Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice
The Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice offers undergraduate courses leading to both the Bachelor of Arts degree and the Bachelor of Science degree. Majors include criminal justice, general studies, international affairs, and political science. Within the political science major, the department offers concentrations in American politics and pre-law. Within the criminal justice major, the department offers a concentration in criminal forensics. Minors are available in criminal justice, criminal forensics, international affairs, and political science. The department also offers two graduate degrees; the Master of Public Administration (MPA) and the Master of Arts in International Affairs degree. For information regarding these graduate programs, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions or visit the North Georgia website.
Political Science majors have the option of selecting from four degree programs: a Bachelor of Arts (BA), a Bachelor of Science (BS), an American Politics concentration culminating in a B.S. degree, or a pre-law concentration culminating in the BS degree. The traditional political science degree provides a well-rounded background in the discipline as well as enabling students to focus on areas of interest to them. The department is particularly strong in American political institutions (presidency, congress, and courts), public administration, constitutional law, international relations, and Asian, Latin American, and Western European politics. Students can choose to earn a B.A. degree that requires an additional course in a modern foreign language or a B.S. degree that substitutes a course in computer science or philosophy. The American Politics and pre-law concentrations are designed to prepare students for specialized careers by developing the skills needed to succeed in those respective fields. These concentrations require internship or study abroad experiences.
The International Affairs (BA) degree program provides a basic background in international relations for students interested in pursuing careers in diplomacy and related fields. The degree requires an area of specialization (Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East are presently offered), as well as both study abroad and an international internship. In order to increase the student's cross-cultural skills, advanced foreign language training is also encouraged within the student's regional area of expertise. Above and beyond the region specific coursework, students are introduced to International Political Economy, International Security Issues, International Organizations, Comparative Government and International Relations Theory. These courses provide students with a broad understanding of international relations outside of their regional areas. The degree is designed to prepare students for careers in international diplomacy, international service careers, and for further study in International Affairs and International Business.
The Criminal Justice Program reflects the growing academic emphasis of the discipline. Criminal Justice is not a narrow technical or vocational discipline. It is a social science discipline focusing on the complexities of human behavior. The curriculum of the major provides a broad conceptual framework of the discipline. The program seeks to develop leaders in the field who are able to integrate and augment the knowledge of the discipline. After completing a foundational exposure to all important aspects of the discipline, students select major elective courses that will permit them to specialize in a specific field of the criminal justice discipline. A criminal forensics concentration is available within the B.S. degree program.
The baccalaureate degree program in General Studies is designed for students who wish to expand their educational experience beyond a single educational track. The program requires students to complete advanced discipline content in three focus areas. Students will bring their cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills to advanced study in other areas. In addition GSTU 4000, the capstone General Studies course, students will document their achievement of North Georgia's learning outcomes. The baccalaureate degree program in General Studies is ideally suited to support students' desire for a board based educational experience.
"NO GRADE BELOW "C" WILL BE ACCEPTABLE IN ANY POLITICAL SCIENCE OR CRIMINAL JUSTICE COURSE OR ANY COURSE IN THE MAJOR AREA FOR POLITICAL SCIENCE, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, OR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS MAJORS." The aforementioned rule does not apply to General Studies majors.