Our Mission:

The mission of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration is to serve the State of Florida through excellent educational opportunities involving outstanding teaching, quality research, and effective civic engagement.  The department focuses its resources to provide both undergraduate and graduate students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities for understanding, participating in, and managing the institutions, processes, and behaviors characteristic of national and international politics and public affairs.  With excellent instruction as the highest priority, the department also supports extensive interaction with external constituencies through local, regional, state, and national professional service, and applied and theoretical research.   The department is dedicated to maintaining program effectiveness for both students and community partners through continuous self-assessment and improvement.

The Department:

The Department of Political Science and Public Administration offers a bachelor's degree program in political science, plus minors in both political science and public administration.  We also offer a graduate degree in public administration (MPA).

Department's Academic Learning Compact

PSPA Alumni

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Announcements:

Political Science Faculty have published the following books over the last year:

Matthew Corrigan

1. Race, Religion and Economic Change:  A Case Study of a Southern City.  Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2007.
2. American Royalty:  The Bush and Clinton Families and the Danger to the American Presidency.  New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Paul Harwood (with Victor Asal)

3. Educating the First Digital Generation. New York: Praeger2007.

Ronald Libby

4. The Criminalization of Medicine:  America’s War on Doctors. New York:  Praeger. 2008.

Program Review of Undergraduate Program was a Success. Outside reviewer remarked. "I compliment the department on constructing a major that is rigorous and firmly in the mainstream of the discipline."  This effort follows the successful accreditation last year of the MPA program by NASPAA.

Distinguished Visiting Professor Nancy Soderberg conducted a Washington DC trip for forty political science students. The students wrote policy proposals and presented these proposals to policymakers in Washington. The students met with officials in the National Security Council, the State Department and the Pentagon. Professor Soderberg is a former White House Advisor and United Nations Ambassador.

Dr. Patrick Plumlee was honored with the award of "Outstanding University Service," by the Faculty Association.