Mission and Assessment Statement

With coursework inextricably tied to the University’s Public Affairs mission of civic engagement, cultural competence, and ethical leadership, as well as the college mission to provide a basic academic foundation of the history, economic character, religious systems, political systems, ethical dimensions, ethnic groups and customs of people throughout the world, the mission of the Department of Political Science and Philosophy is to foster the development and demonstration of

• Academic proficiency in the subfields of American Government and Politics, Comparative Government and Politics, International Relations, Public Administration, Political Theory, and Public Law.
• Skills in conducting and presenting research in political science
• Skills in analytical and critical thinking

The Assessment Plan in political science is rooted in both the Major Field Test (MFT) and the General Education Proficiency Profile.

• All students majoring in political science are required to pass the Major Field Test. The focus of the exam is on program assessment and development rather than on individual student evaluation. The Major Field Test in Political Science consists of 130 multiple-choice questions. The questions are drawn from the courses of study most commonly offered in undergraduate programs and the diversity of curricula is taken into account. In addition to an overall score, the MFT provides sub-scores in U.S. Government and Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Relations. The MFT also generates specific assessment indicators in Analytical and Critical Thinking, Methodology, and Political Thought.
  
  
• The General Education Proficiency Profile provides scores on Critical Thinking, Reading, Writing, and Math as well as context-based, sub-scores in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences.