Undergraduate Major
On Campus
Wondering whether a degree in Political Science might be right for you? Contact us to ask questions or set up a conversation with one of our advisors.
Phone: 530-898-5301
Email: politicalscience@csuchico.edu
If you’re passionate about justice and want a career that helps people understand and exercise their human rights, our political science program is a great place to begin your journey. You’ll study how laws are formed, upheld, and promoted—and how people come together to create changes in response to them.
In small, supportive classes, you’ll explore the history of political power in relation to current events, investigating the function of laws from a variety of viewpoints. With pathways to work in law, government, and nonprofit organizations, our program provides long-term career prospects and a solid foundation for graduate studies in a variety of exciting fields.
Grow your expertise in everything from research methods, to contemporary political thought, and US foreign policy. At the same time, enjoy opportunities to build your writing, public speaking, and debate skills in real-world environments like the Community Legal Information Clinic (CLIC).
Our political science program offers two options, legal studies and US politics, both of which have faculty advisors that work closely with you to help select the classes that best support your ambitions.
Often seen as a pathway to a career in law, you’ll learn the foundational principles that give rise to our modern understanding of constitutional, administrative, and criminal law. Engage in hands-on internships or the legal clinic practicum, giving you practical experience working with attorneys, judges, inmates, and persons in the community.
This option is an important step toward graduate degrees in political science and public administration. You will gain significant work experience and be provided with internship opportunities in the state legislature, with lobbying groups, political parties, candidates, and in the offices of US Senators and Representatives.
Our graduates go on to work in settings like the superior court, state and federal agencies, legal firms and organizations, law enforcement, and highly successful private enterprises.
Some organizations where our grads work include:
This department has been a good place to enhance my intellectual abilities. The community created by the faculty and staff is very welcoming.
From innovative classes to groundbreaking programs serving rural communities, the faculty, staff, and students in our political science program are building on an established legacy that spans decades—and continues.
Led by political science professor Amy Magnus, a team from Chico State and First 5 Tehama are bringing free online healthcare services to rural communities across the North State.
Professors Susan Roll and Jennifer Wilking have been honored by the California State University for their team-taught course that aspires to change local policy.
A free legal assistance clinic for students and community members, the Community Legal Information Clinic marks 50 years of service.
Now a judge for the Superior Court of Placer County in nearby Auburn, Colleen Nichols (Political Science, ’81) connects a direct thread from the altruistic experiences of her childhood to her time at CLIC and her 26-year courtroom career.
The Community Legal Information Clinic (CLIC) provides students with opportunities to learn by doing while practicing in an environment that serves our community.
Years since CLIC at Chico State opened its doors to the public
Inquiries for legal assistance annually
Students complete volunteer hours at the CLIC each semester
The speech and debate team, which doubles as a club and a course, offers team members space to grow far beyond the competition stage.
One of professor Charles Turner’s favorite classes focuses on the United States presidency—and there has never been a more engaging time for real-world lessons, he says.
Leaving home at age 15 was a decision that perhaps saved Angel Bliss’s life—today, the single mother continues the pursuit of her college degree.
The speech and debate team, which doubles as a club and a course, offers team members space to grow far beyond the competition stage.
One of professor Charles Turner’s favorite classes focuses on the United States presidency—and there has never been a more engaging time for real-world lessons, he says.
Leaving home at age 15 was a decision that perhaps saved Angel Bliss’s life—today, the single mother continues the pursuit of her college degree.
Wondering whether a degree in Political Science might be right for you? Contact us to ask questions or set up a conversation with one of our advisors.
Phone: 530-898-5301
Email: politicalscience@csuchico.edu