To make change, understand power. 

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.


Events

GVSU Detroit Sports Days

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...

Fulbright US Student Program - Virtual Information Session

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...

Open Minds Book Club: I, Robot

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,...

GVSU Detroit Sports Days

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...

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News

Robach attends the National Conference of the World Affairs Council as a Student Scholar

Robach attends the National Conference of the World Affairs Council as a Student Scholar

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

Kilburn Publishes New Book

Kilburn Publishes New Book

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

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PLS Alumni Spotlights

Nick Girimont

1L at MSU College of Law

Natalie Cleary

Brand Manager, Meijer

Kyle Huisman

Research Analyst at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

Ryan Meyer

Program Manager for the American College of Cardiology.

Steve Smith

Executive Assistant to the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Worldwide Digital Content, Advertising, and Corporate Development

Erik Lazdins

Lobbyist for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Selma Tucker

Principal, GSO Solutions

View More PLS Alumni Spotlights



Page last modified July 18, 2025