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

Astronauts for America: Vote for Freedom (INT 100/201 Approved)

September 15, 2026 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Astronauts for America, a nonpartisan organization of former NASA astronauts, is coming to GVSU! Celebrate National Voter Registration Day by hearing astronaut John Herrington, PhD, Cdr. USN (ret)...

Coffee and Camaraderie

September 15, 2026 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Join students, faculty, staff, and alumni for Coffee and Camaraderie! Connect with members of the Military and Veteran Faculty and Staff Association, Laker Vets, and the Military and Veterans Resource...

National Voter Registration Day

September 15, 2026 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Join us at the Cook-Carillon Clock Tower for a voter registration celebration. There will be yard games, popcorn, music, and partners from the Michigan Department of State to help you get registered...

Latiné Alumni Night

September 15, 2026 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Come celebrate the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month with fellow alumni and the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA)! Dinner from Los Mariscos de Rancho and two beverage tickets are included....

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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

Quinlyn Mork

Studying Abroad in Ghana

Erin (Meteer) Hendges

Campaign Fundraiser Founds Consulting Firm

Megan Koops Fisher

Community Outreach Program Manager for Ready for School

Maro Houhanisin

Attorney for Probate, Estate Planning and Domestic Relations

Lyndsey Bates

Lyndsey Bates, Partner/Attorney at AsherKelly

Kara Cook

Director of Legislative Affairs, Office of the Governor, State of Michigan

Hannah Patrick

Contracts Administrator for Integrated Health Partners

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Page last modified July 18, 2025