Program Overview

Learn diverse theoretical and methodological approaches to studying international affairs, politics and important current issues with the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Temple University’s College of Liberal Arts.

Through the 123-credit undergraduate curriculum, you’ll investigate American politics at the local, state and federal levels, as well as international relations and classical and modern political thought. Debate political theory and how power and resources should be allocated in society. Learn to write effectively, build excellent research skills and critically evaluate U.S. democracy while studying the following four distinct subfields of political science.

• American politics, which explores American elections, political institutions, public opinion and the media.
• Comparative politics, which emphasizes political systems outside of the U.S., as well as mass political behavior across a broad range of contexts.
• International relations, which investigates the interaction and conflict between governments around the globe.
• Political theory, which evaluates individual behavior within a political system and brings clarity to key concepts of equality, democracy, freedom and justice.

Students in the Political Science BA program become capable, engaged and intelligent citizens through active, real-world participation in our governmental systems. Students can intern in Washington, D.C., or spend a semester participating in state politics in Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania state capital. Graduates are prepared for careers in advocacy and community organizations, government agencies, social services or unions among many others. They are also prepared to pursue graduate degrees in international affairs or law.  

Temple’s Political Science faculty are nationally recognized in their fields, and offer classes related to their current research and writing specialties. Some of these topics include

• Childhood and multigenerational poverty;
• Political psychology;
• Prekindergarten finance policy;
• Public assistance programs;
• Race, ethnicity and politics;
• The politics of development aid;
• Threat perception in U.S. foreign policy; and
• Urban politics.