Study Abroad
- The political science department encourages POL majors to pursue the study of political science abroad as well as in Coral Gables. Before you enroll in any study abroad course, however, be sure to use the MATES system to confirm your credits will transfer.
- The Department offers students the opportunity to complete 6 credits in London through our summer program.
- Note that 21 credits of the major (or 9 credits of the minor) must be taken in residence.
Senior Thesis
For students interested in going on to graduate study in political science/ public administration, or for students strongly motivated to do independent research on a specific political science topic, it is possible to write a senior thesis. This process entails working with a tenure-line professor and enrolling in POL563 and POL564: Senior Honors Thesis I and II. The first of these courses (taken in a student’s second-to-last semester) involves researching the thesis and the second course (taken in a student’s last semester) involves writing a thesis that could be published as a peer-reviewed academic article. Each course is for three credits and will be graded by a student’s supervising professor. A student’s thesis must ultimately be approved by the supervising professor and a second political science professor. The two courses cannot be used fulfill a subfield requirement. Interested students should identify a tenure-line faculty member with whom they want to work and approach that person prior to the beginning of the student’s final year at UM. View a list of tenure-line faculty (labelled Primary Faculty) here.
Independent Readings or Research
POL 490 Directed Readings and POL 489 Directed Research allow students to study or conduct their own original reading or research on an in-depth topic not covered in a regular UM course. This option is also available for students who need 1 or 2 credits to reach the 30 credits required for a major (or the 15 required for a minor). Interested students should contact a tenure line faculty member and propose a 1-3 credit course of study. The faculty member will work with the student to develop an appropriate reading list and work load. View a list of tenure-line faculty (labeled Primary Faculty) here.
Transfer Credit
- If you are a transfer student and have already completed political science or public administration coursework at another institution, you may apply for transfer credit via the MATES system. Note that 21 credits of the major (or 9 credits of the minor) must be taken in residence.
- POL/BPA majors are encouraged to complete their political science / public administration coursework at the University of Miami or on an approved study abroad program rather than at another US-based institution. If you are a POL or BPA major seeking to take classes elsewhere over the summer in order to graduate sooner, we recommend using that time to complete cognates or general electives rather than coursework for your major.
For-Credit Off-Campus Internships
- See here for more details.
