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.
August 26, 2026 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Help welcome our newest Lakers home on August 26! Move-In is one of the most exciting moments for incoming students, and you can be part of it! Help us create a warm Laker welcome by volunteering...
August 29, 2026 9:30 AM
Please join us for the GVSU Men's Basketball Golf Outing! Connect with teammates, friends, and supporters of our basketball team. Join our coaches, staff, and current Laker players...
August 30, 2026 10:00 AM
Join us on the green for our first annual GVSU Golf "combined" Team Outing! This outing will take place on Sunday, August 30, at The Meadows Golf Club in Allendale. Your registration...
September 1, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Most of us think of the Declaration of Independence as something fixed in history, a document whose importance was obvious the moment it was signed. But in 1776, nobody knew what would come of it,...
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
Director of Legislative Affairs, Office of the Governor, State of Michigan
Campaign Fundraiser Founds Consulting Firm
Senior Legal Counsel at Equinix
Grant Writer and Case Manager
Digital Director at Americans For Tax Fairness and Creative Director for Unfiltered Media
1L at MSU College of Law
Teaching at United States Military Academy
