Boston College Political Science Program: An Overview

The Political Science & Government major at Boston College is a distinguished program within the social sciences, offering a comprehensive education in the field. This article provides an overview of the program, covering its rankings, available degrees, curriculum structure, faculty expertise, and opportunities for students.

Degrees Offered

The Political Science & Government program at Boston College offers degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels:

Bachelor’s Degree: Provides a solid foundation in political science, covering American political history, the current political landscape, and major political parties.
Master’s Degree: A two-year program requiring ten courses (30 credits), with at least one course in three of the department’s four fields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Politics, and Political Theory.
Doctorate Degree: Offers advanced study in American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Philosophy, emphasizing a blend of philosophical and practical concerns.

Rankings and Recognition

Boston College's Political Science program consistently receives high rankings, placing it among the top institutions in the country:

National Ranking: Ranked #19 in College Factual's most recent rankings for the best schools for political science majors, placing it in the top 5% nationwide.
State Ranking: Ranked #2 in Massachusetts.
Bachelor’s Degree: Ranked #20 for Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools.

Program Popularity

The program's popularity is reflected in the number of degrees awarded:

Bachelor’s Degrees (2021-2022): 165 degrees were handed out, a 29% decrease from the previous year (231 degrees).
Master’s Degrees (2022): 5 students received their master’s degree, making Boston College the #108 most popular school for political science master’s degree candidates in the country.
Doctoral Degrees (2022): 7 students received doctoral degrees, ranking the school #30 in the United States for this category.

Curriculum Structure

The undergraduate curriculum in political science is designed to expose students to the study of politics in a variety of ways. It does not present a single curriculum that all students are expected to know before moving on to higher-level courses. Students go directly from introductory courses into upper-level electives, and these electives do not have to be taken in any particular order.

Introductory Courses

All majors should take one of the following introductory courses: Fundamental Concepts of Politics (POLI1041) or How to Rule the World (POLI1021). The other introductory course must include one of the following: Introduction to Modern Politics (POLI1042); Introduction to American Politics (POLI1061); Introduction to International Politics (POLI1081), or Introduction to Comparative Politics (POLI1091).

POLI1041 (Fundamental Concepts of Politics) and POLI1021 (How to Rule the World): Devoted principally to a study of some of the classic texts in political theory.
POLI1042 (Introduction to Modern Politics), POLI1061 (Introduction to American Politics), POLI1081 (Introduction to International Politics), and POLI1091 (Introduction to Comparative Politics): Emphasize philosophical, conceptual, and analytical foundations for understanding their substantive domains.

Subfield Requirements

Students must take eight courses beyond the introductory courses and at least one course must be taken in each of the four subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Politics, and Political Theory. All courses that do not fulfill the subfield or introductory requirements will be counted as electives in the major. The subfield requirements must be satisfied by courses taken in the department; courses taken abroad or transferred from other institutions may only be used to fulfill introductory or elective requirements.

American Politics: Courses with a “3” in the second digit of the course number (e.g., 2300).
Comparative Politics: Courses with a “4” in the second digit of the course number (e.g., 2400).
International Politics: Courses with a “5” in the second digit of the course number (e.g., 2500).
Political Theory: Courses with a “6” in the second digit of the course number (e.g., 2600).

Electives

There is a considerable variety in elective offerings because each faculty member has a rotating set of courses and usually teaches four of these each year. There are approximately 100 courses open to undergraduates over a four-year period. Some of these courses are seminars, which meet once a week and are usually limited to 15-19 members so that there is much more opportunity for sustained and intense analysis of texts and problems than there is in a conventional lecture/discussion format.

Additional Requirements

At least six courses of the ten courses required must be taken in the Political Science Department in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.
Clarity of thought and writing are two sides of the same skill, and for this reason, courses place special emphasis on writing skills.

AP Credit

Students who scored a 4 or 5 on either of the AP exams in Government and Politics (American or Comparative) may place out of the requirement for the second introductory course (but not the first).

Late Majors

Students who join the major after their sophomore year should not take Introductory courses. With department permission, they may substitute other elective courses for the standard introductory sequence.

Faculty and Their Expertise

The Department of Political Science at Boston College boasts a diverse and accomplished faculty with expertise in various subfields. These faculty members share a commitment to studying human beings as political actors and addressing perennially important political issues. Here are some notable faculty members and their areas of specialization:

