Why Study Political Science at SFSU?
Enroll in undergraduate and graduate programs that will develop your knowledge, analytical skills and critical insights in politics. You’ll gain expertise in political issues that have absorbed thinkers throughout the ages, studying the causes and consequences of political developments ranging from local elections to armed uprisings.
Focused Fields
Choose from four specializations to tailor your education to your desired career goals. Our subfields focus on American Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Theory and Public Law.
Engaged Faculty
Your SFSU PoliSci faculty are leading researchers and public scholars committed to deepening conversations in politics, political systems and political activism.
Exceptional Careers
A Political Science degree can lead you to many exciting and fulfilling careers, including law enforcement officer, lobbyist, paralegal, politician, reporter, social worker, teacher, attorney, manager, director and many more.
Political Science Subfields
The study of American Politics encourages you to engage with problems, politics and policies, whether at City Hall, the state capital in Sacramento or in Washington, D.C. From careers in law to those in policy and activism, our department prepares you for the challenges and rewards of careers following graduation, by encouraging you not only to become subject area experts, but develop skills in political methodology and statistical analysis.
Learn from faculty who are active researchers on a wide range of topics including voting
behavior, state and local politics, political participation, the judicial process, public policy
and the presidency. Take part in our Moot Court team, Judicial and Legal internship
program and our Public Service internship program.
Examples of our American Politics courses:
- PLSI 461: Voting Behavior, Campaigns and Elections
- PLSI 463:The Politics of Immigration in the United States
- PLSI 464: Race and American Politics
- PLSI 468: Women and American Politics
- PLSI 473: California Politics and Government
- PLSI 476: The American Presidency
Comparative Politics is the study of politics and political dynamics in countries around the world. You’ll study a wide range of subjects: democracies and democratization, nationalism, social movements, comparative legal systems, authoritarianism, regime change and more. It’s very popular with our graduate students.
We offer many courses on comparative politics, and you may take others in other departments such as International Relations. We are particularly strong in the study of nationalism and social movements. Our faculty published highly regarded research on politics from conducting research in Russia, China, the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Sri Lanka, Colombia, South Africa and elsewhere.
Examples of our Comparative Politics courses:
- PLSI 404: Politics of China
- PLSI 407: Politics of Russia
- PLSI 412: South Asian Politics
- PLSI 416: Ethnicity and Nationalism
- PLSI 422: Law and Courts in Comparative Perspective
- PLSI 424: Social Movements
- PLSI 425: Imagining Power in the Middle East
We have a deep commitment to Political Theory, a subfield of political science that seeks to question some of the key concepts and assumptions of political science and political life.
We are particularly strong in the field of comparative political theory, critical theory, environmental theory, Anglo-American theory, rhetoric and post-structuralism. With four tenured political theorists and several long-term lecturers who specialize in this subfield, you’ll experience one of the richest undergraduate theory programs in the country.
Our theory faculty’s research and publications are widely regarded as important and cutting-edge works within the field and the discipline.
Examples of our Political Theory courses:
- PLSI 354: Politics, the Environment, and Social Change
- PLSI 372: Critical Political Theory
- PLSI 381: Political Theories of Sexuality
- PLSI 386: Introduction to Critical Social Thought
- PLSI 389: Latin American Revolutionary Societies
- PLSI 393: Anarchist Political Theory
- PLSI 396: Fascism and Communism in Europe
Public Law is the law that governs the public sector — the law that governs government. It is also a major subdiscipline of political science.
At SFSU, you’ll enjoy a vigorous offering in public law. We offer many upper-division courses in Public Law for students considering law school, graduate school or government work. These courses include Judicial Process, Legal Issues, Jurisprudence, Moot Court, four Constitutional Law classes and the Senior Public Law seminar. We also offer a valuable judicial internship.
Our dynamic Moot Court Team, led by Professor Nick Conway, enriches our Public Law program. Our recent graduates have gone on to law schools such as Georgetown, Cornell, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State and UC Berkeley, and three have been editors of the UC Hastings Law Journal.
Examples of our Public Law courses:
- PLSI 478: Judicial Process
- PLSI 481: Race and Public Law
- PLSI 552: Individual Rights and the Constitution
- PLSI 554: Separation of Powers and Federalism
- PLSI 555: Moot Court
- PLSI 561: Jurisprudence
Our Programs
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- Minor
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- Major
- Accelerated Master's
- Minor
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- Master’s Degree
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- Undergraduate Certificate
From Our Community
“Join something, be a part of a club or a team, it sounds cliche, I know, I came to SF State with the same mindset I had at my junior college, of keeping my head down and just doing well in classes, but I was persuaded to do otherwise and to get out there and try new things. Adding that challenge and that social aspect to school makes it way more enjoyable and rewarding, so take the plunge and step out of your comfort zone.”