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Four-Year GuidePolitical Science, American Politics ConcentrationBS272C2025-26Appalachian State University
College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Government & Justice Studies
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This four year guide is a recommended semester-by semester plan of study for this major. All four year guides are meant to be an example of how a degree can be completed in four years. Individual plans will be developed for each student in consultation with their academic advisor. Prior credit, course availability, and student needs must be considered in developing the individual plan.
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Semester HoursCourse NameCredit HrMin GradeIn Major GPAImportant Notes
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Semester 1
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Semester Hrs:UCO 12003
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16RC 10003
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Quantitative Literacy4STT 2820 meets this requirement and the STT course requirement in semester 2.
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Gen Ed Placeholder 13See General Education Requirements section below.
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PS 11003XCounts as [FAD]. Must also count as Gen Ed Placeholder 2.
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Semester 2
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Semester Hrs:Statistics Course Choice3XIf STT 2820 taken for Quantitative Literacy, take a free elective here. See list of options in POS
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15Major Concentration Course 13X*See Major Concentration Course Information below.
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Political Science Course 13X***See Political Science Courses Information below. Take at least one [WID] course.
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Minor Course 13
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Minor Course 23
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Semester 3
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Semester Hrs:Gen Ed Science Inquiry4
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16RC 20013
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Major Concentration Course 23X*See Major Concentration Course Information below.
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Political Science Course 23X***See Political Science Courses Information below. Take at least one [WID] course.
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Political Science Elective Course 13X**See Political Science Electives Information below.
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Semester 4
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Semester Hrs:Gen Ed Science Inquiry4
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16Gen Ed Placeholder 33See General Education Requirements section below.
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Major Concentration Course 33X*See Major Concentration Course Information below.
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Political Science Course 33X***See Political Science Courses Information below. Take at least one [WID] course.
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Minor Course 33
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Semester 5
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Semester Hrs:Gen Ed Placeholder 43See General Education Requirements section below.
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16Gen Ed Wellness Literacy1
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Major Concentration Course 43X*See Major Concentration Course Information below.
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Political Science Course 43X***See Political Science Courses Information below. Take at least one [WID] course.
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Political Science Elective Course 23X**See Political Science Electives Information below.
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Minor Course 43
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Semester 6
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Semester Hrs:Gen Ed Placeholder 53See General Education Requirements section below.
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16Major Concentration Course 53X*See Major Concentration Course Information below.
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Political Science Elective Course 33X**See Political Science Electives Information below.
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Theory Course 3XChoose from list on POS.
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PS/CJ 31154X
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Semester 7
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Semester Hrs:Gen Ed Placeholder 63See General Education Requirements section below.
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13Gen Ed Wellness Literacy1
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International/Comparative Course3XChoose from list on POS.
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Major Concentration Course 63X*See Major Concentration Course Information below.
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Political Science Course 53X***See Political Science Courses Information below.
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Semester 8
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Semester Hrs:PS 48001X[CAP]
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12Political Science Elective Course 43X**See Political Science Electives Information below.
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Minor Course 53
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Minor Course 63If needed for 18 hour minor. Otherwise Free Elective.
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Free Elective2Take enough free elective hours to meet the minimum 120 required to earn a degree.
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Total Hours120Program of Study (POS)
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General Requirements Summary
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Minimum Total HoursGen Ed. HoursMajor GPAOverall GPAWriting
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120412.002.00RC 1000 and RC 2001
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General Education Requirements - 41 Semester Hours Total
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Program CategoriesHoursImportant Notes – Be sure to check for Gen Ed courses required in your major
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First Year Seminar3Can be taken first or second semester of freshman year.
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Wellness Literacy2
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Quantitative Literacy4
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First Year Writing3Can be taken first or second semester of freshman year
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Sophomore Writing3
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Humanity and Its Systems (HUM), Intercultural Literacy (ICL) and Sustainability & Climate Literacy (SCL)18Choose at least one course from each of the three categories. As part of those course choices, be sure to also choose at least one course for each of the 4 required designations [(FA), (LS), (HS), (SS)].
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Science Inquiry8It is possible to take up to 10 hours of Science Inquiry courses, depending upon your choice of science. 8 hours is the minimum requirement. If you take a 10 hour science sequence, you will have 2 fewer Free Elective hours needed to reach 120 total hours.
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Total:41
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You must also meet the Fine Arts, Literary Studies, Historical Studies, and the Social Science Designation requirements. Those should be met within the courses students choose for the SCL, HUM or ICL course requirements. The FAD (Foundations of American Democracy) course can be taken as part of General Education coursework, Major coursework or Minor coursework.
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Foundations of American Democracy
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The [FAD] requirement may be fulfilled with General Education Courses, Major Courses or Minor Courses. Which one is best for a student will depend upon their chosen major/minor. A list of courses that will fulfill this requirement can be found here: LINK to Foundations of American Democracy Information. The General Education Checksheet shows these courses with an American Flag icon.
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Additional Notes:
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Major GPA Information Major GPA calculation will include all courses taken in the major discipline, plus any other courses under Major Requirements.
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*Major Concentration Information"Required American Politics Concentration 18-19 Hours" on the POS (List of courses also on POS), requires careful planning. Students are encouraged to develop their program of study early in their academic careers with the assigned departmental advisor for this specific concentration. One course must be a Statistics course chosen from the list on the POS.
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**Political Science Electives Information"Required Political Science Electives (12 hr)" on the POS. Chosen with the consent of an academic advisor. At least one [WID] course should be chosen from the list of courses in this section of the POS. There are several to choose from.
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***Political Science Courses Information"Political Science Courses 15 hours" on POS. 6 Hours from Required American Politics Courses as listed on the POS. 9 hours from Additional American Politics Courses as listed on the POS.
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WID Course InformationCourses with the [WID] designation are PS 3280, PS 3320, PS 3370, PS 3550, PS 3555, PS 3565, PS 3570, PS 3600, PS 4230, PS 4723, & PS 4748.
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Residency Requirements:
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30 hours overall must be from App State
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18 hours in the major must be from App State
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9 hours in the minor must be from App State
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Please consult with your advisor to ensure you will complete the appropriate number of free electives as needed to reach the 120 total hours required for your degree.
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