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Undergraduate Requirements

The Major Worksheets

Depending on when you entered the major, your degree requirements will be different. Please contact an advisor to find out which requirements apply to you. This is not an official audit! For an official audit you must see an academic advisor. Every student must also satisfy Core Requirements and elective credits needed to reach 120 total cumulative credits for graduation.

Worksheet For New Freshmen/Current UMCP Students/Transfer Students from NON-MD Institutions and MD Institutions

Five Components of the GVPT Major:

1. The GVPT Courses

2. The Supporting Sequence

3. Skills Requirement

4. ECON 200

5. MATH111, 140/220 or STAT 100

ALL courses used to satisfy departmental requirements must be completed with a minimum grade of "C". Therefore, NONE may be taken with the Pass/Fail grading option.

I. GVPT Courses

Students must complete a minimum of 36 GVPT credits. At least 18 of these GVPT credits must be at the upper level (300-400). However, no more than 42 GVPT credits can be applied toward the 120 credits that are required for graduation.

All students must complete GVPT 100 (Principles of Government and Politics), GVPT 170/171 (American Government) and GVPT 241 (Political Philosophy). These three courses are included in the 36 credit requirement for GVPT courses.

No more than six GVPT internship credits will apply towards the minimum of 36 GVPT credits. Only internship credit that is taken for a regular grading method in the GVPT department may be included in the minimum of 36 credits. Note most internship credit is pass/fail and does NOT count towards GVPT requirements. Students never receive more than 3 graded credits towards their requirements for a single internship experience.

Although students are not required to concentrate on any one field within the study of political science (e.g. international relations, American government and politics, etc), they are strongly encouraged to do so. Students who are unsure of which area they would like to study should consult an advisor.

II. The Supporting Sequence

Students must take a minimum of 15 credits in a supportive field outside the GVPT department. The courses should be consistent and directed towards some career goal or academic interest. Courses may be taken in one or several departments or programs. Courses taken in more than one department or program, however, must be approved by an advisor to make sure that they are sufficiently related to be recognized as a supporting sequence.

At least six of the 15 credits must be taken at the upper level (300-400) and must be in the SAME DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM. Courses used to fulfill the upper level requirement for the supporting sequence MAY NOT be used to fulfill the CORE Advanced Study requirement.

No courses taken for the supporting sequence may be applied to the skills option requirement.

No more than six graded internship credits may be applied towards the minimum of 15 credits required for the supporting sequence.

III. The Skills Requirements

**Students who entered the major prior to FALL2005 are under a different requirement. Please see an advisor**

Students must complete ALL THREE REQUIREMENTS BELOW. Students may not apply courses used to fulfill these requirements toward the supporting sequence. Click here for a complete list of accepted skills requirement courses.

Quantitative Skills Requirement

This option is designed to insure that our students graduate with an introduction to rigorous skills in argumentation, reasoning, and statistical inference. As such it also is designed to cover the expectations of potential employers and graduate schools when they look at candidates from political science programs.

Students must complete two courses from the above list. One quantitative course must be MATH111, 140, 220 or STAT100. The other course is chosen by the student. [See list above]

Foreign Language Skills Requirement

Students must complete a foreign language through the entire elementary level. Normally this requires four credits of study beginning with the initial elementary course. The entire elementary level in some languages, however, requires twelve hours (e.g. ARAB, RUSS). Students may be exempt from the foreign language requirement if they have satisfied one of the following options:

1. High School Proficiency

Students who are proficient through the entire elementary level of a foreign language because of study in high school or from studying abroad may speak to a GVPT advisor about fulfillment of this requirement. Students must have completed level 3 of the same foreign language at high school level with a “C” or better to be exempt from this requirement. GVPT majors must demonstrate exemption by bringing an official high school transcript to the GVPT advising office no later than the semester in which they reach 90 credits.

*Note- Exemption from elementary foreign language from GVPT does not necessarily guarantee your placement into intermediate or advanced level of the language. Please contact the respective language departments for clarification on intermediate placement.

