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.
February 24, 2026 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Thinking about your next adventure? Join us for an inside look at the Alumni Travel Program and our upcoming trip to Iceland in September 2026! Our partners from Premier World Discovery will walk...
February 25, 2026 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Join us for a deep dive on Nonviolent Civil Resistance: what it is, studies by multiple scholars, and examples of different types of Protest, Noncooperation, and Intervention. Blending some lessons...
February 26, 2026 All Day
Join fellow Lakers to cheer on two of your favorite Grand Rapids Sports teams! Come support the Grand Rapids Rise and Griffins, and score limited-edition, co-branded merch! Get a special GVSU discount...
February 26, 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Confused about Social Security? This session will go beyond the basics of retirement benefits to explore often-overlooked filing strategies, including options for spouses and divorced spouses. You’ll...
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
Aids Refugee Relocation Efforts
Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Medical School
City Planner/Zoning Administrator for the City of Norton Shores, Michigan
Rebakah Bailey, Partner at Nichols Kaster in Minneapolis
Program Manager for the American College of Cardiology.
Attorney for Probate, Estate Planning and Domestic Relations
Assistant Director, TRIO Upward Bound, Hope College, and President, Fennville School Board