Robert Bartlett: Specializes in classical political philosophy, with a focus on ancient Greek thinkers such as Thucydides, Plato, Xenophon, and Aristotle.
Nasser Behnegar: Teaches early modern political theory, contemporary political theory, and political economy, with expertise in Leo Strauss and Max Weber.
Ryan Patrick Hanley: Focuses on early modern political philosophy, particularly the Scottish and French Enlightenment figures like Hume, Adam Smith, Fénelon, and Rousseau.
Christopher Kelly: Specializes in early and late modern political theory, with an emphasis on French thought, including Rousseau.
Susan Meld Shell: Teaches late modern political theory, contemporary political theory, and post-modernism, with a focus on German thought.
David M. Dennis Hale: Focuses on American political thought and institutions, teaching on the American Founding and American Political Thought from the Puritans to Lincoln.
Jason A. Hartney: Specializes in sub-national politics, with a focus on the politics of K-12 education and its interplay with political and educational inequality in American democracy.
Ken M. Goldstein: Expertise includes Congress, public opinion and voting behavior, and research methods.
Ken I. Kersch: Interests include American political and constitutional development, the politics of courts, American legal history, and American political thought.
Masha Krupenkin: Focuses on attitudes toward race and inequality in American politics, utilizing computational social science methodologies.
Marc Landy: Writes on environmental policymaking, public policy, and citizenship.
R. Shep Melnick: An expert on the courts and public policy, with a focus on welfare rights.
Peter Skerry: Studies Mexican Americans and issues related to race, group identity, and the evasion of politics.
Kay Lehman Schlozman: Specializes in American politics, particularly political participation, political behavior, and organized interests.
Ali Banuazizi: Focuses on the political cultures of the Middle East, varieties of political Islam, and modern Iranian history and politics.
Gerald Easter: Specializes in Russian and East European regional politics and in comparative state-building theory.
Kenji Hayao: Studies Japanese politics, with a focus on the Japanese Prime Minister and public policy.
Lauren Honig: Studies state-building, institutions, and the political economy of development, with a focus on Africa.
Jonathan Laurence: Research interests include religion and politics, immigration politics, foreign policy, Western Europe, Turkey, and North Africa.
Thibaud Marcesse: Studies local democracy in India, political parties and electoral politics, and labor.
Timothy Crawford: Teaches courses on international security, causes of war, the United Nations, and intelligence.
David Deese: Researches the international and comparative politics of energy and climate policies worldwide.
Jennifer Erickson: Research interests lie at the intersection of international security and political economy, focusing on international reputation and states’ commitment to international rules and norms.
Jonathan Kirshner: Focuses on international relations, political economy, and politics and film.
Peter Krause: Studies rebel power and coercion in international politics.
Lindsey O'Rourke: Research focuses on international security, United States foreign policy, covert action, and military interventions.
Robert Ross: Specializes in international politics and China.

Opportunities for Students

Boston College’s Political Science Department offers numerous opportunities for students to enhance their academic experience and prepare for future careers:

Honors Program

The Department of Political Science has established its own Honors program to encourage and reward high academic achievement among its majors. Admission to the program is by invitation from the Department. Each year approximately 15 Political Science majors who have completed the sophomore year are invited to join the Honors program. Selection is based on academic records within the major and overall.

Honors Seminar: The Department offers special Honors Seminars on a variety of topics to members of the program. Members of the Honors program must take two Honors Seminars over the course of their junior and senior years, in addition to the ten courses otherwise required for the major.
Honors Thesis: As a culmination of the Honors program, members may write an Honors Thesis during their senior year. Students participating in the Honors program are eligible for one of three Honors designations when they graduate: Honors, High Honors, and Highest Honors in Political Science.

Study Abroad

Study abroad is an excellent way for Political Science majors to gain a comparative and cross-cultural perspective on politics. The Political Science Department encourages students to study abroad, so long as they have a strong academic record and have prepared themselves. The Department will accept no more than two courses per semester from an institution abroad or four courses for an entire year. These courses will count as major electives only.

Thesis Program

With department permission, students who are not members of the Honors Program may still have the opportunity to write a thesis by enrolling in POLI4951-4952 (Thesis I and II). This is an opportunity open to seniors, and the first step is to speak with a faculty member during your junior year who might be willing to act as your thesis supervisor.

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Advanced Study Grants

The Boston College Advanced Study Grants were established to encourage, support, and give visible recognition to undergraduates who have that special spark of scholarly initiative and imagination. Advanced Study Grants are for student-designed projects.

Undergraduate Research Fellowships

The Undergraduate Research Fellowships program enables students of at least sophomore status to gain firsthand experience in scholarly work by participating with a faculty member on a research project. Undergraduate Research Fellows are paid an hourly wage for the work they complete for the duration of the semester’s work period.

National Fellowships and Awards

Boston College students need to be aware, early in their undergraduate careers, of the fellowships and awards given on a competitive basis by national foundations. Fulbright Grants, Marshall Scholarships, Mellon Fellowships, National Science Foundation Fellowships, Rhodes Scholarships, and Truman Scholarships are among the major grants available.

Graduate Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the M.A., graduates are expected to:

Demonstrate substantial knowledge of one subfield of political science.
Conduct scholarly work at the post-graduate level.
Be strong candidates for admission to Ph.D. programs.

Tuition and Fees

Understanding the costs associated with the program is essential for prospective students. Here's a breakdown of the tuition and fees for undergraduates:

Part-time undergraduates (2022-2023): $602 per credit hour.
Full-time undergraduates:
- Tuition: $66,410
- Fees: $1,270
- Books and Supplies: $1,250
- On-Campus Room and Board: $18,475
- On-Campus Other Expenses: $2,200

Diversity

The Political Science & Government program at Boston College demonstrates diversity in its student body:

Bachelor’s Program: For the most recent academic year available, 53% of political science bachelor's degrees went to men and 47% went to women.
Master’s Program: The political science program at Boston College awarded 5 master's degrees in 2021-2022. About 40% of these degrees went to men with the other 60% going to women.
Racial and Ethnic Diversity: The majority of the students with this major are white.

Career Prospects and Salary

Graduates of the Political Science program at Boston College can look forward to promising career prospects:

Median Salary: Political Science majors who earn their bachelor's degree from Boston College go on to jobs where they make a median salary of $46,764 a year. This is higher than the national median of $35,631 for all political science bachelor's degree recipients.

Student Debt

Understanding the financial burden of student loans is crucial for prospective students:

Median Debt: While getting their bachelor's degree at Boston College, political science students borrow a median amount of $72,510 in student loans.

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