准备带领你的同胞走向更美好的未来,主修政治学.
Major Roadmap
Explore your options — classes, internships, research and study abroad. Browse the Political Science Major Guide to find what interests you, discover what you love, and create a major experience that jumpstarts your future.
你将学习人们如何在地方、州、国家和国际层面上获得和使用权力. You may decide to become an attorney, a journalist, a campaign manager, a lobbyist or foreign service officer. Work for an elected representative — or run for office yourself one day. Your Political Science major will prepare you to make bold, strategic decisions grounded in your values.
德克萨斯州首府奥斯汀是学习地方或州一级政治的理想场所. 通过与市议员或市长办公室实习,了解美国第11大城市的政策是如何制定的. 在一年两次的德克萨斯州立法会议期间为州参议员或众议员工作, where you’ll learn how a bill becomes a law (or doesn’t). 奥斯汀是非营利组织和倡导组织的大本营,这些组织致力于制定影响儿童的州法律, the environment, 还有几十个不同的行业——所以你也有机会学习如何为你关心的事业游说.
If you have your sights set on the nation’s capital, your success coach and professors will help you find an internship in Washington, D.C. Wherever you go, you’ll have the critical-thinking, writing, public speaking and people skills you need to make a difference.
What do our graduates do?
政治学专业的学生可以从事各种各样的职业,也可以从圣. Edward’s. Here’s a sample.
- Foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State
- Judicial law clerk at Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas
- Asylum and immigration attorney
- Health policy and advocacy director for Young Invincibles
- Director of marketing for FILA North America
- Law students at The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Pennsylvania and George Washington University
- 乔治华盛顿大学艾略特国际事务学院的研究生, Georgetown University and New York University
From Campus to Capitol
See how Political Science major Skylar Garza ’19 used his internship and volunteer work to shape his St. Edward’s experience.
The Classroom and Beyond
Political Science teaches you the skills to change the world. At St. Edward’s, 你将拥有距离德克萨斯州议会大厦仅3英里的优势, where laws are made that influence the lives of 29 million Texans. 你的实习机会将包括为州参议员和众议员工作, policy thinktanks and advocacy groups, all of whom have a role in crafting legislation. Even without an internship at the Capitol, 在奇数年的春天,当立法机关开会时,你可以通过访问当选官员的办公室,并在委员会审议个别法案时提供反馈,发出自己的声音. If local politics are more your speed, 奥斯汀市政厅距离校园只有两英里,在这里你可以了解到市议会是如何支持创新和增长的,同时也在努力争取公平和保护环境.
Experiential Education
你的课程将教授你政治过程背后的历史和理论,然后让你沉浸在实践中. Legislative Process and Lobbying meets when the Texas legislature is in session. You’ll alternate between attending classroom lectures and discussions on campus, and sitting in on hearings, debates and programs at the Capitol.
State and Local Government uses the city of Austin as a lab. 您将在美国发展最快的城市之一的市政厅内外完成实践学习活动.
政治学提供的最令人兴奋的冒险之一是协助的机会 The Civics Lab, a podcast created with St. Edward's students. To listen to our podcasts, please visit The Civics Lab.
Scholarships, Conferences and Summer Institutes
政治学专业在国内外有很多竞争学习的机会. They include:
- The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the State Department, 该公司向本科生提供奖学金,让他们到智利等地学习或实习, Brazil and Morocco.
- The State Department Critical Language Scholarship, 一种强化的海外语言和文化沉浸,旨在扩大掌握外语的美国人的数量,这对国家安全和经济繁荣至关重要.
- 卡内基梅隆大学公共政策与国际事务暑期研修班, 这是一个竞争激烈的为期七周的项目,培养学生的定量, 分析能力和沟通能力是他们在研究生院学习公共政策和从事服务于公共利益的职业所需要的.
- The highly selective Harvard Kennedy School Public Policy Leadership Conference, which introduces students to graduate programs in public policy at Harvard.
- The John Jay Fellows Program in Philadelphia, 这是一个基于基督教原则的为期一学期的领导力发展项目,为参与者从事公共服务工作做好准备.
