The Department of Political Science offers a degree program leading to the bachelor of science in political science. The department introduces students to the analysis of political behavior, values, institutions, and governments. It also offers preparation for various graduate and professional studies and for careers in public service, education, and the private sector.
About Our Program
The Political Science Department blends traditional academic coursework with experiential learning opportunities like public and private sector internships, study abroad, and a Washington Semester Program where SCU students combine classroom learning with work at places like the Justice Department, international NGOs, Congress, and elsewhere.
Learn how her Catholic upbringing inspired her social justice leadership and LGBTQ+ activism
Ariana Yamasaki ’25 will teach English in Germany beginning this fall.
In public service, doing the right thing takes courage, says the former Secretary of Defense during a recent visit to his alma mater.
Rhoads is the Political Science Department’s 2025 Eric Hanson Alumni Speaker Series Keynote Speaker
Faculty & Staff
ProfessorElsa Chen teaches American politics, public policy, and research methods. Her research focuses on criminal justice sentencing policy, including racial and ethnic disparities in sentencing outcomes and the effects of mandatory minimum sentencing policies, the implementation of sentencing reform, criminal record expungement, and prisoner reentry.
A short documentary about the work Naomi Levy did last summer in collaboration with Oakland's Department of Violence Prevention has been released by the Possibility Lab.
Professor Elsa Chen leads a team of student researchers in studying the life-changing impact of new automatic expungement laws.
News & Events
Our Stories
Rachel Alonzo ’28, a political science and economics double major, represented Santa Clara University in the 2025 cohort of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy Congressional Internship Program.
In public service, doing the right thing takes courage, says the former Secretary of Defense during a recent visit to his alma mater.
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