Government (BA)
Total Hours Required: 120
Plan of Study
The Plan of Study is a suggested four-year course sequence to support academic planning and serves as a helpful guide. Currently enrolled students should meet with their academic advisor to tailor their course selections and timelines to their individual goals and circumstances.
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Hours | |
| Foreign Language other than English, Intermediate Proficiency | 6 | |
| RHE 306 | Rhetoric and Writing | 3 |
| First-Year Signature Course (090) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| Foreign Language other than English, Intermediate Proficiency | 6 | |
| Mathematics (020) | 3 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (080) | 3 | |
| U.S. History (060) | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| GOV 310L | American and Texas Government | 3 |
| E 316M | American Literature | 3 |
| Natural Science and Technology, Part I (030) | 3 | |
| U.S. History (060) | 3 | |
| Visual and Performing Arts (050) | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| GOV 312L | Issues and Policies in American Government | 3 |
| Hours chosen from: GOV | 3 | |
| Minor/Certificate/Field of Study | 3 | |
| Natural Science and Technology, Part I (030) | 3 | |
| Additional Social Science (may not also be counted toward Core Curriculum) | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| Hours chosen from: GOV (field one) | 3 | |
| Hours chosen from: GOV (field two) | 3 | |
| Natural Science and Technology, Part II (093) | 3 | |
| Cultural Expression, Human Experience, and Thought (may not also be counted toward Core Curriculum) | 3 | |
| Minor/Certificate/Field of Study | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| Hours chosen from: GOV (field three) | 3 | |
| Hours chosen from: Upper-division GOV | 3 | |
| ECO 329 | Economic Statistics | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Minor/Certificate/Field of Study (upper-division) | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| Hours chosen from: Upper-division GOV | 3 | |
| Hours chosen from: GOV | 3 | |
| Minor/Certificate/Field of Study (upper-division) | 3 | |
| Free Elective (upper-division) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| GOV 662L | Government Research Internship | 6 |
| Minor/Certificate/Field of Study (upper-division) | 3 | |
| Free Elective (upper-division) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Requirements
All requirements are listed below, starting with the most specialized moving to the most general. Additional requirements may follow the table, so be sure to read the entire page. Some required courses listed below may also satisfy General Education requirements, including Core Curriculum.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major | ||
| Hours chosen from: GOV | 15 | |
| Select at least one upper-division course from three of the following fields: | 9 | |
Political theory | ||
American government and politics | ||
Public and comparative law | ||
Public policy | ||
Comparative politics | ||
International relations | ||
Research methods | ||
| Seminar/Internship | ||
| Hours chosen from: | 3 | |
| Government Research Internship | ||
| Government Research Internship | ||
| Administrative Internship | ||
| Campaigns and Elections Internship | ||
| Legislative Internship | ||
| Political Internship | ||
| Tools course (AP credit cannot be used to fulfill this requirement) | ||
| Hours chosen from: | 3 | |
| Research Methods in Government | ||
| Statistical Analysis in Political Science | ||
| Topics in Political Science | ||
| World War I in Real Time | ||
The following may replace the tools course requirement; these courses may not be counted toward the semester hours and grade point average required for the major: | ||
| Economic Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | ||
| Social Research Methods | ||
| Elementary Business Statistics | ||
| Elementary Statistical Methods | ||
Six semester hours of upper-division coursework in one foreign language, excluding courses conducted in English | ||
| Subtotal | 30 | |
| Degree (see details below) | 51 | |
| Free electives: Additional coursework to reach total hours required. | 9 | |
| Subtotal | 60 | |
| General Education | ||
| Remaining Core Curriculum (42 hours total) | 30 | |
| Foreign Language other than English, Intermediate Proficiency | ||
| Subtotal | 30 | |
| College Requirements - Liberal Arts | ||
| General University Requirements | ||
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Additional Requirements and Policies
- All government majors must earn a grade of at least C- in each course counted toward fulfillment of the major requirements. A minimum grade point average of 2.00 in courses taken at the University and counted toward the major is also required.
- No more than six hours of internship coursework may be counted toward the major, including transfer credit earned in internship courses at other institutions of higher education.
- No student may register for more than nine semester hours of government in one semester without the consent of an undergraduate advisor in the Department of Government.
