Navigating the Public Policy Major at Yale: A Comprehensive Guide
Political science delves into the organization, allocation, and contestation of power in collective decision-making concerning public issues. The major equips students with the ability to critically and analytically examine the agents, incentives, and institutions that shape political phenomena within human society. Through the study of political philosophy and analytical political theory, students gain lenses through which to enrich their thought skills. Subfields such as American government, comparative politics, and international relations allow students to reinforce and refine these skills while applying them to diverse contemporary and historical contexts.
Core Components of the Political Science Major
The Political Science department offers courses touching on questions about power, conflict, ideas, representation, institutions, distribution, and identity. In their research, faculty members approach the study of political phenomena from multiple directions, using different methodologies suited to the kinds of questions asked. This pluralistic and interdisciplinary approach often creates overlap with fields such as anthropology, economics, history, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. Political Science courses are organized into five subfields: comparative politics, international relations, American government, political philosophy, and analytical political theory.
Course Requirements for the Standard B.A. Degree
Students pursuing the standard B.A. degree program in Political Science must complete twelve term courses. Students may also take courses related to political science that are offered by other departments. Students who elect the standard program may petition to count up to two such courses toward the major. Students may routinely count Residential College Seminars taught by members of the Political Science faculty toward the major, and they may petition to count one Residential College Seminar taught by an instructor outside the department. Majors in Political Science gain experience in a wide range of areas by taking courses in three of the department’s five subfields.
Interdisciplinary Concentration
For students seeking a more specialized path, the interdisciplinary concentration allows them to explore an area of study that transcends conventional disciplinary boundaries. Examples include urban studies, health politics and policy, political economy, political psychology, or a focus on the politics of a given global region informed by the study of the history and society of that region.
Students choosing an interdisciplinary concentration are required to take twelve term courses toward the major. At least seven courses must be in the field of concentration. Of the courses counting toward the major outside of the field of concentration, at least two courses must be taken in each of any two of the department's five fields. Students wishing to pursue the Political Science major with an interdisciplinary concentration must submit an application, which is due prior to the beginning of the November recess in the student's final year of enrollment.
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The Intensive Major
The intensive major allows students to undertake more extensive coursework and research for the senior essay than is possible in the standard major. Juniors wishing to pursue an intensive major must apply to the DUS.
The Senior Essay: A Culminating Experience
The senior essay serves as an intellectual culmination of a student's work in the major and at Yale College. It should be written on a topic in an area where the student has previously done coursework, demonstrating how the student's work relates to broader topics, issues, and approaches within political science. The essay should be based on research appropriate to the subject matter and reflect an awareness of how the student's topic connects to previous work within the discipline. Essays are expected to be in the range of 25-30 double-spaced pages.
Options for Completing the Senior Essay
Seniors in the major have two options for completing the senior essay. All students may complete the requirement with an essay in a senior seminar. Students pursuing honors in the major must complete an honors senior essay. Honors essays can be written either in one term or over both terms of the senior year.
At the time a student applies to pursue the honors essay, students must have their senior essay topic approved by a faculty member who has agreed to advise them. One-term essays may be written either in a seminar or, with the approval of an adviser and the DUS, in PLSC 4900.
Yearlong Senior Essay
Students who wish to undertake a more extensive research project than is possible in a single term may fulfill the senior essay requirement by enrolling in the yearlong course sequence PLSC 4900 and PLSC 4901. Both classes are offered in both terms, but must be taken in order. PLSC 4900 also counts toward the senior seminar requirement.
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In the first term, students writing a yearlong senior essay develop a research prospectus for the essay and begin their research under the supervision of a member of the faculty who specializes in the area being investigated. In the second term, students complete the essay. Yearlong senior essays are expected to be substantially longer than a regular term paper. Majors who wish to enroll in the yearlong senior essay must apply for the honors essay track in their junior year.
Honors Eligibility
Honors senior essay eligibility will be granted to students who have current GPA of 3.7 in all PLSC courses where a letter grade is awarded and they have completed the following requirements of the major: two introductory level courses, one core lecture course, one seminar with a member of the Political Science department, and a methodology course.
Advising and Support
The DUS and other members of the department can provide advice about departmental requirements, options within the major, requirements of two majors, study abroad, and other matters related to the major. Although advisers (beyond the DUS and the senior essay adviser) are not formally assigned, students are encouraged to seek advice from other department faculty members who are knowledgeable about their fields of interest. All majors are expected to select a faculty member of the department as their adviser. Majors should identify an adviser as soon as possible after declaring their major. Selecting an adviser is largely up to the student. Students who are unsure who they might contact, either for advice about a specific issue or general advice about the major, can find information about the research and teaching interests of the faculty on the department’s Faculty Listing and List of Lecturers. Students may, of course, also arrange to meet with the DUS to discuss questions or matters pertaining to courses and the major, including identifying a possible adviser.
