Minor in American Government

Overview

The minor in American government develops knowledge of the principles, institutions, and behaviors of the American political system.

Opportunities

All students have opportunities to

  • conduct independent research
  • engage in globally-related activities through coursework and language study at Mason and abroad
  • participate in many forms of public service
  • prepare for their future careers through internships, career-focused minors and other college-to-career activities

Minor Requirements (Catalog Year 2018-2019)

In addition to meeting the following requirements, students must meet the university requirements for all minors.

Students pursuing this minor must complete 18 credits in government with a minimum grade of 2.0 in each course. Eight credits of course work must be unique to the minor.

One core course (3 credits):

GOVT 103 – Introduction to American Government (Mason Core)

Five elective courses (15 credits) chosen from:

Any course on political institutions: GOVT 301 – GOVT 309
Any course on political behavior: GOVT 310 - GOVT 319
Any course from GOVT 409 – GOVT 420
GOVT 344 – American Foreign Policy
GOVT 480 – Internship (When topic is relevant, 3 credits of GOVT 480 Internship may be applied to the minor with approval of the minor advisor.)

Total: 18 credits

Requirements may be different for earlier catalog years. See the University Catalog archives.