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.
April 4, 2026 All Day
You're invited to learn about the research projects, innovative designs, and assessments that students in the Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ENS) Program have been working on this semester. Starting...
April 8, 2026 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The Center for Undergraduate Scholar Engagement, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) and the Student Scholars Day Faculty Planning Committee are thrilled to welcome you to the...
April 8, 2026 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Come join us on the 30th Annual Student Scholars Day in the Kirkhof Center Lobby to explore opportunities for summer internships and post-graduation work and service. Tabling in the main Kirkhof Center...
April 9, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Public debates about intelligence and surveillance have long reflected a tension between security and liberty in American democracy. Join us for a conversation with historian Jeff Rogg, who studies...
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
Rebakah Bailey, Partner at Nichols Kaster in Minneapolis
Director of the Center for Educator Preparation and Director of the Urban Institute for Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice.
Director of Leadership Giving at Farm Sanctuary
Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland
Lyndsey Bates, Partner/Attorney at AsherKelly
Contracts Administrator for Integrated Health Partners
Director of Legislative Affairs, Office of the Governor, State of Michigan
