Academic Major Advising

When a student chooses to major in Political Science (usually at the end of the sophomore year), he or she may register for courses with the help of any political science faculty member.  The faculty member will ask about preferences for a permanent faculty advisor and will assist undecided students in finding an advisor whose interests match theirs.  All students will be paired before the beginning of their junior year with an advisor who will continue with them through graduation.

New majors will be asked to complete two forms, which can be obtained from the Department Office (Sarah Campbell-Copp, Schapiro 223), from your advisor during registration season, or via the Forms page.

The first (blue) form, distributed at the end of the sophomore year, simply asks the student to name his or her probable concentration and to indicate preferences for a faculty advisor.

The second (yellow) form describes the student’s curricular plans.  It will be filled out by the student in conjunction with his or her advisor early in the junior year and then revised as necessary.  The purposes of this requirement are to get the student to think about his or her intellectual goals, to ensure that there are enough courses (offered at the right times) to make the plan realistic, and to get the student to talk to an advisor.