Political Science and Communication Studies, BA (Boston)

Undergraduatemajor2027 catalogSocial Sciences HumanitiesBoston128 semester hours totalunverified parse — check the source

Official catalog page for this program

BA Language Requirements

12 semester hours.

From the catalog
All BA students are required to complete the BA degree language requirements, for a total of 12 semester hours of language study or demonstrated equivalent proficiency, as described in Additional Requirements for BA students. Successful demonstration of proficiency does not reduce total minimum semester hours of study required to earn the BA degree.

Core Courses in Political Science

POLS 1150 — American Government
POLS 1155 — Comparative Politics
POLS 1160 — International Relations
POLS 2400 — Quantitative Techniques

Political Thought

From the catalog
Complete one of the following:

One of:
- POLS 2325 — Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought
- POLS 2328 — Modern Political Thought
- POLS 2330 — American Political Thought
- POLS 2332 — Contemporary Political Thought

Methodology

POLS 2399 — Research Methods in Political Science

Political Science Electives

From the catalog
Note: Elective courses may also fulfill requirements of an optional concentration of this program.
Complete four courses in the following range:
POLS 2000 to POLS 5999

Choose 16 semester hours from:
- Any POLS course numbered 2000–5999

Common Requirements

COMM 1101 — Introduction to Communication Studies
One of:
- COMM 1112 — Public Speaking
- COMM 2301 — Communication Research Methods

Foundation Course

From the catalog
Complete 4 semester hours from the following:

Choose 4 semester hours from:
- COMM 1210 — Persuasion and Rhetoric
- COMM 1225 — Communication Theory
- COMM 1231 — Principles of Organizational Communication
- COMM 1255 — Communication in a Digital Age

Cluster Course

From the catalog
Complete 4 semester hours from the following:

Choose 4 semester hours from:
- COMM 1131 — Sex, Relationships, and Communication
- COMM 2303 — Global and Intercultural Communication
- COMM 2304 — Communication and Gender
- COMM 2501 — Communication Law
- COMM 2551 — Free Speech in Cyberspace

Writing Intensive Courses

From the catalog
Complete 8 semester hours from the following:

Choose 8 semester hours from:
- COMM 3200 — Mobile Communication
- COMM 3201 — Health Communication
- COMM 3230 — Interpersonal Communication
- COMM 3304 — Communication and Inclusion
- COMM 3320 — Political Communication
- COMM 3415 — Communication Criticism
- COMM 3500 — Environmental Issues, Communication, and the Media
- COMM 3501 — Free Speech: Law and Practice
- COMM 3530 — Communication and Sexualities
- COMM 3532 — Theories of Conflict and Negotiation
- COMM 4535 — Nonverbal Social Interaction
- COMM 4605 — Youth and Communication Technology
- COMM 4631 — Crisis Communication and Image Management

Communication Studies Electives

From the catalog
Complete 12 semester hours from the following:
COMM courses between COMM 1100 - 4999, which have not been used to satisfy other degree requirements.
MSCR courses in the ranges MSCR 2100 - 2199, MSCR 3100 - 3199, and MSCR 4100 - 4199.

Choose 12 semester hours from:
- JRNL 2301 — Visual Storytelling in Journalism
- MSCR 1230 — Introduction to Film Production
- PREL 1425 — Public Relations Principles
- PREL 3625 — Public Relations Practice

Integrative Requirement Courses

From the catalog
Complete 4 semester hours from the following:

One of:
- COMM 3320 — Political Communication
- POLS 3320 — Politics and Mass Media

Capstone Experience Course

From the catalog
Complete 4 semester hours from the following:

One of:
- COMM 4102 — Health Communication Campaigns
- COMM 4530 — Communication and Quality of Life
- COMM 4608 — Strategic Communication Capstone
- COMM 4625 — Online Communities
- COMM 4755 — Production Capstone
- COMM 4901 — Seminar in Communications
- POLS 4701 — Political Science Senior Capstone
- POLS 4703 — Senior Thesis

Introduction to College

One of:
- COMM 1000 — Communication Studies at Northeastern
- POLS 1000 — Political Science at Northeastern

Experiential Learning

One of:
- EEAM 2000 — Professional Development for Co-op
- EESH 2000 — Professional Development for Co-op

