Best Political Science Programs in Oregon for 2027

Oregon’s political science major is a 48-credit plan with a short list of rules and a lot of room to choose. Sixteen credits come from lower-division courses, two at the 100 level and two at the 200 level, and 32 credits are upper-division, at least eight of them at the 400 level. You must take at least one political theory course, such as Roots of Democracy or Political Ideologies. Up to 16 credits can come from research, thesis, internship or reading courses, with as many as eight from internships. With 192 degrees awarded in 2023–24, it’s one of the larger bachelor’s programs on its state page.

Credit Structure

16 lower-division credits and 32 upper-division credits, eight at the 400 level

Theory Requirement

At least one political theory course

Internships and Thesis

Up to 16 credits of research, thesis, internship and reading courses count toward the major

Program Sources: Political Science (BA/BS) | University of Oregon Academic CatalogPolitical Science (BA/BS) | University of Oregon Academic Catalog

You can earn Oregon State’s political science degree as a general major or through one of three options: Law and Politics, International Affairs, or Environmental and Energy Politics. All paths share a structure of 52 political science credits, 36 of them upper-division. You start with three foundation courses chosen from U.S. government, comparative politics, international relations and political thought, then take PS 300 Research Methods, a writing-intensive course, and Power, Inequality, and Public Policy. Upper-division work requires one course from at least three of four subfields, plus 24 more upper-division credits. Seventy-seven degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Options

Law and Politics, International Affairs, or Environmental and Energy Politics

Methods

PS 300 Research Methods, a writing-intensive course

Subfield Breadth

One upper-division course from at least three of four subfields

Program Sources: Political Science Undergraduate Major (BA, BS, HBA, HBS) < Oregon State University

Portland State splits its political science degree into a standard major, a Public Service track, an International Development track and an Honors Program. The standard major is 56 credits: four of five lower-division core courses in U.S. politics, comparative politics, international politics, public policy and political theory, five electives, and five 400-level courses. The Public Service track swaps in two upper-division core courses such as Oregon Politics or State and Local Politics, and it requires an internship in a governmental or political office. At least 24 credits must be completed in residence. Seventy-eight degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Tracks

Standard major, Public Service, International Development, and Honors Program

Standard Major

56 credits, including five 400-level courses

Public Service Internship

Required in a governmental or political office

Program Sources: Degree Requirements - BA/BS/Minor in Political Science | Portland State University

Reed builds the major around research you complete yourself. In the junior year you take the Junior Seminar, taught every spring, and write the qualifying exam, a research design that proposes a question, reviews the literature and lays out data and methods. Senior year is the thesis: a two-unit project with an advisor that typically runs 60 to 90 pages and ends in oral examinations before a board of four readers. The department requires a statistics course taught outside political science, and all political science courses are taught as conferences. Sixteen degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Junior Qualifying Exam

A research design, usually produced in the spring Junior Seminar

Senior Thesis

Two-unit project, about 60 to 90 pages, defended in oral examinations

Course Format

All political science courses are taught as conferences

Program Sources: Political Science Senior Thesis - Political Science Department - Reed CollegePolitical Science Junior Qual - Political Science Department - Reed College

Lewis & Clark organizes political science around five subfields: American politics, comparative politics, political theory, public law and methodology. The 44-credit major has eleven courses, including Research Methods in Political Science, one American constitutional law course and one course from the Pillars of Western Political Thought series. It ends with a 400-level capstone such as Problems in Political Theory or Topics in Comparative Politics, and invited students can write a senior thesis instead. The department also arranges trips to the Oregon legislature in Salem and to city and county offices around Portland. Thirteen degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Methods Course

POLS 201 Research Methods in Political Science

Capstone

A 400-level seminar, or a senior thesis by invitation

Local Access

Visits to the Oregon legislature in Salem and Portland-area political offices

Program Sources: Majoring and Minoring • Political Science • Lewis & Clark CollegeMajoring and Minoring • Political Science • Lewis & Clark College

The University of Portland pairs political science with global affairs in a 36-hour major. Required courses in world politics, political theory, U.S. politics and methodology cover American politics, comparative politics, international relations and political theory. Upper-level electives range from Globalization and Its Discontents to Congress and the Presidency, Constitutional Criminal Procedures and Global Migration and Displacement. Everything comes together in the senior capstone, a research project that you can extend into a thesis with a faculty advisor. You can also add a study abroad experience, and the minor requires 15 upper-division hours. Fifteen degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Required Foundation

World politics, political theory, United States politics and political science methodology

Capstone

Senior research project with an optional thesis

Major Hours

36 hours of political science courses

Program Sources: BA in Political Science and Global Affairs | University of PortlandPolitical Science and Global Affairs, BA | University of Portland

Linfield’s 42-credit political science major has you do real fieldwork and write a lot. Core courses cover American Politics, International Politics, Great Political Thinkers and a five-credit Research Methodology course. You complete an Experiences in Politics internship, then take a Senior Seminar in the fall and a Senior Capstone in the spring. In the junior year, a one-credit proseminar pairs you with a faculty advisor for a one-on-one research paper tutorial. Twelve elective credits, with at least two 300-level courses, round it out. Students who want to study abroad or intern in Washington, D.C. during senior year plan ahead with an advisor. Five degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Internship

POLS 487 Experiences in Politics

Senior Sequence

Senior Seminar in the fall and Senior Capstone in the spring

Junior Proseminar

One-on-one research paper tutorial with a faculty advisor

Program Sources: Political Science Major < Linfield University

Western Oregon’s political science major is aimed at students who want to investigate, address and solve political and social problems for a living. You study how local, state, national and foreign governments are structured and how they work, and you build skills in research, writing, public outreach, advocacy and leadership. The page points to law school as a natural next step, with coursework on civic competence and on the ethical issues, values and consequences behind public policy. A political science minor pairs with WOU’s International Studies major. Five degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Government Levels

Local, state, national and foreign governments

Skills

Research, writing, public outreach, advocacy and leadership

Law School Preparation

Coursework on civic competence, ethical issues, values and the consequences of public policy

Program Sources: Political Science – Academics | Western Oregon UniversityPolitical Science – Academics | Western Oregon University

Oregon’s political science PhD front-loads the coursework so that a well-prepared student can finish it in two years of full-time study. The requirement is 100 credits, 18 of them dissertation. By your sixth term you complete a research paper, and you take comprehensive examinations in one major and one minor field, chosen from political theory, comparative politics, international relations, public policy and U.S. politics. Methods training runs through qualitative, interpretive and research design courses, and a supervised teaching course prepares you to teach undergraduates. You defend a dissertation prospectus by the end of year three, and the full degree takes five to six years. Six degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Comprehensive Exams

One major field and one minor field

Research Paper

Completed no later than the sixth term of enrollment

Prospectus and Dissertation

Prospectus defended by the end of the third year, then an oral defense of the dissertation

Program Sources: Political Science (PhD) | University of Oregon Academic Catalog

This is a transfer degree for students who plan to finish a political science bachelor’s at Oregon State University. Linn-Benton recommends joining the Degree Partnership Program, because some lower-division courses required by the major are only offered at Oregon State. A program map lays out the Associate of Science emphasis, and the coursework introduces how political systems shape economy, society and culture, how to understand voter behavior, and how media and politicians shape public opinion. Four degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Transfer Pathway

Bachelor’s degree in political science at Oregon State University

Degree Partnership Program

Strongly encouraged for students in this transfer program

Topics

Voter behavior, political systems and the role of media in public opinion

Program Sources: Political Science | LBCC