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 tabling at Grand Rapids Pride

June 21, 2025 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Find GVSU's table at Grand Rapids Pride this summer! The LGBT Resource Center, LGBT Faculty/Staff Association, division of People, Equity, and Culture, and more will be present. Learn more about...

GVSU tabling at Grand Rapids Pride

June 22, 2025 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Find GVSU's table at Grand Rapids Pride this summer! The LGBT Resource Center, LGBT Faculty/Staff Association, division of People, Equity, and Culture, and more will be present. Learn more about...

Tour of Ford Theatre and Peterson House in Washington, D.C.

June 26, 2025 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Join the D.C. alumni network on Thursday, June 26, at 4:00 p.m. in touring historic Ford Theatre and Peterson House. Afterwards, at 5:30 p.m., travel with fellow Lakers to a happy hour at...

GVSU Tabling at Holland Pride

June 28, 2025 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Visit us at the GVSU table at Holland Pride this summer! The Milton E. LGBT Resource Center, LGBT Faculty/Staff Association, Alumni Network, Admissions, and the division of People, Equity, and Culture...

Why World War II Still Matters featuring Garrett Graff

September 3, 2025 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Registration Coming Soon! Historian, journalist, and author Garrett Graff joins the Hauenstein Center to discuss two major oral histories about the major turning points of World War II: the...

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News

Avabella Madison awarded the Batchelder Political Science Scholarship

Avabella Madison awarded the Batchelder Political Science Scholarship

The Political Science Department is pleased to recognize Avabella Madison as our Batchelder Scholar for the 2025-2026 academic year.

May 13, 2025

PLS Major wins the Thomas M. Seykora Award

PLS Major wins the Thomas M. Seykora Award

Political Science major, Nancy Boyd, won the Thomas M. Seykora Award for Outstanding Contribution for 2024-25. The Seykora Award recognizes seniors who, through their involvement, have made significant contributions to the GVSU campus community.

May 6, 2025

Noah Boggs awarded Paul B. Henry Congressional Internship

Noah Boggs awarded Paul B. Henry Congressional Internship

Noah Boggs, who has a double major in Political Science and International Relations, was awarded this years Paul B. Henry Congressional Internship and will be working in Representative John Moolenaars office in Washington, DC this summer.

May 6, 2025

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PLS Alumni Spotlights

Jacob Johnston

Grant Writer and Case Manager

Marc Plooster

Former Accounting Supervisor for the Holland Public Schools and current Ph.D. student in PhD student

Kyle McMillen

Chief Strategy Officer, Parker Strategy Group

Selma Tucker

Principal, GSO Solutions

Rebekah Bakker

Business Development Manager at Custer, Inc.

Nick Girimont

1L at MSU College of Law

View More PLS Alumni Spotlights




Page last modified February 13, 2025