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Political Science

Study government and participate in politics

At Florida Southern College, you will study politics at the local, state, national, and international levels.

All of our majors gain valuable hands-on experience by completing a required internship with a government agency, political campaign, or law firm. In addition, we offer our majors the opportunity to travel to national conferences to present their original research projects.

Top Reasons to choose Political Science at florida southern college

Study Politics in Washington, D.C.

Florida Southern College is the only private institution of higher education in the state of Florida to affiliate with The Washington Center. This partnership allows our students to spend a semester studying in the nation’s capitol while gaining credit towards their major.

Understand your World

In class, Political Science majors examine pressing issues affecting our city, state, and county. The faculty encourages students to critically analyze these challenges and develop and propose solutions.

Engage in Undergraduate Research

All of our 3000-level courses involve a major research project. Our majors have the opportunity to present this work at prestigious academic conferences, including the Southern Political Science Association, the International Studies Association, the Citadel Symposium on Southern Politics, and the Florida Political Science Association.

Gain Valuable Professional Skills

The Political Science curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, public speaking, analytical writing, and collaborative work, all skills valued by employers in both the government and the private sector.

Careers in Politics, Law, and Advocacy

Our majors successfully gain employment in their chosen field. After graduation, our students attend law school and graduate school, run political campaigns, gain employment with the state and federal governments, and work for non-profit organizations.

Employment Outlook

$74,298
Estimated Salary of Alumni From This Program

Top Alumni Job Titles

Our Alumni Work Here

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Meet our Mocs

Gabriella Hesse

Gabriella Hesse

I examined speeches surrounding the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and how Senators utilized rhetorical tools to signal their position. The opportunity allowed me to dive deeper into a topic I'm passionate about while taking ownership of my education.
Khalid Glover

Khalid Glover

I want to use my degree to pursue a career in corporate law and one day run for public office to give back.
John Bryant

John Bryant

Throughout my college career, I have tried to focus on service. I am currently working on my own initiative to solar power the Water Dome here at FSC. I'm also really active on campus in student government, and very involved in the political community. Getting a chance to tie that knowledge all together and intern in D.C. was amazing.
Kassidy Watkins

Kassidy Watkins

I love the energy and enthusiasm about the political science department and the field in general. I know it's where I want to see my career progress.

Lexi Potter

Being in such a beautiful small campus environment means its booming with opportunities as well as with connections in the community. We bring in speakers from campaigns, as well as lawyers, judges, and law students, and so much more! It’s very helpful for the students to get insight directly from the source.

Internships

All majors are required to complete at least one internship, and each year we place students in dozen of internships. In recent semesters, our students have interned with the U.S. Department of State, the Republican Party of Florida, the Democratic National Committee, and the State Attorney Offices. FSC Students also intern with numerous local, state, and national political campaigns and with prominent law firms in Florida and around the country.

Learn Strategy in Actual Campaign Settings

In POS 3325 U.S. Campaigns and Elections, you’ll examine the concepts behind “elections” and “campaigns.” This highly experiential learning course allows you to work with materials through the existing literature on the subjects of campaigns and elections, and through examining campaigning through practice in actual campaign settings – where possible – or modeling this behavior when access may be limited.

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A visit is the next step. Online or In‑Person.

Schedule a campus tour or take our video tour of one of the nation’s most beautiful campuses. Participate in our daily online Admission Info Session or a MocTalk webinar to learn more about Florida Southern.

Learn More about visiting our campus

Goes great with a minor in Pre-Law Studies

Florida Southern gives you a solid foundation and practical experience in the law and our legal system.

Learn More about Goes great with a minor in Pre-Law Studies

Featured Political Science Faculty

Kelly McHugh, Ph.D.
- History and Political Science Department Chair

My goal is to demonstrate that few questions in international politics have settled answers. As such, I seek to create a classroom atmosphere that encourages critical thinking and the active exchange of ideas; I do not want students arriving at class in a passive mode, expecting that I will provide them with an authoritative “correct” answer.

Read More about Kelly McHugh, Ph.D.Meet Our Faculty

Clubs and More

Political Science sponsors Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honorary. We also have a Student Advisory Board, which provides student feedback regarding the major. Many of our majors are involved with the Young Republicans and the College Democrats.

Learn More about florida southern's clubs and organizations

Program Details

Available in: 

  • BA
  • BS
  • Minor

First-Years

All freshman applicants to Florida Southern Colleges full-time degree programs must submit the following information:

Transfers

Applying to Florida Southern as a transfer student is easy.

If transferring less than 24 credits, we also need your:

  • Official high school transcript
  • SAT and/or ACT scores

Political Science Program Contact

Office of Admissions

Admissions Counselors
863.680.4131

Dr. R. Bruce Anderson

Associate Professor of Political Science
863.680.4311

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