- 18 semester hours must be upper-division.
Degree - Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Liberal Arts
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Degree | ||
| Literature and Writing | ||
| RHE 306 | Rhetoric and Writing (Plan II honors requires at least a C-; may also count toward Core Curriculum) | 3 |
| Hours chosen from: Writing intensive coursework-see course list (may also count toward Core Curriculum; Plan II honors requires at least a C-) | 3 | |
| Hours chosen from: Upper-division Writing intensive coursework-see course list (may also count toward Core Curriculum; Plan II honors requires at least a C-) | 6 | |
| Choose a sequence below: | 12 | |
| Sequence 1: Plan II Honors (requires at least a C-; may also count toward Core Curriculum) | ||
| Plan II World Literature Part I | ||
or T C 303C | Plan II World Literature Part I | |
| Sequence 2: Plan I | ||
| British Literature | ||
or E 316M | American Literature | |
or E 316N | World Literature | |
| Foreign Language other than English, Intermediate Proficiency | 3 | |
| Choose a sequence below: Social Science | 3 | |
| Sequence 1: Plan II Honors (requires at least a C-; may also count toward Core Curriculum) | ||
| Honors Social Science: Methods and Theory | ||
or S S 302D | Honors Social Science: Psychology | |
or S S 302E | Honors Social Science: Anthropology | |
or S S 302E | Honors Social Science: Anthropology | |
or S S 302F | Honors Social Science: Economics | |
| Sequence 2: Plan I | ||
| Mathematics | ||
| Choose a sequence below: (M 301, M 316K, and M 316L do not count toward this requirement) | 3 | |
| Sequence 1: Plan II Honors | ||
| Modern Mathematics: Plan II | ||
| Sequence 2: Plan I | ||
Hours chosen from: Mathematics | ||
| Choose a sequence below: | 3 | |
| Sequence 1: Plan II Honors | ||
| Modes of Reasoning | ||
or PHL 313Q | Logic and Scientific Reasoning | |
| Sequence 2: Plan I | ||
| Choose a sequence below: | 15 | |
| Sequence 1: Plan II Honors | ||
Six Hours chosen from: Astronomy, biology, chemistry, geological sciences, physical science, or physics (may also count toward Core Curriculum) | ||
| Problems in Modern Biology | ||
| Modern Physics: Plan II | ||
Three Hours chosen from: | ||
Art history, music history, or history of theatre and dance | ||
Upper-division classical civilization, humanities, literature, or philosophy | ||
| Sequence 2: Plan I International Relations and Global Studies | ||
Free electives: Additional coursework to reach total hours required. | ||
| Sequence 3: Other Plan I | ||
Hours chosen from: | ||
Liberal Arts multi-disciplinary minor in the Social and Behavioral Sciences | ||
Liberal Arts multi-disciplinary minor in Cultural Expression, Human Experience, and Thought | ||
| Total Hours | 51 | |
Additional Requirements and Policies
Unless otherwise stated, students must complete at least:
- 15 upper-division degree hours
- 24 upper-division degree hours taken in residence at the University
- 36 additional degree hours taken in residence at the University.
Credit may be earned via credit by examination, extension, or transferred hours from another institution (requires dean's approval).
Major and minor required hours may also be used to fulfill degree requirements unless expressly prohibited.
A course in one degree area may not also be used to fulfill the requirements of another degree area unless specified otherwise.
Mathematics courses at the college algebra level may not count toward elective hours.
Majors
A major consists of 24 to 45 hours, with at least 15 upper-division hours unless the requirements of the major state otherwise.
Students must earn at least:
- 18 major hours taken in residence at the University.
- 6 upper-division major hours taken in residence at the University
- a 2.00 grade point average for in-residence major hours taken at the University unless a higher minimum scholastic requirement is specified for the major.
Minors
Students must get permission from their College of Liberal Arts academic advisor to pursue more than one transcript-recognized minor or certificate per major. The academic advisor will approve or deny the request after considering the student's long-term educational and professional goals and the student's ability to graduate within 4 years of entering the University.
Students should consult the department offering the course before planning to use it to fulfill the minor requirement.
Hours used to fulfill the requirements for a minor must be taken on the letter-grade basis.