Politics (B.A.)

Politics Major

School of the Humanities

Department of Politics

Calling all independent thinkers who have an interest in public life and a concern for social justice.

As a politics major at Messiah College, you’ll immerse yourself among students and faculty who are energized by some of the same things that energize you: political campaigns, elections, diplomacy, international affairs, public health, immigration, the environment, and race relations. 

You’ll study with a dedicated, committed Christian faculty who will introduce you to the major sub-fields of this discipline: American and comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. Our low student-to-faculty ratio creates an intimate and collegial learning environment, one that places a premium on individual student initiative, with the goal of helping you grow into an intellectually agile, socially fluent, and self-confident graduate, ready for a career in government, community, business, law, communications, or well prepared to enroll in graduate school.

So if you believe, as we do, that politics is part of God’s provision for creation, and a means of developing an abiding concern for public life in the interest of social justice, and you have an openness to opposing points of view and a commitment to the common good of all peoples, then we encourage you to consider being a politics major at Messiah College.

As a politics major at Messiah College, you’ll be able to:

• Land an exciting internship in nearby Harrisburg, the state capital of Pennsylvania, with a national organization, or even internationally in the United Kingdom as an intern in a Parliament member’s office!
• Choose to study in one of 40 countries through our nationally ranked study abroad program.
• Take thought-provoking courses such as International Business and the World Economy, East Asian or African Politics, and Politics Research Methods.
• Join a variety of student clubs and organizations such as the Student Government Association, Messiah College Democrats, Messiah College Republicans, Human Rights Awareness, Social Justice House, and Reconciliation House.
• Study at Messiah College’s Philadelphia Campus (MCPC) at Temple University, which offers students the opportunity to explore political issues through immersion in a large city context.
• Have an opportunity to be a research assistant to or even co-author published works with department faculty.
• Refine your critical thinking skills.

Concentrations in this Major:

• Political Studies (PDF course list)
• International relations (PDF course list)

Minors:

• Pre-Law (PDF course list)
• Politics (PDF course list)