Political Science
Political Science at Providence College
To be human is to be political. So claimed Aristotle, who stated that human beings are, by nature, the “political animal.” Political science is the systematic study of political institutions, ideas, identities, events, and behaviors. As such, political science seeks to understand collective power — specifically, how and by whom such power is acquired, exercised, and challenged. Students who major in political science at Providence College examine politics in a variety of contexts and from a variety of perspectives, both domestic and international. Graduates of the program find that a degree in political science from Providence College opens doors to a wide range of careers in the public and private sectors. The major also enables our students to become engaged and responsible citizens of their communities.
DEGREE PROGRAMS
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Students complete 11 three-credit courses, including Political Science 101 and an upper-level seminar of their choosing. Majors must take at least one course in each of the subfields of American politics, comparative politics, political theory, and international relations, and a course on quantitative and qualitative methods. Students also complete four electives, which may include courses from the main subfields and others that cross subfields and disciplines.
Minor in Political Science
A minor in political science is a valuable addition to many other fields of study, including sociology, economics, public and community service studies, global studies, and business. Minors must complete PSC 101 and five additional political science courses of their choosing. At least two of these must be at the 300 or 400 level.
Certificate in Public Administration
The Public Administration Program prepares students for careers in a variety of public service sectors and graduate degrees in public administration (MPA) and public policy (MPP). The program consists of core courses in political science as well as three courses in other disciplines on ethics, economics, and finance.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Take classes, live in D.C., and work an internship in the Washington Semester Program
Find placements in research and policy internships via the Rhode Island State Government Internship Program
Publish articles co-authored with department faculty in prominent scholarly journals
FACULTY
Small class sizes mean that majors can really get to know their professors. Our faculty come from diverse backgrounds and hold degrees from some of the finest institutions, including Berkeley, Brandeis, Brown, Columbia, Penn, Rutgers, Michigan, Notre Dame, Syracuse, UMass-Amherst, and UTAustin.
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IN THE NEWS
RECENT DEPARTMENT UPDATES
AFTER PC
Several PC political science alumni serve in elective office in federal, state, and local governments. Many of our graduates also have been quite successful in business, including some of the world’s most successful corporations such as Oracle, General Electric, Bloomberg News, and Chase Manhattan. In addition, a large number of our students eventually seek graduate or professional degrees in a variety of specialties, including business, law, health policy, public administration and public policy, secondary education, and environmental policy.
91%
of 2020-2024 political science graduates are employed and/or attending graduate school
66%
are employed only
19%
are attending school only
7%
are employed and attending school
Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond with the sum of the separate figures.
Selected Places of Employment/Service
Aflac Group Insurance
Amica Insurance
Analytic Partners
Atlassian
Audit Analytics
Biosector 2
BitSight
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI
Boston Beer Company
Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston College
Boston Retirement System
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Brown Advisory
Cetrulo LLP
Cheshire Academy
Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD
Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
City of Boston
City Year
CLEAR
Community Action, Inc
Control Risks
Copper Door
Cromwell Public Affairs
D&J Contractor Marketing
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Danforth Advisors
Dell EMC
DLA Piper
Education First
Ernst & Young (EY)
Escano Law
FDIC
Federal Trade Commission
Fidelity Investments
Gallagher
Guidepoint
Hasbro
IFAW
IGT
Imperium Consulting Group
JDX Consulting
Jefferies Financial Group
LectureLinx
Marriott International
Maryland Office of Legislative Audits
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts House of Representatives
NERA Economic Consulting
New York Legal Assistance Group
Northwell Health
Norwood Physical Therapy, LLC
Nuzzo & Roberts
Orangetheory Fitness
Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC
Perkins Thompson Law Firm
Porter Law Group
Providence College
Publicis Health Media
PwC
Ropes and Gray, LLP
ServiceNow
Strategic Benefit Advisors
Taylor Diaz and Soltis PLLC
TechTarget
The TJX Companies, Inc
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. House of Representatives
Wayfair
WealthVest
Wellington Management
Selected Graduate Schools
American University
Boston College
Boston University
Brooklyn Law School
Charleston School of Law
Columbia University
Fairfield University
Leiden University College The Hague
Loyola University Chicago
New England School of Law
Northeastern University
Northern Illinois University
Providence College
Roger Wiliams University
Seton Hall University
St. John’s University
Suffolk University
Syracuse University
Trinity College Dublin
UMass Dartmouth
University College Dublin
University of Connecticut
University of Maryland
University of New Hampshire
University of Pennsylvania
University of Tennessee
Vanderbilt University
Western New England University
ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Susan McCarthy
Assistant Department Chair
401-865-2626
SMCCARTH@providence.edu
Andrew Meehan
Admin
Howley 318
401-865-2434
ameehan@providence.edu