Student Organizations
- The St. 爱德华刑事司法俱乐部是美国刑事司法协会的一个分会, Lambda Alpha Epsilon. The club meets twice a month to hear guest speakers, go on field trips, offer community service, and complete training together.
- Alpha Phi Sigma is the national criminal justice honor society.
- Phi Alpha Delta, the pre-law organization, meets weekly to listen to guest speakers, learn about the law school admission process, participate in mentorship programs, do service work and learn about internships. 俱乐部还有一支模拟审判队,参加由美国模拟审判协会和Phi Alpha Delta组织的活动. The team has traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete.
- Student Government Association represents the ideas and needs of all St. Edward’s students.
- Students for Sustainability educates the St. Edward’s community about eco-friendly practices and works with the St. Edward’s administration to implement environmental initiatives. Members help maintain the campus garden, learn about biking and public transportation, encourage fellow students to reduce their use of plastic water bottles, and have clothing swaps and upcycled craft nights.
- Hilltop Views, the weekly student newspaper, is published both in print and online. Student journalists report news from the campus and greater Austin community. 早在大一的时候,你就可以成为一名作家、编辑、摄影师或设计师.
- The S.E.R.V.E. 由校园部协调的项目,将你与奥斯汀的志愿者机会联系起来. 你可以参加一个周六早上的项目,在那里你可以打扫公园或粉刷学校大楼, 或者承诺在一个帮助移民的组织里每周服务一整个学期, children or the elderly.
Degree Requirements
Major Requirements: The Bachelor of Arts in Political Science requires 45 hours of major courses, which include a combination of different political studies classes. In addition, students choose two of the following tracks: American Politics, Applied Politics, International Politics or Pre-Law.
Electives: 学生完成6小时的政治研究选修课程和21小时的选修课程在他们选择的任何研究领域.
General Education Requirements: 除了主修课程和选修课外,该学位还要求学生在四年内完成54小时的通识教育课程.
View and download the full degree plan for our Political Science major (PDF).
A few examples of courses students in this major take:
- Politics and the Media- explore how public officials, political campaigns, and interest groups attempt to influence media coverage
- Civil Liberties – examine the way the U.S. 宪法在各种群体和利益相互竞争的背景下保护个人权利
- Strategic Intelligence and Covert Action ——深入探讨了情报界在美国对外关系中所扮演的角色
Internships
Every Political Science major completes at least one internship, but you’ll be encouraged to go beyond that requirement to expand your education. Students recently have interned with these organizations:
- No Labels, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that supports nonpartisan problem solving
- Office of Austin Mayor Steve Adler
- Office of U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett
- Office of State Rep. Oscar Longoria
- Office of former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper
- Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott
- Beto O’Rourke Senate Campaign
- Texas Public Policy Foundation
- Texas Senate Finance Committee
- Equal Justice Center, a nonprofit law firm
- Workers Defense Project
- Foley & Lardner LLP
- Generation Citizen, 一个教授初高中学生公民参与和参与策略的非营利组织
- Mighty Citizen是一家专注于推广社区影响力组织的当地营销机构
- Annie’s List
- Caritas of Austin
- Texas Democratic Party
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in Washington, D.C.
- Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization
- Make-A-Wish Central and South Texas
Our Faculty
“我教授国际政治仅仅是因为我一直对我们周围的世界充满好奇. 我教授的主题促使学生批判性地思考诸如为什么有些国家好战而有些国家和平之类的问题? Why do some countries have democracies and others have dictatorships? And why do some countries enjoy great wealth and others suffer in poverty? I find that my students are engaged, questioning and enthusiastic about making a difference in the world.”
– Dr. William Nichols, Professor of Political Science
“The best thing about political science at St. 你可以在德州最好的政治城市上激动人心的课程.”
– Brian Smith, Professor of Political Science
Political Science Minor
有兴趣从事法律或政府工作的学生可以通过辅修政治学来提高他们的知识和技能. Students must complete the 18 hours of required coursework.
Required Courses:
- American National Government
- International Relations
- Comparative Politics
- Any three upper-division Political Science courses
SEU to You
政治学助理教授大卫·托马森的课程的第一部分, students may be surprised at what they learn about American politics. In the second part, they will undertake an online simulated game. The semester will conclude with discussions on practical policy.