Want to make sure you’re on track and getting the most of your time with us in the department?

Check out our year-by-year checklist for Political Science Majors and Honours students:

• First year
• Second year
• Third year
• Fourth year

Declared Political Science Minors are also encouraged to review the checklists for each year, though there will be some additional flexibility in their pathway, since there are less credit requirements. 

Courses in the Political Science BA program are designed to be taken in sequence, year by year, to build core political science knowledge and gradually hone key skills in academic writing and research.

Undergraduate students who have been admitted to Memorial will typically declare their Major in Political Science sometime during their first year of studies, often after completing POSC 1000 (Introduction to Politics and Government) and POSC 1001 (Critical Reading and Writing).

During their second year of studies, declared Majors are encouraged to explore five different major subfields—Canadian politics, comparative politics, global politics, political theory, and public policy—to discover their own interests and get to know our faculty.

Upper-level courses at the third and fourth year allow declared Majors to focus more narrowly on a specific topic, problem, or area of study. Third- and fourth year classes assume that students have successfully completed their first and second years and have some previous background in political science. Admission to these classes is restricted to those who have completed at least 45 general credit hours towards their BA degree, in any subject, to ensure that all students are at the same university level. 

The third year is also the point at which many declared Majors contemplate applying to the Political Science Honours program, which involves additional coursework in political science and the completion of a yearlong honours essay under the supervision of a faculty member.

Please note that this year-by-year breakdown of the program is intended for political science undergraduate students only, and does not cover the full general requirements for a BA degree. When in doubt, students should always consult the university calendar or contact a university advisor with any questions.