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Government majors at Suffolk are passionate inside the classroom—and outside, too. Extracurricular activities will enrich your academic development. In 2006, our department founded the University Poll workers Project, a groundbreaking partnership between Mass VOTE and local schools. Suffolk students help nearby colleges and high schools recruit students to serve as poll workers and educate them about their role in the electoral process.

Suffolk is also home to the United Nations Studies Project (UNSP), in conjunction with our law school and World Boston, a local nonprofit that hosts programs to foster international cooperation. UNSP hosts public, student-friendly discussions with top leaders; introduces students to a vast network of international scholars; coordinates visits to the United Nations in New York; and conducts research on the UN.

Then, depending on your interests, you can select among four areas of concentration:

American Politics

This concentration provides a broad overview of the American political process. The concentration offers a strong undergraduate preparation for entry into advanced degree programs and professional careers in public policy, public service, private institutions, and political organizations in the United States.

Law and Public Policy

The Law and Public Policy concentration offers students a framework for understanding the legal underpinnings of public policy and the opportunity to study and critically analyze state, federal, and international legal issues and the institutions in which legal decisions are made. The concentration offers a strong undergraduate preparation for entry into advanced degree programs in law and public policy, as well as professional careers in public policy, public service, private institutions, and political organizations. Pre-law advising is regularly available for government majors in any concentration who plan to apply to law school.

International Relations

The purpose of this concentration is to give students the preparation and tools necessary to pursue careers in international affairs, including the public sector, private companies, and independent sector organizations that operate in the international environment. It is also suitable for students planning graduate study in political science, law, or diplomacy. Students with a concentration in International Relations must earn the BA.

Political Theory

The Political Theory concentration offers students an understanding of the principles, concepts, norms, and assumptions that inform public policy. Students consider the meaning of justice and the nature and source of legitimate authority. The concentration offers a strong undergraduate preparation for entry into advanced degree programs, public service, private institutions, and political organizations.

Combined Concentration

Students may combine concentrations within the government major. This allows for a broader overview of topics studied. Please choose two of the concentrations listed.

Learning Objectives

Read critically and systematically

Write effectively in a variety of formats, including formulating essential questions

Organize evidence and construct complex written argument

Critically evaluate and analyze quantitative and qualitative research