Department of Politics
Department of Politics

Department of Politics

BA Foreign Affairs BA Government Minor Politics Minor

How to Declare

Prerequisites to declare a Government or Foreign Affairs major

To begin the major declaration process:

  • Students must have already have 6 credits of PLxx (PLAP, PLCP, PLIR, PLPT, PLAD) coursework (two classes) taken at UVa (i.e., no transfer courses or external credit).
  • Students must have earned a grade of “C” or better in each course.
  • Students must have an overall Politics course GPA of 2.5.

At the time of declaring:

  • In addition to the 6 credits noted above, students intending to declare a major should currently be enrolled in additional politics classes.
  • If declaring during your fourth term (spring of second year), you should be enrolled in one additional PLxx course (a total of 9 credits are required by the end of the semester).
  • If declaring during your fifth term (fall of third year), including incoming third-year transfer students, you should be enrolled in two additional PLxx courses (a total of 12 credits by the end of the semester).

Deferring major declaration:

  • If you have not completed sufficient Politics courses with a grade of C or better before fifth term, you may request to defer the declaration of the major
  • To do so, you must be currently enrolled in two PLxx courses at UVa.

Minimum Performance Requirements

Only courses with a grade of at least “C” count toward major requirements.  

Students who earn a grade of “C–” or lower in three PLxx courses may not continue as majors.

Major Course Requirements

Our majors consist of four components:

Distribution (12 credits)

All majors, regardless of whether Government or Foreign Affairs, must take a minimum of 3 credits (one class) in each of the four political science subfields:

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

Major track concentration (9 credits)

  • Government Major (American Politics Track): minimum of 9 additional PLAP credits (three classes)
  • Government Major (Political Theory Track): minimum of 9 additional PLPT credits (three classes)
  • Foreign Affairs Major: minimum of 9 additional PLCP and/or PLIR credits (three classes)

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, methodology, 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, MESA, MEST, PHIL, LPPA, LPPP (except LPPP 3001 and LPPP 3559), LPPS, PSYC, RELA, RELB, RELC, RELG, RELH, RELI, RELJ, RELS, SOC, WGS.

The Director of the Undergraduate Program can also consider other courses for approval as “related.” If you have taken a course in a department or program not listed above that you believe to be related to the study of politics, contact the DUP and provide a copy of the syllabus. Decisions remain at the discretion of the DUP.

Course Level Requirements

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

DOUBLE MAJORING

Students may declare a second major in another department or program, in which case the application for a degree must be approved by both departments or interdepartmental programs. 

Students who double major must submit at least 18 credits in each major. Credits applied toward one major may not be included in the core 18 hours of the other major, and no more than two courses can be counted simultaneously for two majors unless one or both majors is interdisciplinary.

Students may apply up to two classes (six credits) towards their Politics (Government or Foreign Affairs) major and a second major.

Students intending to declare a Politics major must pick one: Government or Foreign Affairs. It is not possible to double major in both.

Dual Enrollment & AP Credit

No advanced placement (AP) or dual enrollment credit may count toward the 30 credits of PLxx coursework required for the major or for “Related Course” credit. (Note: AP and dual enrollment courses in Politics can still count as general education credit toward graduation; but cannot count as part of your major).

Politics Minor Requirements

We offer two minors: Government and Foreign Affairs.

All minors must complete at least 15 credits of resident course work. No transfer or study abroad credit can be applied to the minor.

MINIMUM PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

Only courses with a grade of at least “C” count toward minor requirements.  

MINOR COURSE REQUIREMENTS

  • All minors must take courses in at least two of the four fields of the Department: American Politics (PLAP), Political Theory (PLPT), Comparative Politics (PLCP) and International Relations (PLIR).
  • At least 9 credits must be concentrated within a minor track
    • Government minor – American Politics (PLAP)
    • Government minor – Political Theory (PLPT)
    • Foreign Affairs minor – Comparative Politics (PLCP)
    • Foreign Affairs minor – International Relations (PLIR)
  • No more than 6 credits may be taken at the PLxx-1000 introductory level, with a limit of 3 introductory credits per field.
  • At least 3 credits must be taken at the 4000 or 5000 level. 

HOW TO DECLARE A MAJOR OR A MINOR

Declaring a politics major

Select one of our two majors, Foreign Affairs (concentrate in IR or CP) or Government (concentrate in AP or PT). The declaration form you will submit is a plan to ensure you understand the major requirements, we understand the plan will change depending on your interest and course offerings. Pay attention to subfield and level requirements and note that AP & dual-enrollment courses do not count towards major requirements. Politics course listings can be found on Hoos List or SIS.

Submit your major declaration using the Declare a Major or Minor form on the College website.  Instructions for logging in and accessing the form can be found at the above link.  Be sure to select the correct major so that we receive your declaration. 

Having trouble using the form?  Email CollegeForms@virginia.edu with as much information as possible about your specific problem. 

Questions? Email Politics’ Undergraduate Coordinator, Sharon Marsh (smm4g@virginia.edu), including your full name, computing ID, and the major/minor you are trying to declare, along with your question.

Declaring a politics Minor

  1. Complete the Minor Declaration Form
  2. E-mail form to our Undergraduate Coordinator, Sharon Marsh (smm4g@virginia.edu)

Questions?

Contact our Undergraduate Coordinator, Sharon Marsh, in Gibson Hall 183 or by email.