<p>I'm interested in getting a degree in political science? W&M has Government, that is exactly the same thing, right?</p>
<p>Does anyone know from experience anything about this program? Are the pol. sci programs at UVA, Georgetown, UNC Chapel Hill, or Wake Forest better? What are the pros and cons of each? Is the W&M program highly regarded (as far as grad school is concerned), and does it allow you to make "connections". Honestly, I really don't know what I want to do with a degree in political science, but I just want to have an expanse of job opportunities available with a degree.</p>
<p>if you google “william and mary course catalog” you can see the requirements for a government major, and you can compare them to the political science majors at any of the other schools you listed.</p>
<p>W&M offers a semester in Washington program that is probably valuable to a government major. Should include an internship and some classes during the semester.</p>
<p>There are a lot of W&M alums in the DC area, so connections are definitely there to be made.</p>
<p>I hope that helps somewhat… I have an IR degree.</p>
<p>W&M, rather than offer a political science major, offers individual majors in most of the departments that make up a poly sci major. We offer degrees in government, IR, public policy, economics, sociology, etc. At W&M, a government degree focuses primarily on the American governmental system (all three branches) and how it interacts with other governments. The departments has some of the most beloved faculty on campus which make the courses exciting and fun to attend.</p>
<p>As already mentioned, there is the W&M in DC semester. The program has a different theme or topic focus each semester and the themes are not always government related but generally every other or every third semester is government related. The internship component of that program helps students make professional connections and several graduates have received full-time job offers as a result of that program.</p>
<p>Our proximity to DC allows us to have a lot of connections in that area (as already mentioned we have tons of alumni there). Many recruiters from DC come to campus for interviews; many students do internships in DC over the summer and we have an office on DuPont Circle which performs several functions for alumni and current students.</p>
<p>We obviously cannot speak to the programs at the other schools you mentioned but you’re looking at several great institutions. We would encourage you to visit each school and try to sit in on a class or meet with faculty at each to get a better sense of what classes are offered, where graduates go after receiving their BA, what internship opportunities are available, etc.</p>
<p>What I liked about the opportunities relevant to polisci/ government (IR, econ, etc.) at W&M was both the school’s small size and its attention to encouraging opportunities like (often paid) hands-on research, great internships, study abroad, and a truly great DC network. The Career Center practically spoon-feeds you info on all of the big government agencies (and a host of other relevant job/ learning opportunities) many of whom, depending on your major and certain classes, will recruit you. I would attend this school over the ones you mentioned solely for the access I got to great professors, but all of the other opportunities made it even better.</p>
<p>Great thoughts tiwtasyror. Those students who study Government, IR, Econ, etc. at W&M all seem to really enjoy their classes and faculty immensely.</p>
<p>“At W&M, a government degree focuses primarily on the American governmental system”</p>
<p>This is not correct. The Government Department has coursework in comparative government, international relations, political theory, and American politics. The Government Dept faculty do much of the teaching for the International Relations major.</p>
<p>fiddlecanoe, sorry if we implied something other than what we meant. The Government Department does span the domestic and international governmental systems. We just meant that generally, those who pursue a government degree tend to focus more on American government (even though they undoubtedly take courses in non-domestic government systems) while those who major in IR tend to take more of the government classes focused on non-domesitc government.</p>