Department of Political Science

Welcome to Political Science

Welcome to the Department of Political Science at California State University, Northridge. Our department hosts a highly distinguished group of faculty with varied expertise and significant research and publishing records. We also offer a rich curriculum in which most aspects of the discipline and areas of the globe are covered. Given the depth of our faculty's expertise and the range of the courses we offer, our strengths lie in the areas of American politics, international relations, comparative politics, political theory, and public law.

The department's accomplishments are not limited to its faculty. Our students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels are also regularly invited to present their papers at national or regional conferences. The department's Model United Nations Program is one of the most successful in the nation and has consistently been recognized for its outstanding achievements. In addition to a variety of internships and community service opportunities, the department also offers a unique Judicial Internship in which a select number of students from across the campus are placed as interns with judges in local courts.

The Department offers three areas of concentration: an option in Politics and Government, an option in Public Policy and Management, and an option in Law and Society. Each of these are designed to better prepare students for specific career goals in mind.

Program Concentration Options

The Politics and Government option gives our students broad training in political science and is especially useful in preparation for the further study of the discipline at the graduate level. This option will also accommodate students wishing to enter public service or who are interested in public administration or law school. This is also the most flexible to graduate, allowing for students to take both public policy and management as well as law courses to fulfill the major requirements.

Those wishing to enter public service or are interested in the study of public administration at the graduate level will greatly benefit from the Public Policy and Management option.

The Law and Society option is designed for those students with an interest in attending law school after graduating from CSUN.