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Political Science

Begin your path to politics or community / public service with an Associate of Arts transfer degree in Political Science from ACC.

At-Large Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez visits a political science classroom at ACC's Littleton Campus.

Do you dream of making a difference in politics or through community service? Your degree in Political Science is the first step on your path to a career in politics or community / public service. You’ll learn about political and governmental institutions and processes, the conduct of government and the creation of government policy, the structure and activities of political parties, and the social, cultural, ethnic, and historical factors that drive these activities. You’ll also develop valuable job skills like political analysis, communication, and public administration. Once you graduate, you’ll be able to transfer to any Colorado 4-year university as a junior to finish your Bachelor’s degree. 

What You'll Learn

While completing your Political Science AA, you’ll learn:

  • Democracy in theory and practice
  • The legislative process of a proposed bill becoming a law
  • To think critically by establishing a conclusion based on the information presented
  • The impact and importance of participation in the political system
  • How human values relate to the making of policy

CIP 451001 (DPSC)

The purpose of a statewide articulation agreement is to identify the courses a student at a Colorado public community college must complete as part of an AA/AS degree to be guaranteed to be able to complete the designated baccalaureate degree program at public four-year colleges and universities as designated by the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) transfer agreement.

For more information about this transfer degree please refer to the Colorado Department of Higher Education website.

Program Requirements

General Education Courses (32 credit hours)
Written Communication (6 credit hours)
Mathematics (3 credit hours)
Arts and Humanities (6 credit hours)
  • GT - Two GT Pathways Arts & Humanities courses (GTAH1, GT-AH2, GT-AH3, or GT-AH4)
History (3 credit hours)
Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credit hours)
Natural and Physical Sciences (8 credit hours)
  • GT - Two GT Pathways Natural & Physical Science (GT-SC1)
Additional Required Courses 12 credit hours

Please Note: If these credits are not required for the major at a receiving 4-year institution, they will be applied to the Bachelor's degree as elective credit towards graduation. Please check with the receiving institution to determine in which way these courses will be applied.

Note(s):

Note: Additional POS courses beyond the 4 courses identified above may not count toward the Political Science major at the receiving 4-year institution.

Electives (16 credit hours)

Elective credit must be completed from the following lists of approved prefixes or courses to bring the total credit hours to 60.

Guaranteed Transfer
Any course in the following prefixes
  • Any course in the following prefixes except Special Topics, Independent Study, Capstone, and Internships:
    ANT, ART, BIO (1000 OR above), CHE, ECO, HIS, HUM, LIT, MUS, PED, PHI, PHY (1105 OR above), POS, PSY, SOC.
Total: 60 credit hours

All courses required for this degree must be completed with a "C" or better to be considered for transfer to another Colorado institution. Transferability of courses to colleges or universities outside of Colorado is determined by the receiving institution.

Graduation Requirements

ACC academic plans will help guide you through your chosen program. The academic plan will provide you with important information, like which semesters courses are offered if there are any prerequisites or co-requisites for courses, program outcomes, course sequence recommendations, notes for the program, graduation requirements, and other important information. These are updated annually, so we recommend downloading a copy of yours to keep on track to graduation.

Job Opportunities in Political Science