2. CLEP Foreign Language Exam

Students must complete one of the following language exams and earn the corresponding score to be exempted from this requirement. GVPT majors must demonstrate exemption by having their CLEP scores sent to the University of Maryland. The exam score must be posted to the student's record no later than the semester in which they reach 90 credits.

EXAM: Score:

French Language, Level 2 67

German Language, Level 2 58

Spanish Language, Level 2 71

Proficiency in language level II will satisfy the Language Skills Requirement at the elementary level for the Government and Politics major. Please note no credit is awarded. This test is only used to determine a student's proficiency of the language. For additional information you can contact the CLEP Administrator in the Counseling Center, Room 0106A Shoemaker Hall (301) 314-7688. The website you can go to on CLEP is: www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/

Click here for contact information for individual language departments

3. Proficiency Exam through a Private Agency

Students may have a proficiency exam administered by a private source. GVPT majors must submit a signed and sealed letter documenting that he/she is proficient at the elementary level or higher of a given foreign language. Students should contact the appropriate language department for suggestions on where to go for a proficiency test.

Additional Skills Course Requirement

Students must also complete one additional skills course. Students may choose to complete the skills requirement with one additional quantitative course from the approved list above OR students can choose to complete the intermediate level of a Foreign Language. Students should contact the foreign language department about placement into an intermediate level of a language course.

IV. Economics

Students must complete ECON 200. A student who chooses to fulfill their supporting sequence in ECON may apply this course towards the minimum of 15 credits needed for the supporting sequence; however, this course may NOT be used to satisfy the quantitative skills requirement.

V. MATH111 or Higher

**Students who entered the major prior to FALL2005 are under a different requirement. Please see an advisor** Students must complete MATH111; STAT100; or Calculus (MATH140 or 220). This is a degree requirement for students entering the major FALL2005 or later, and in some cases is used as part of the LEP review for GVPT majors. Consult an advisor to find out when you must complete this requirement.

Please contact GVPT Advising at advising@gvpt.umd.edu if you still need additional information.


