Undergraduate Program
Degree Plans:
To earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government, students must complete all degree plan requirements for their appropriate catalog.
- Government Degree Plan (2020-2022) Expires Aug. 2028
- Government Degree Plan (2018-2020) Expires Aug. 2026
- Government Degree Plan (2016-2018) Expires Aug. 2024
- Government Degree Plan (2014-2016) Expires Aug. 2022
Major Requirements:
A major in Government requires 30 semester hours of GOV coursework, 18 hours of which must be upper-division. Additional major-specific requirements include:
- Fields: 12hrs from at least 3 different Fields of Government
- GOV Tools Requirement:
- Option 1: GOV 339L, GOV 341M, GOV 342N, or GOV 350K
- Option 2: ECO 329, EDP 371, PSY 418, S W 318, SOC 317L, STA 309, SDS 301, 302, 304, 305, or 306
- Option 3: PHL 312, PHL 313, PHL 313K, PHL 313Q, or T C 310
- Option 4: Six hours of upper-division coursework in one foreign language, excluding those in English.
Note: Only Option 1(GOV courses) will count toward the 30 hours required for the major.
- GOV Research or Internship Course Requirement
Satisfied with one of the following:- Any GOV with an II Flag
- Government Research Internship: GOV 362L
- Political Internship: GOV 374N
- Archer Fellowship Internship: GOV 662N
Note: You must take the internship class in order to meet the requirement. Each class requires an application. Plan to complete your internship early!
The 6 hours required for the Core Legislative GOV Requirement can be included in the hours counted toward the major.
A grade of at least a C- is required in all major courses.
Minor Requirements:
For students under the 2014-2016 catalogs:
A minor consists of 12 semester hours, including six hours of upper-division coursework, in any one field of study other than Government. Six of the required 12 hours for the minor must be taken in-residence.
For students under the 2016-2018 or later catalogs:
Completion of 15 to 21 hours of prescribed coursework in a different field of study than the major is required. A complete list of approved minors, requirements, and instructions on how to declare can be found online. Some minors are restricted and may require an application. A transcript recognized certificate may also satisfy this requirement.
Fulfilling the Legislative Requirement in Government [For All UT Majors]:
The Texas Education Code (Subchapter F, §51.301) requires Texas public university and community college students to complete six semester hours of coursework in government/political science; study of the US and Texas constitutions and related subjects is specified as the required course content.
More information on how to fullfill the Core Government Requirement