Political Science majors at USI are taught by highly qualified faculty with doctoral or law degrees from major universities. As a political science student, you have the opportunity to take courses in a number of different areas including: law; international relations and foreign policy; American government; political philosophy; state and local government; public administration and public policy; and comparative government. 

Students majoring in political science learn how to think critically, creatively, and ethically about contemporary political problems. There opportunities for practical experience working in political campaigns and serving as interns in law offices, government agencies, businesses, interest groups, and news organizations.

As a political science major, you have the opportunity to participate in a number of extracurricular activities such as the Political Science Society and Pi Sigma Alpha (the Political Science honors society). If you are interested in preparing yourself for law school, the Political Science Department has a pre-law advisor and sponsors a number of relevant programs: the Pre-law Club, the Pre-law Mentoring Program, and the Pre-law Internship program (Internship with Attorneys and Court Internship).

Unlike many larger institutions, students attending USI receive individual attention from a faculty committed to undergraduate teaching and make themselves available to students for academic and career counseling. Most courses in the Political Science Department have fewer than thirty students. Each political science student is assigned his or her own faculty advisor from among the full-time faculty.

As you may be aware, USI offers several types of financial aid including merit-based awards for first year students who intend to major in political science. There is no separate application procedure for these departmental scholarships. Simply complete the standard application for admission.

If you would like additional information about the Political Science Program, I would be happy to communicate with you. If you are interested in the Pre-Law Program, contact Dr. Nicholas LaRowe (nllarowe).

Mary (MT) Hallock Morris, Ph.D.
Chair of Department of Political Science and Public Administration,
Associate Professor of Political Science
E-mail: mhmorris
Phone: (812) 461-5207