Home \| Contact GVPT
	Undergraduate Requirements Home > Undergraduate > Requirements The Major Worksheets Depending on when you entered the major, your degree requirements will be different. Please contact an advisor to find out which requirements apply to you. This is not an official audit! For an official audit you must see an academic advisor. Every student must also satisfy Core Requirements and elective credits needed to reach 120 total cumulative credits for graduation. Worksheet For New Freshmen/Current UMCP Students/Transfer Students from NON-MD Institutions and MD Institutions Five Components of the GVPT Major: 1. The GVPT Courses 2. The Supporting Sequence 3. Skills Requirement 4. ECON 200 5. MATH111, 140/220 or STAT 100 ALL courses used to satisfy departmental requirements must be completed with a minimum grade of "C". Therefore, NONE may be taken with the Pass/Fail grading option. I. GVPT Courses Students must complete a minimum of 36 GVPT credits. At least 18 of these GVPT credits must be at the upper level (300-400). However, no more than 42 GVPT credits can be applied toward the 120 credits that are required for graduation. All students must complete GVPT 100 (Principles of Government and Politics), GVPT 170/171 (American Government) and GVPT 241 (Political Philosophy). These three courses are included in the 36 credit requirement for GVPT courses. No more than six GVPT internship credits will apply towards the minimum of 36 GVPT credits. Only internship credit that is taken for a regular grading method in the GVPT department may be included in the minimum of 36 credits. Note most internship credit is pass/fail and does NOT count towards GVPT requirements. Students never receive more than 3 graded credits towards their requirements for a single internship experience. Although students are not required to concentrate on any one field within the study of political science (e.g. international relations, American government and politics, etc), they are strongly encouraged to do so. Students who are unsure of which area they would like to study should consult an advisor. II. The Supporting Sequence Students must take a minimum of 15 credits in a supportive field outside the GVPT department. The courses should be consistent and directed towards some career goal or academic interest. Courses may be taken in one or several departments or programs. Courses taken in more than one department or program, however, must be approved by an advisor to make sure that they are sufficiently related to be recognized as a supporting sequence. At least six of the 15 credits must be taken at the upper level (300-400) and must be in the SAME DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM. Courses used to fulfill the upper level requirement for the supporting sequence MAY NOT be used to fulfill the CORE Advanced Study requirement. No courses taken for the supporting sequence may be applied to the skills option requirement. No more than six graded internship credits may be applied towards the minimum of 15 credits required for the supporting sequence. III. The Skills Requirements Students who entered the major prior to FALL2005 are under a different requirement. Please see an advisor Students must complete ALL THREE REQUIREMENTS BELOW. Students may not apply courses used to fulfill these requirements toward the supporting sequence. Click here for a complete list of accepted skills requirement courses. Quantitative Skills Requirement This option is designed to insure that our students graduate with an introduction to rigorous skills in argumentation, reasoning, and statistical inference. As such it also is designed to cover the expectations of potential employers and graduate schools when they look at candidates from political science programs. Students must complete two courses from the above list. One quantitative course must be MATH111, 140, 220 or STAT100. The other course is chosen by the student. [See list above] Foreign Language Skills Requirement Students must complete a foreign language through the entire elementary level. Normally this requires four credits of study beginning with the initial elementary course. The entire elementary level in some languages, however, requires twelve hours (e.g. ARAB, RUSS). Students may be exempt from the foreign language requirement if they have satisfied one of the following options: 1. High School Proficiency Students who are proficient through the entire elementary level of a foreign language because of study in high school or from studying abroad may speak to a GVPT advisor about fulfillment of this requirement. Students must have completed level 3 of the same foreign language at high school level with a “C” or better to be exempt from this requirement. GVPT majors must demonstrate exemption by bringing an official high school transcript to the GVPT advising office no later than the semester in which they reach 90 credits. Note- Exemption from elementary foreign language from GVPT does not necessarily guarantee your placement into intermediate or advanced level of the language. Please contact the respective language departments for clarification on intermediate placement. 2. CLEP Foreign Language Exam Students must complete one of the following language exams and earn the corresponding score to be exempted from this requirement. GVPT majors must demonstrate exemption by having their CLEP scores sent to the University of Maryland. The exam score must be posted to the student's record no later than the semester in which they reach 90 credits. EXAM: Score:* French Language, Level 2 67 German Language, Level 2 58 Spanish Language, Level 2 71 Proficiency in language level II will satisfy the Language Skills Requirement at the elementary level for the Government and Politics major. Please note no credit is awarded. This test is only used to determine a student's proficiency of the language. For additional information you can contact the CLEP Administrator in the Counseling Center, Room 0106A Shoemaker Hall (301) 314-7688. The website you can go to on CLEP is: www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/ Click here for contact information for individual language departments 3. Proficiency Exam through a Private Agency Students may have a proficiency exam administered by a private source. GVPT majors must submit a signed and sealed letter documenting that he/she is proficient at the elementary level or higher of a given foreign language. Students should contact the appropriate language department for suggestions on where to go for a proficiency test. Additional Skills Course Requirement Students must also complete one additional skills course. Students may choose to complete the skills requirement with one additional quantitative course from the approved list above OR students can choose to complete the intermediate level of a Foreign Language. Students should contact the foreign language department about placement into an intermediate level of a language course. IV. Economics Students must complete ECON 200. A student who chooses to fulfill their supporting sequence in ECON may apply this course towards the minimum of 15 credits needed for the supporting sequence; however, this course may NOT be used to satisfy the quantitative skills requirement. V. MATH111 or Higher Students who entered the major prior to FALL2005 are under a different requirement. Please see an advisor Students must complete MATH111; STAT100; or Calculus (MATH140 or 220). This is a degree requirement for students entering the major FALL2005 or later, and in some cases is used as part of the LEP review for GVPT majors. Consult an advisor to find out when you must complete this requirement. Please contact GVPT Advising at advising@gvpt.umd.edu if you still need additional information.

The Department of Government & Politics 3140 Tydings Hall, College Park, MD 20742