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Minor
An 18-credit minor anchored in American Government, Law and Politics, Faith and Politics, and American Exceptionalism — with your choice of two upper-division electives from a deep shelf.
Faith and Politics Required
POL 305 — explicit integration in the core
American Exceptionalism
POL 376 — distinctive ACU course
Deep Elective Shelf
Constitutional law, foreign policy, statesmanship, more
ACU’s Political Science Minor is built for students preparing for law school, public policy work, government service, journalism, ministry with public-square engagement, and any career where civic and political literacy matters. The 12-credit required core covers American Government (POL 150), Law and Politics (POL 230), Faith and Politics (POL 305), and American Exceptionalism (POL 376) — four courses that walk you through the institutional, legal, theological, and historical foundations of American political life.
From the core, six credits of upper-division electives let you specialize: Constitutional Law (POL 450), American Foreign Policy (POL 360), Religious Liberty in America (POL 345), Ancient and Medieval Political Thought (POL 422), Modern Political Thought (POL 432), American Conservative Political Thought (POL 452), Presidential Campaigns and Elections (POL 440), Public Policy and Economic Development (POL 410), Political Statesmanship (POL 350), and more.
Pairs especially naturally with Criminal Justice, History, English, Communication, Christian Ministries, and any pre-law pathway.
Understand American Government
Trace how the U.S. constitutional system works — institutions, separation of powers, federalism, and democratic processes.
Engage Law and Politics
Study how law and political institutions interact — the conceptual foundation pre-law and policy work both assume.
Integrate Faith and Politics
Examine how Christian conviction engages political and civic life — without retreating to private piety or political idolatry.
Engage American Exceptionalism
Work through the arguments for and against the idea that the American experiment is distinct in important ways — and what that means for citizens today.
Specialize Through Electives
Shape six credits toward constitutional law, foreign policy, religious liberty, political thought, campaigns, or other specialized topics.
A Biblical Worldview takes political and civic life seriously as the arena where convictions meet practice — meaning Christians should engage politics with both seriousness and humility.
Faith Engaging Politics
POL 305 Faith and Politics treats Christian engagement with politics as explicit subject matter, not as an unspoken assumption. The course works through how Scripture, the Christian intellectual tradition, and contemporary political reality fit together — with neither pious withdrawal nor reflexive partisanship as defaults.
Equips you to engage public life as a citizen whose Christian faith shapes how you think, not just how you vote.
The American Tradition Worth Knowing
The minor's required focus on American Government and American Exceptionalism takes seriously the actual American political tradition — including its founders' references to natural law, religious liberty, and ordered liberty. A Biblical Worldview engages that tradition honestly, including both its achievements and its failures.
Grounds your civic engagement in the actual American story, not abstractions about it.
Justice and Limits
Christian political thought holds together the call to seek justice and the recognition that human political projects have real limits. The minor's elective shelf — particularly Religious Liberty (POL 345), Public Policy and Economic Development (POL 410), and the political-thought sequence — engages those tensions seriously."
Prepares you to engage policy questions with both conviction and the humility good public life requires.
Political Science opens doors across law, government, public policy, journalism, and any career engaging civic life.
Pre-Law and Law School Preparation
Political Science is the classic pre-law minor — building the reading, writing, argumentation, and civic literacy law school assumes.
Government and Public Service
Step into federal, state, and local government roles, congressional staff positions, agency work, and elected-office pathways.
Public Policy and Think Tanks
Move into policy analysis, advocacy, and research roles at think tanks, nonprofits, and government-adjacent organizations.
Political Journalism and Communications
Pair the minor with Communication for political reporting, public-affairs communication, or campaign-communications roles.
Christian Public Engagement
Bring grounded political literacy into ministry, parachurch, and Christian advocacy roles where public-square engagement is part of the work.
Bridge to Graduate Programs in Law, Policy, or Political Science
Build foundation for JD programs, MPP, MPA, or graduate work in political science.
The Political Science Minor at ACU stands out for the explicit faith-and-politics integration in the required core and the depth of upper-division electives available.
Faith and Politics in the Required Core
POL 305 Faith and Politics is mandatory — most political science minors leave the faith-politics question off the syllabus.
American Exceptionalism Course
POL 376 American Exceptionalism is required — a distinctive ACU course that engages the question of whether America is meaningfully different and what that should mean for citizens.
Deep Elective Shelf
Choose two from a long list — Constitutional Law, Religious Liberty, American Foreign Policy, Political Statesmanship, Conservative Political Thought, and more.
Pre-Law Strong
The required core (American Government, Law and Politics, plus your choice of constitutional or judicial electives) is exactly what law school applications and the LSAT assume.
Same Faculty as the BA Political Science
Political Science Minor students sit in the same courses with the same professors as ACU's political science majors.
The Political Science Minor has light prerequisites — most students complete it across their sophomore through senior years.
Talk With Your Academic Advisor
Map the 18 credits into your degree plan and start narrowing your two elective choices early — they shape where the minor takes you.
Begin With POL 150
POL 150 American Government is the foundation course. Take it freshman or sophomore year.
View POL 150Add the Required Core
POL 230 Law and Politics, POL 305 Faith and Politics, and POL 376 American Exceptionalism can be taken in any order across sophomore and junior year.
Choose Your Two Upper-Division Electives
Pick electives that match your direction — Constitutional Law (POL 450) and Religious Liberty (POL 345) for pre-law; Foreign Policy (POL 360) for international careers; Political Thought (POL 422/432) for graduate work or ministry.
The Political Science Minor gives you institutional literacy, legal foundations, faith-and-politics integration, and a deep elective shelf for specialization. Apply or reach out today.
