Degree Information for BS in Political Science

Become a skilled leader who influences how government institutions shape our society and impacts how we as citizens navigate public life.

Build Toward a Career in Political Science

Earning your BS degree in Political Science at 亚博官方网站 is the foundation to becoming qualified for careers ranging from business and journalism to political campaign management and international and public affairs. 

As a Political Science major at 亚博官方网站, you will sharpen your skills and build your resume by engaging in internships and cooperative study programs with business, industry, and government partners.

Our Program Prepares Students for Graduate Programs

If your academic goals include a postgraduate education in law or another graduate degree, this program prepares you for the most rigorous post-graduate studies.

Explore the exciting possibilities of what a Bachelor of Political Science has to offer, including opportunities to follow the Double Owl pathway which enables you to start earning your Master of Public Administration during your senior year!

Civic Leadership and Engaged Scholars Pathway: CLESP

A Cohort Learning Experience for Political Science Majors

The Political Science Civic Leadership and Engaged Scholars Pathway (CLESP) provides enhanced opportunities to Political Science majors who seek to maximize the benefits of hybrid learning in a collaborative environment focused on development of professional and academic skills, networking, and mentoring.

Goals:

  • Emphasize community and scholarly engagement
  • Augment classroom teaching of career skills (research, writing, public speaking, resume development, etc.)
  • Develop enhanced communal experience of Political Science majors 
  • Cultivate sophisticated citizen-leaders with highly developed, deliberative democratic competency

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The CLESP is a cohort model learning experience in which students take five courses together over a three-year period (sophomore through senior year). Each of these dedicated courses will include enhanced focus on skills and competencies across the three-year experience. Research demonstrates that similar programs 1) increase student success and performance; 2) improve student career readiness; and 3) enhance student satisfaction and retention. Our aim is to facilitate empowering and transformative connections through both traditional and innovative classroom and extracurricular experiences.

If you are looking for more out of your college experience, CLESP is a perfect way to:

  1. Secure hands-on professional training
  2. Create deeper connections with your fellow students and faculty
  3. Develop mentoring relationships with community members, faculty, and other students
  4. Enhance your resume with workforce training and professional development

FAQ's

  • The Civil Leadership and Engaged Scholars Pathway (CLESP) is a program for students who want to enhance their college experience with mentorship, in-class and extra-curricular experiences, civic and research training, and career training pathways.
  • All Political Science majors in good standing are eligible. We recruit freshman students to start the program fall of their sophomore year, though exceptions may be possible.
  • The only requirement is that students must NOT have taken POLS 2101, 2280, or 3370.
  • There are no 鈥渆xtra鈥� classes required. There are five courses in the program. Three of the courses are required of all Political Science majors. The other two courses will count toward the Political Science major.
  • The program is designed for students to take POLS 2101 and POLS 2280 in fall of sophomore year, POLS 3370 in fall of junior year, POLS 4499 fall of senior year, and POLS 4100 spring of senior year.
  • The entire program is designed to take place on Wednesday afternoons in the fall. Other than these courses, students are welcome to take their entire plan of study (GenEd and Political Science) in whatever format/schedule that is convenient. The POLS 4100 course in spring senior year is almost completely online.
  • A cohort is a group of students who start the pathway together, take all pathway courses together, and work together to pursue their academic and career objectives. In this specific case, the idea is for a group of freshman to join, take fall sophomore courses together (POLS 2101 and POLS 2280), the fall junior course together (POLS 3370), and the fall senior course together (POLS 4499). No other students will be in these courses sections.
  • The benefits to students are virtually endless. In addition to the academic and social benefits of the cohort model (taking the same courses with the same students and the same faculty member), students will have access to the CLESP faculty and the extra-curricular activities that will be a part of CLESP. These include professional development activities, meeting with peer mentors, special programming of professionals in the field, and a variety of progressional and skill-based activities to promote career-readiness throughout the program. In addition, students will receive individualized academic and professional advising, as well and research and academic experiences to facilitate professional development.
  • Lame students who don鈥檛 want to be successful, have fun, work with amazing peers and professors, and think their resume is already amazing should not apply for CLESP.
  • Students recruited in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 will start their cohort classes in Fall 2026.
  • Please contact the CLESP Faculty Coordinator Andrew Pieper at apieper1@kennesaw.edu
  • You can apply with a short 3 minute application .

 

  • Adnrew Pieper
    Dr. Andrew L. Pieper

    Dr. Pieper is the CLESP Coordinator and will be the primary instructor of all CLESP courses. He has a passion for bringing people together in pursuit of collective aspirations and harnessing the power of student enthusiasm to pursue critical thinking and exceptional experiences. He has taught American politics at Kennesaw State since 2007 and was the coordinator of the B.S. in Political Science from 2013-2025. He received his PhD from the University of Connecticut, and teaches courses in US Congress, US Presidency, and research methods. In 2020 he published "The Republican Resistance: #Never Trump Conservatives and the future of the GOP" with colleague Jeff DeWitt.