Majoring in Politics

The Politics Department is home to two majors: Government and Foreign Affairs. They have similar requirements, as detailed below.

The Department also offers two special study options for interested, motivated students: the Distinguished Majors Program and the Honors Program.

For information on scholarships and internships available to undergraduates, check with the Center for Undergraduate Excellence.

Government & Foreign Affairs Majors

This program consists of 30 credits of course work in the Department of Politics plus 12 hours of related coursework, as specified below.

Click here for the directions on how to declare a Politics major.

Note about CR/GC/NC during COVID: Per University policy, courses with a grade of CR during spring 2020 and fall 2020 will count toward the major.

Prerequisites to Declare a Government or Foreign Affairs Major

For College students declaring their major during or before their fourth term (spring term, second year):

Six credits of PL** coursework, taken at UVa (no transfer courses). Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in each course, and have an average GPA of 2.5 across the two. The 2.5 GPA requirement is waived for Spring 2020 courses with a grade of “Credit.”
Current enrollment in one additional PL** course.

For College students declaring their major during their fifth term (fall term, third year), including transfer students:

Six credits of PL** coursework, taken at UVa (no transfer courses). Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in each course, and have an average GPA of 2.5 across the two. The 2.5 GPA requirement is waived for Spring 2020 courses with a grade of “Credit.”
Current enrollment in two additional PL** courses.

For College students who have not completed any Politics courses with a grade of C or better before their third year or fifth term:

You may request to defer the declaration of the Government major, if you are currently enrolled in two PL** courses at UVa.

Minimum Performance Requirements

Only courses with a grade of at least "C" may count toward major requirements.

Students who earn a grade of "C–" or lower in three PL** courses may not continue as majors.

Note about CR/GC/NC during COVID: Per University policy, courses with a grade of CR during spring 2020 and fall 2020 will count toward the major.

Major Course Requirements

The course requirements are slightly different for Government and Foreign Affairs majors:

Distribution (12 credits)

Three credits in each of the four political science subfields:

American Politics (PLAP)
Comparative Politics (PLCP)
International Relations (PLIR)
Political Theory (PLPT)

Concentration (9 credits)

Government Major (AP Track): nine additional PLAP credits
Government Major (PT Track): nine additional PLPT credits
Foreign Affairs Major: nine additional PLCP and/or PLIR credits

Government / Foreign Affairs Electives (9 credits)

Nine additional credits in any Politics Department courses:

American Politics (PLAP)
Comparative Politics (PLCP)
International Relations (PLIR)
Political Theory (PLPT)
Cross-field and department-wide (PLAD)

Related Courses (12 credits)

Twelve credits in courses from closely related disciplines other than Politics. SIS will automatically pick up courses with the following mnemonics:

AAS, AMST, ANTH, COMM 3410, COMM 3420, EAST, ECON, ETP, GDS, GSGS, GSSJ, GSVS, HIAF, HIEA, HIEU, HILA, HIME, HISA, HIST, HIUS, MDST, MEST, PHIL, LPPA, LPPP (except LPPP 3001 and LPPP 3559), LPPS, PSYC, RELA, RELB, RELC, RELG, RELH, RELI, RELJ, RELS, SOC, WGS.

In extraordinary circumstances, the Director of the Undergraduate Program will consider other courses for approval.

Course Level Requirements

PL** 1000-level: no more than 9 credits
PL** 3000-level or above: at least 15 credits
PL** 4000-level or above: at least 3 credits
Related courses 3000-level or above: at least 6 credits

Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement Credit

No advanced placement (AP) or dual enrollment credit may count toward the 30 hours of PL coursework required for the major or for Related Courses credit.

Transfer and Study-Abroad Credit

With the approval of the DUP, and in accordance with College guidelines, the following transfer/study abroad credit may count toward major requirements.

Up to six hours of PL transfer/study abroad credit may count toward the Government or Foreign Affairs Elective requirement.
Up to six hours of transfer credit may count toward the Related Courses requirement.

See the College Forms website for transfer of credit forms from U.S. Institutions.

For study abroad programs, students should initiate the process of approvals well before the program begins. Refer to the College’s Study Abroad website for vital information.

Exceptions

To be fair to all students, exceptions from the rules listed above will be granted only under exceptional circumstances. Students wishing to petition for an exemption should first secure the approval of their advisor. Then they may petition the Director of Undergraduate Programs, using the Exceptions Form.