Who We Are

UNC Asheville’s Political Science department comprises seven full-time faculty members who were trained at some of the nation’s top research universities and are deeply committed to undergraduate education. Political Science faculty members have interests and expertise across the political science discipline and also value interdisciplinarity. The Political Science department boasts a long and proud tradition of community engagement involving collaboration among faculty members, students, and community partners in the service of shared interests and values.

What You’ll Learn

At the foundation of the Political Science department is a rich and rigorous curriculum with a wide variety of courses in American politics, world politics, political theory, and law. In addition, Political Science majors enjoy a variety of unique active-learning opportunities through internships, service learning, community-engaged scholarship, and research assistantships. All Political Science majors complete and present original scholarship under the close mentorship of a political science faculty member, informed by a variety of different methods and approaches.

UNC Asheville’s Political Science department is particularly distinguished for its leadership in the field of human rights. The department spearheaded the creation of the new Human Rights minor as well as the student-led undergraduate human rights research journal, Dignity.

The Political Science department’s flexible curriculum allows students to pursue double majors, additional minors, and study abroad. Upon graduation, Political Science majors are prepared to live rich lives and embark on meaningful careers in public service, law, journalism, teaching, international relations, and other related areas.

Master's Degree Programs

The department also offers political science majors the exceptional option of pursuing a joint degree with the University of Essex to earn both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from UNC Asheville and a Master of Arts (M.A.) or a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Human Rights from the University of Essex in roughly 4.5 years. For more information, please contact the Political Science Department at political_science@unca.edu or 828.251.6634.