Our lives are affected by politics every day, and political events are happening all around us. Political Science is the study of politics and power in its many forms, including protest movements and revolutions, law-making and criminal justice, war and international conflicts, human rights violations and efforts to stop them, campaigns and elections in the U.S. and around the world, and competing political ideas and ideologies.
Our courses provide the tools to analyze and understand all of these things and more, and they also help students develop skills in research, analysis, writing, and speaking that are necessary for success in a variety of professions. Our graduates work in nonprofit organizations, international affairs, law, business, education, advocacy groups, and in local, state, and national government.
The GVSU Political Science Department offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science. We also host an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations.
January 3, 2026 All Day
Join fellow Lakers for two days of sports in Detroit! Cheer on the Red Wings and Pistons and score limited-edition, co-branded merch! Each ticket sold through this special package includes a donation...
January 15, 2026 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Are you interested in teaching English abroad? Are you curious about studying for a Master's degree abroad? The Fulbright program might be for you! Join me to learn more! For more Information...
January 21, 2026 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
For the January 2026 session of Open Minds, we will be reading and discussing I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. "I, Robot, the first and most widely read book in Asimov’s Robot series,...
January 25, 2026 All Day
Join fellow Lakers for two days of sports in Detroit! Cheer on the Red Wings and Pistons and score limited-edition, co-branded merch! Each ticket sold through this special package includes a donation...
Olivia Robach (PLS and IR double major) earned a scholarship to join student scholars from around the US to attend the annual conference of the World Affairs Council in Washington, DC in November 2025.
Dec 3, 2025
This spring, Dr. Whitt Kilburn, Associate Professor of Political Science at Grand Valley State University, published Introduction to Political Analysis in R through Chapman and Hall/CRC.
Sep 12, 2025
Executive Assistant to the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Worldwide Digital Content, Advertising, and Corporate Development
Former Accounting Supervisor for the Holland Public Schools and current Ph.D. student in PhD student
Senior Staff Attorney for the Benefits Review Board at the U.S. Department of Labor.
Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the U.S. State Departments Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
Special Advisor to the Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO
Economic Development Director, City of Coldwater
Member Engagement Coordinator, Illinois Senate Republican Caucus
