policy, foreign policy decision-making, Middle East politics.

• Robert E. DiClerico (Ph.D., Indiana U.).
  American politics, presidency, agenda setting.

• Robert D. Duval (Ph.D., Florida State U.).
  Research methods, foreign policy analysis, national security policy.

• Christina Fattore (Ph.D. Florida State U.)
  International Political Economy, Industrializing Nations,

• Joe D. Hagan (Ph.D., U. Kentucky).
  Foreign policy analysis, U.S. foreign policy, international relations.

• Allan S. Hammock (Ph.D., U. Virginia).
  American politics, health care policy, civil rights policy.

• Susan Hunter (Ph.D., Ohio State U.).
  Policy Evaluation, energy and environmental policy, political theory.

• Jamie E. Jacobs (Ph.D., U. Pittsburgh).
  International Political Economy, comparative politics (Latin America).

• John C. Kilwein (Ph.D. Ohio State U.).
  Policy Analysis, public law, judicial politics.

• Hong N. Kim (Ph.D. Georgetown U.).
  Comparative politics and policy (Asia).

• Kevin M. Leyden (Ph.D. U. Iowa).
  Congress, interest groups, American politics and policy.

• Philip Michelbach (Ph.D. UC San Diego)
  Political Philosophy

• Sophia Peterson (Ph.D. UCLA). Emerita.
  International relations, U.S. foreign policy.

• Donley T. Studlar (Ph.D. Indiana U.).
  Comparative Politics (Western Europe, Canada), gender and politics, regulatory policy.

• Jeffrey S. Worsham (Ph.D. U. Wisconsin).
  Policy implementation, public administration, social welfare policy.

• Rodger D. Yeager (Ph.D. Syracuse U.). Emeritus.
  Development policy, comparative politics (Africa).

Further Information

For further information on the Department of Political Science and the various track options (Pre-Law and Legal Studies, International and World Affairs, Government and Business, Environmental Studies, Public Policy and Administration, or General) contact:

Chairman

Department of Political Science
16 Woodburn Hall; PO Box 6317
West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 26506-6317
(304)-293-3811 or 3198
E-Mail: Joe.Hagan@mail.wvu.edu.

You are also invited to visit the Department and the WVU campus to learn more about the University. You may call the WVU Visitors Center, 1-800-344-WVU1, to arrange a campus tour.

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