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College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Frequently asked questions

  1. Can I take a political science class credit/no credit if I'm a political science major? No. In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS), you may not take any course in your major credit/no credit. This is also true of supporting coursework and general education requirements. For more information, please see the LAS Student Handbook.

  2. I want to take a course over the summer at another school in Illinois. How do I know if and how it will transfer? Go to the Course Applicability System website. Click 'guest login' on the left-hand menu, then 'course equivalencies'. Follow the directions in the main window.

    Make sure you note the years listed with the courses you are looking up. How courses transfer to UIUC can change from year to year.

  3. Does political science have a mathematics requirement? Political science majors have the same general education mathematics requirements all LAS students have. There is no further political science math requirement. You can find more information about campus and college general education requirements at this website.

  4. What courses meet the LAS general education requirements? You can find more information about campus and college general education requirements at this website.

  5. Can I get political science credit for my internship? Students can earn credit for the following internships: The Illinois in Washington (IIW) Program, The Washington Center, The Parliamentary Internship in London, and the Vienna Diplomatic Program. See our internship page for more details on these programs.

  6. How does internship credit count toward my political science major? Students who successfully complete an approved internship will receive six hours of PS 491 (Government Internship) credit if they are attending the program in the summer, three graded and three ungraded hours. For semester-long programs they will receive twelve hours of credit, six graded and six ungraded.

    Graded hours will count toward your major; non-graded hours will not, but they still will count toward your 120-hour graduation requirement.

  7. Can I get any credit for other internships? You may be able to arrange credit for the internship as an indvidual study (PS 491) course. A political science faculty member must sponsor you and direct a substantial academic project that you complete. Come to 364 Lincoln Hall to get the form you will need to complete with your sponsor and have signed by the director of undergraduate studies to register for an individual study course.

  8. How can I find internships? The Career Center is an excellent source for internship information. Also, the undergraduate studies office in 364 Lincoln Hall from time to time receives information on internships other than the ones for which we award credit. Please stop by to view the information in our files.

  9. How many independent study hours can count toward my political science major? You may take up to 6 hours of PS 491 that will count for the Political Science major. (Note that you can use no more than 18 hours total of independent study courses towards your LAS degree. See the LAS Student Handbook for more details.)

  10. How can I graduate with distinction in political science? In order to graduate with distinction in political science, you must complete at least 4 hours of PS 496 (Senior Honors Thesis) and receive a recommendation of distinction, high distinction, or highest distinction from your sponsoring faculty member. Your major GPA determines the level of distinction. For distinction, your political science GPA must be at least 3.25; for high distinction, at least 3.50, and for highest distinction, at least 3.75.