Political Science and Public Administration
Return to: College of Liberal Arts
Political science is a practical and interesting major or minor because it provides a strong academic preparation for many different occupations and career paths because politics connects to a range of policies and issues that affect society. Everything is political or affected by policy! Like other disciplines within the Liberal Arts, Political Science provides an excellent training in skills that employers seek, such as critical thinking, data analysis, and effective written and oral communication. See how some of our alumni highlighted by our College have used their degrees in private business or government. We are dedicated to providing an excellent education that will prepare students for a variety of careers and lifelong success. Our alumni go on to careers in many areas, such as the following:
- Lawyer
- Judge
- Paralegal
- Political Official/Representative
- Law Enforcement (Federal, State, Local)
- State & Local Government
- Journalism
- Diplomatic Service Government
- College Professor
- Graduate School (MA & Ph.D.)
- Non-profit organizations
- Business
- Community Organizing
We offer a major that includes the option of concentrations in certain subfields, a general minor, and specialized minors in Public Administration and Service or International Politics. Our general major offers students flexibility to take courses across all the areas of Political Science, whereas the optional concentrations focus on two or three subfields. Here are some examples of situations where students may choose a concentration:
- A student who is interested in going to law school might choose to concentrate his or her classes in three fields: Law and Politics, American Political Behavior and Institutions, and Political Thought and Theory.
- A student pursuing a career in the U.S. Foreign Service, the Servicio Exterior Mexicano, or other organizations involved in international affairs might choose to concentrate most classes in the fields of International Relations and Comparative Politics.
- A student who wishes to work for a governmental agency at the federal, state or local level in the United States might choose to concentrate most classes in the fields of Public Administration and American Political Behavior and Institutions.
- A student who plans to work for a governmental agency at the federal, state or local level in México might choose to concentrate most classes in the fields of Public Administration, Comparative Politics and International Relations.
Our minors afford similar flexibility. There is only one required course in the political science minor, and only two in the Comparative and International Politics minor. Each minor requires 6 standard courses (18 hours), the minimum allowed at UTEP.
Students majoring in other subjects who are interested in politics in the United States, along the border, or throughout the world will find our minors to be intellectually stimulating and worthwhile for many careers. Our minors can be particularly relevant for students majoring in anthropology, Chicano Studies, communications, criminal justice, economics and finance, history, Latin American and Border Studies, philosophy, psychology, sociology, social work, Spanish, and teacher education.
Come study with us! ¡Vengan a estudiar con nosotros!
Chair
Gaspare Genna
Contact Information: ggenna@utep.edu; 915-747-6066
Education: Ph D, Claremont Graduate University
Professor
Charles Boehmer
Contact Information: crboehmer@utep.edu; 915-747-7979
Education: Ph D, Penn State University
William Weaver
Contact Information: wweaver@utep.edu; 915-747-8867
Education: Attended the Defense Language Institute as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Defense language Institute; BA, California State University, Sacramento; MA, University of Virginia; JD, University of Virginia; Ph D, University of Virginia
Professor of Practice
Tracy Almanzan
Contact Information: tcalmanzan@utep.edu;
Education: JD, St. Mary's University
Senior Lecturer
William Corbett
Contact Information: wjcorbett@utep.edu; 915-747-5227
Education: BA, Pennsylvania State University; MPA, Pennsylvania State University; JD, University of Illinois; Associate Degree in Business Office Technology, New Mexico State University; AAS, New Mexico State University