BA/BS in Political Science/MA in International Studies

The accelerated BA/BS in Political Science/MA in International Studies degree plan is designed to equip students who have an interest in serving in the democratic process to prepare for leadership positions within government and politics on the international stage. After laying a broad foundation with the study of political institutions, their processes, and behaviors, this accelerated program educates students about their cross-cultural and international constituencies and combines this knowledge with foreign internship experiences. Combined, successful graduates of the accelerated degree have the competency and soft skills necessary to lead with diplomacy.

UNDERGRADUATE REQUIREMENTS

courses	credit hours (ba)	credit hours (bS)
Developing A Christian Mind DCM 2301 - Developing a Christian Mind	3	3
English	12	9
(BA) ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric I ENGL 1302 - Composition and Rhetoric II ENGL 2301 - World Literature I ENGL 2302 - World Literature II (BS) ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric I ENGL 1302 - Composition and Rhetoric II ENGL 2301 - World Literature I or ENGL 2302 - World Literature II
Fine Arts FINE 1306 - Introduction to Fine Arts	3	3
Foreign Language *Six hours at the 2000 level if adequate requisites are met	14*	0
Foundations for Excellence	1	1
FOUN 1101 - Foundations for Excellence is required of all first-year and transfer students with fewer than 15 credit hours. (AP, CLEP, IB, or dual/concurrent credit earned while in high school does not count toward these 15 credit hours.)
History	6	6
*Choose two:* HIST 1301 - U.S. History to 1865 HIST 1302 - U.S. History Since 1865 HIST 2301 - World Civilization I HIST 2302 - World Civilization II
Kinesiology	2	2
KNES 1101 - Fitness for Living and one additional activity course (KNES 1102-1122); for veterans or those 25 years of age or older prior to enrollment at DBU, KNES courses are waived.
Mathematics	3	3
*Choose one:* (BA) MATH 1301 - Math for Liberal Arts MATH 1303 - College Algebra MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry (BS) MATH 1303 - College Algebra MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry
Natural Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only)	4	15
One laboratory science (BA) or 15 credit hours of laboratory science (BS) selected from two or more areas of Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, Physical Science, or Physics
Religion	9	9
RELI 1301 - Old Testament Survey RELI 1302 - New Testament Survey and three additional credit hours depending on credit hours transferred at time of initial enrollment
Social Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only)	3	3
Three credit hours may be selected from Economics, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology.
TOTAL GENERAL STUDIES HOURS	60	54
BA/BS in Political Science
Required Courses	27	27
Required Courses POLS 2301 - American National Government POLS 2302 - State and Local Governments POLS 3305 - Constitutional Law POLS 3313 - Internship in Political Science (S-L) POLS 4305 - American Political Tradition POLS 4310 - Fundamentals of International Relations (S-L) Select 9 additional elective upper-level Political Science hours (excluding POLS 4302).
Shared Undergraduate/Graduate Courses	3	3
MAIS 5317 - Comparing Government Structures and Political Systems
Additional Upper-Level Electives Required* Additional Lower or Upper-Level Electives Required*	12 18	12 24
TOTAL UNDERGRADUATE WITH SHARED HOURS REQUIRED	120	120

A 120-credit-hour minimum for a bachelor's degree is required. Students must complete all Undergraduate hours and shared undergraduate/graduate hours prior to enrolling for remaining Graduate hours.

*Elective Requirements

• In order to satisfy the “Undergraduate only” portion of an accelerated degree plan, sufficient lower-level and upper-level elective hours must be taken to complete the minimum number of Undergraduate credit hours required for each specific accelerated degree.

• As part of this accelerated degree plan, 3 shared Graduate hours will be counted toward a minimum of 36 upper-level Undergraduate credit hours required for all bachelor’s degrees.

REMAINING GRADUATE REQUIREMENTS

courses	credit hours (Ma)
Required Core Courses	24
MAIS 5001 - International Job Shadowing* MAIS 5301 - Contemporary Global Issues (Travel Study) MAIS 5302 - Geopolitics Through the Lens of Geography MAIS 5303 - Comparative Global Religions and Worldviews (S-L) MAIS 5305 - Cultural Intelligence MAIS 5318 - International Political Economy MAIS 5319 - International Security: The Trigger Point MAL 6301 - Christian Worldview of Leadership (S-L) MAL 6306 - Cross-Cultural and Global Leadership *can be fulfilled by taking MAIS 5311 Global Internship offered in both concentrations
MA in International Studies Concentration	6
Students may choose *two courses* from *MA in International Studies* concentrations listed below: Global Business International Relations
TOTAL ADDITIONAL GRADUATE HOURS REQUIRED	30
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED FOR ACCELERATED DEGREE	150

Note: After successfully completing 75 semester hours of the BA/BS in Political Science degree, the student may apply for the BA/BS in Political Science /MA in International Studies degree program if the student has a minimum overall GPA of 3.0. Additionally, applicants must: 1) show strong moral character commensurate with the University’s mission of producing servant leaders, 2) demonstrate through their academic record a likelihood of success in the accelerated program; and 3) show a record of service in the community and in positions of leadership.

(S-L) = Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.

Refer to course descriptions for course requisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Find course descriptions by category under the Undergraduate Course Descriptions OR Graduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.