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Politics, Law and Policy

Create change in your local and global community.

Political science is about far more than the study of governments and elections: it is a highly versatile and engaging liberal arts discipline that expands your knowledge of the political and social world around you.

The Politics, Law and Policy program allows you to explore the world of politics and customize your curriculum with courses in applied politics, public policy, issue advocacy, law, and other cognate areas.  You can expect to become a sophisticated observer of—and an active participant in—the political sphere, both domestically and internationally through both your coursework and our extensive study abroad and internship partnerships.

Immaculata’s major in Politics, Law and Policy prepares students to hit the ground running in careers in public service, law, nonprofit management, corporate-government relations, communications, international affairs, lobbying, journalism, and more, and is an ideal major for those intending to attend law school or graduate school in public policy and administration!

The PLP major will empower you to, as St. Ignatius said, "go forth and set the world on fire."

At A Glance

Program: Bachelor of Arts
Audience: Undergraduate students
Format: Face-to-face classes
Next Start Date: January 21, 2025

"IU helped me succeed because of its smaller class sizes and great professors. My political science professor was always going above and beyond for his classes, making it easy to want to succeed in my four years at Immaculata. My college education experience has helped create the path to landing my dream job in the federal government."

Molly Gallagher
Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms

This proven major and Immaculata’s minor in legal studies supports our students’ admission to top-25 law schools. You may qualify for Immaculata’s time- and tuition-saving graduate partnership with Widener University Delaware Law School, offering guaranteed admission and a renewable law school scholarship if you meet program benchmarks, allowing you to complete your B.A. and J.D. in six years instead of seven.

Our alumni have pursued graduate studies at:

  • Arizona State University School of Law
  • Cornell University Law School
  • George Mason University
  • Hamburg School of Business Administration
  • Penn State University School of Law
  • Rutgers University School of Law
  • Temple University Beasley School of Law
  • Villanova University Widger School of Law

Participating in internships with elected officials, advocacy groups, political campaigns, businesses, and law firms, you’ll gain real-world experience that will help you secure your professional future.

You can study abroad to gain international experience like Immaculata students have done over the years.

Discuss current events through the lens of different political theories of liberty and justice. Engage in research and write a senior thesis about a specific issue in political science.

Customize the curriculum by choosing courses from “clusters” in applied politics, law, public policy and governing. New courses include national security and foreign policy, international law, justice and human rights, lobbying and influence and more. Interdisciplinary opportunities abound, and you can meet program requirements through coursework in emergency preparedness, public administration and sociology, creating seamless double majors and major-minor options across the Civic Engagement Department.

Your background in politics and international relations and your internship will position you to deal with issues such as education, law and criminal justice, homeland security, management of environmental resources, demographics and immigration, urban planning and transportation.

Career options include:

  • Government service and public administration
  • Law and criminal justice
  • International business
  • Public communications
  • Teaching
  • Lobbying
  • Journalism
  • Non-profit organization and advocacy
  • Corporate-government relations
  • Social services
  • Economics

Our alumni have secured jobs in a variety of political arenas, including the Maryland governor’s office; the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; and the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives.

Just The Facts

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Choose from more than 30 organizations to build relationships, broaden perspectives and gain leadership experience.

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