Writing Requirements

From the catalog
First-Year Writing

One of:
- ENGW 1111 — First-Year Writing
- ENGW 1102 — First-Year Writing for Multilingual Writers
- ENGW 1114 — First-Year Writing with Service-Learning
From the catalog
Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
One of:
- COMM 3409 — Advocacy Writing
- ENGW 3308 — Advanced Writing in the Social Sciences
- ENGW 3314 — Advanced Writing in the Arts, Media, and Design
- ENGW 3315 — Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines

Concentrations

American Political Institutions

From the catalog
Complete four of the following:

Choose 16 semester hours from:
- POLS 3160 — Campaign Strategy
- POLS 3300 — The U.S. Congress
- POLS 3302 — Judicial Process and Behavior
- POLS 3307 — Public Policy and Administration
- POLS 3310 — Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections

Campaigns and Elections

From the catalog
Complete two of the following:

POLS 3160 — Campaign Strategy
POLS 3302 — Judicial Process and Behavior
Choose 8 semester hours from:
- POLS 2345 — Urban Policies and Politics
- POLS 3310 — Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections
- POLS 3320 — Politics and Mass Media

Comparative Politics

From the catalog
Complete two of the following:
Complete one of the following:

Choose 8 semester hours from:
- POLS 2282 — The Holocaust and Comparative Genocide
- POLS 2356 — Democratic Erosion
- POLS 2359 — Immigration Politics
- POLS 2370 — Religion and Politics
- POLS 3418 — Nationalism
- POLS 3487 — Politics of Developing Nations
One of:
- POLS 3435 — Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union
- POLS 3465 — Government and Politics in the Middle East
One of:
- POLS 4915 — Model Arab League
- POLS 4918 — Model NATO
- POLS 4937 — Dialogue of Civilizations: Government and Politics Abroad

Identity, Culture, and Politics

From the catalog
Complete three of the following:

POLS 3418 — Nationalism
Choose 12 semester hours from:
- POLS 2359 — Immigration Politics
- POLS 2368 — Music and Politics in America and Abroad
- POLS 2370 — Religion and Politics
- POLS 3309 — Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Public Policy
- POLS 3324 — Law and Society

International Relations and Diplomacy

From the catalog
Complete one of the following:
Complete three of the following:

One of:
- POLS 4910 — Model United Nations
- POLS 4915 — Model Arab League
- POLS 4938 — Dialogue of Civilizations: International Politics Abroad
Choose 12 semester hours from:
- POLS 3405 — International Political Economy
- POLS 3406 — International Law
- POLS 3435 — Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union
- POLS 5408 — International Security

Law and Legal Studies

From the catalog
Complete four of the following:

Choose 16 semester hours from:
- POLS 2330 — American Political Thought
- POLS 3300 — The U.S. Congress
- POLS 3302 — Judicial Process and Behavior
- POLS 3324 — Law and Society
- POLS 3406 — International Law
- POLS 4500 — U.S. Constitutional Law
- POLS 4505 — U.S. Civil Liberties

Public Policy

From the catalog
Complete three of the following:

POLS 3307 — Public Policy and Administration
Choose 12 semester hours from:
- POLS 2345 — Urban Policies and Politics
- POLS 2390 — Science, Technology, and Public Policy
- POLS 2395 — Environmental Politics and Policy
- POLS 3425 — U.S. Foreign Policy

Security Studies

From the catalog
Complete four of the following:

Choose 16 semester hours from:
- POLS 3420 — U.S. National Security Policy
- POLS 3423 — Terrorism and Counterterrorism
- POLS 3425 — U.S. Foreign Policy
- POLS 3487 — Politics of Developing Nations
- POLS 5408 — International Security

Substitutions

Possible equivalents for this program — dashed means a suggestion, not a rule, and every substitution needs your advisor's approval:

EEAM 2000 ↔ EESH 2000 (tier B)
ENGW 1102 ↔ ENGW 1111 (tier C)
ENGW 1102 ↔ ENGW 1114 (tier C)
ENGW 1111 ↔ ENGW 1114 (tier C)

What the tiers mean

Parsed from the catalog by NU Map; the structured machine copy is in this college's JSON for the 2027 catalog, under political-science-and-communication-studies-ba-boston, and the official page is the authority.