The exact program requirements will differ depending on whether you’re interested in declaring a Major or Minor, or pursuing admission to our Honours program. 

You can learn more about each of these programs on this website. But for the most detailed and up-to-date information about program requirements, we recommend consulting the official Memorial University Calendar, which is maintained by the Office of the University Registrar.

Note that the BA degree at Memorial has a set of general core requirements that are expected to be completed in addition those of a student’s Major, Minor, or Honours program. More information can be found in the University Calendar.

Because the classes in our Political Science and Law and Public Policy programs overlap substantially, students must choose between one discipline or the other. This means that students cannot pursue a Major or Minor in Political Science and Law and Public Policy as part of their BA degree. The restriction also applies to students pursuing BA Honours or Co-op degrees. 

 

Consult this handy year-by-year program overview for declared Honours and Majors. The courses that you're required to take will differ depending on whether your pursuing a Major, Minor, or Honours BA degree. All political science students (Minors included) start off by taking POSC 1000 (Introduction to Politics and Government). The rest of the courses are intended to be taken in sequence, with specialized classes in your third- and fourth year (i.e., 3000 and 4000 level) building on the knowledge you've gained in your first- and second year (i.e., 1000 and 2000 level).

For further information about particular Political Science courses, you review the information on our undergraduate courses page to see what's currently being offered. A complete list of all department course offerings with brief descriptions can be found in the University Calendar. Students wishing to focus on a specific subfield of interest may also find it helpful to know that the second number in the coure code (e.g., x6xx) indicates that course's topic area:

• 1=political theory
• 2=global politics
• 3=comparative politics
• 6=public policy and administration
• 8=Canadian politics

While working towards an Honours, Major or Minor in Political Science, you may opt for specific courses that allow you to also complete and diploma or specialized concentration to further enhance your credentials. More information about these options can be found on this website. 

Prospective domestic and international students should visit the Memorial University undergraduate admissions page for Political Science and connect with our undergraduate admissions team. Questions about admissions requirements, tuition, scholarships, grades, visas, and more can be directed to the admissions office (admissions@mun.ca). When you’re ready to submit your application, it’s just as easy as following these instructions.  

Every March, the Department of Political Science holds a declaration celebration with our students and faculty to welcome our newest members. For first- and second year students, this is an ideal way of orienting yourself and getting to know your professors and peers.  

If you don’t want to wait, however, you’re welcome to submit a declaration at any time. The process is slightly different, depending on whether you want to complete a Major or Minor in political science, or are seeking admission to our Honours program.

Declaring a Major or Minor in Political Science

You can find all the information that you need to complete the declaration of a Major or Minor in political science over at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Really, it’s as easy as completing this form and submitting it via email to the Office of the University Registrar (registrar@mun.ca) using your official @mun email account.

Applying for Admission to Honours 

Admissions to the Honours program in political science is more selective. Most students consider applying to the Honours at the start of their third year in the BA program, once they’ve got a better sense of what they’d like to work on and who they’d like to work with. 

To be considered for Honors, students must achieve a 70% average or better across eleven political science courses (or 33 credit hours) at any level. Since Honours requires the completion of a major yearlong research paper, in addition to extra coursework, students should also have identified a suitable supervisor and have their support, along with a promising academic record. 

To officially declare Honours, two forms must be submitted.

First, complete the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences “Application for Admission to Honours” form, which can be sent via email to the Office of the Registrar (registrar@mun.ca). The Registrar will then provide your application, along with a copy of your transcript grades, to the Head of the Department and Undergraduate Director for their review and signatures. If approved, you’ll be officially enrolled in the BA(Hons) degree! 

Second, before you begin your Honours essay, you must also apply and be accepted to POSC 4010 and POSC 4011, which are the courses where you’ll complete your research and writing and receive credit. Declared Honours students seeking admission to POSC 4010 and 4011 should submit this course add/drop form to the Political Science main office (polisci@mun.ca), since these are special courses not available to regular students.  

Both forms can be submitted at the same time, although most Honours students complete their application form in their third year, and then apply to add POSC 4010 and 4011 at the start of their fourth year. When declaring Honours, you may also wish to consider declaring a Minor in a subject area related to Political Science (other than Law and Public Policy, which cannot be combined with any political science degree).