Combined B.A./M.A. Degree Program
Exceptionally able and well-prepared students may complete a course of study leading to the simultaneous award of the B.A. and M.A. degrees after eight terms of enrollment. Students who study in the summer term or in a junior term abroad program may, with the approval of the DUS, count up to two courses toward the major. Students who study in a junior year abroad program may, with the approval of the DUS, count up to four courses toward the major. Students may also petition to have non-Yale courses that were not taught in political science departments count toward the major.
Overlap with Other Programs
The programs in Global Affairs and in Ethics, Politics, and Economics have substantial overlap with Political Science.
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Global Affairs Major
The Global Affairs major gives students multidisciplinary training to understand and address challenges that we confront as concerned citizens of the world. The Global Affairs major prepares Yale students for global leadership and service by training them in analytical frameworks across disciplines, including Political Science, Economics, and History, and in teaching students how to translate from theory to practice. Students apply to the Global Affairs major during the fall term of the sophomore year. The number of students accepted into the major is limited, and selection is competitive. There are no prerequisites for the Global Affairs major.
Fourteen term courses are required for the major in addition to an L4 language requirement. Students must take introductory microeconomics (ECON 1108, 1110, or 1115) and macroeconomics (ECON 1111 or 1116); two introductory Political Science courses from different subdisciplines: PLSC 1113 (International Relations), PLSC 1413 (Comparative Politics), or one of the following political theory courses: PLSC 1327, 1335, 1352, DRST 0005, or DRST 0006; and two History courses. Students are also required to take two courses in quantitative analysis: GLBL 2121 (Applied Quantitative Analysis I) and GLBL 2122 (Applied Quantitative Analysis II); two advanced courses: GLBL 3101 (Challenges in Global Affairs) and one course covering game theory (GLBL 2159/ECON 2159), intermediate micro- or macroeconomics (ECON 2121 or ECON 2122), or an approved qualitative methods course (these courses carry the YC GLBL Qualitative Methods attribute). GLBL 2121 and GLBL 2122 may not count as electives. Majors also must take three global affairs electives from an approved group of courses in the departments of Global Affairs, History, Political Science, Economics, or other departments (these courses carry the YC GLBL elective attribute).
In capstone projects, small groups of students are each assigned to a policy task force in which they apply their academic training to a specific real-world problem relevant to global affairs. Students may instead choose to complete a senior essay in either the fall or spring term of senior year, either in a substantive seminar of their choice or in the global affairs senior essay course GLBL 4500. Students are responsible for securing their own academic advisor and a secondary reader in either case. Students apply to the Global Affairs major in the fall of the sophomore year. The number of students accepted into the major is limited and selection is competitive.
Five-Year B.A.-B.S./M.P.P. Degree Program in Global Affairs
The B.A.-B.S./M.P.P. degree program in Global Affairs offers Yale College students interested in the field of global affairs the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree from Yale College and a M.P.P.
In their four years of Yale College enrollment, students complete a standard Yale College major. So long as students are on track to complete their major and degree requirements, as stipulated by Yale College, and once they have been accepted into the B.A.-B.S./M.P.P. program, they must take a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 4 Jackson School graduate courses (for a total of 3, 3.5, or 4 credits) toward their M.P.P.
Students accepted into the program must complete a total of 12 graduate course credits, including Jackson's core courses. At least 2 of those core courses must be taken during the senior year at Yale College. It is also required that students demonstrate proficiency in a modern language (L4) and complete an approved summer internship or project over the summer prior to their 5th year. Students must maintain a grade average of High Pass with at least two Honors grades.
Applicants must complete an application form and submit transcripts from all undergraduate institutions attended, two academic letters of recommendation (at least one from an instructor in a Yale course in their major), one personal statement, and documentation of approval by the dean of the student’s residential college.
Preparing for the Major
First-year students considering Political Science as a major may find it useful to take some introductory courses in the field. Prospective students are also encouraged to work toward the L4 language requirement early in their course planning.
Career Paths
The Political Science major at Yale provides a foundation for various career paths, including:
- Government and public service
- Law
- Journalism
- Non-profit organizations
- Academia
- International affairs
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