Throughout this academic year, The Rider will explore the programs of study at UTRGV. This is the fourth in our second annual series. The Rider interviewed Clyde Barrow, professor and interim department chair of Political Science, for information.
Major: Political Science
School: College of Liberal Arts
Interim Department Chair: Professor Clyde Barrow
Prerequisites: None
Total credit hours needed to graduate: 120
What is political science? “Political science has a variety of meanings, whether it be about political economy, political theory, globalization or other ideas. But, it typically involves governments and theories of policy.”
Which classes can students expect to take? “Well, students have to take the U.S. and Texas Government courses, which I believe they have to take anyway. We also have a lot of courses that introduce students to what they could expect in political science that are in the 2000s level, courses like Introduction to Political Theory [2340] or Introduction to Globalization [2330].”
What skills will students learn by the time they graduate? “Political science is a growing major, which is different from many other majors on campus, and a lot of the classes that we have here on campus focus around critical thinking and writing.”
What are some possible careers? “Political science has an eclectic selection of careers. About 25 percent of our political science majors go to law school. A lot of the other students go into a variety of other fields. Journalism is a popular one. But other fields include lobbying, working in a consulate abroad or working for corporations that need to understand government.”
What salary can a student expect to earn after graduation? “At the low end, you may make very little, like $28,000. It’s hard to say, because of the variety of jobs, but I’d say the median income is anywhere between $48,000 to $68,000 a year. But in the high end, it is limitless, because political science majors may go into law or lobbying.”
Are there any student organizations related to political science? “PSA [Political Science Association] is the main one. But, we also have organizations that are associated with political parties, such as the young Democrats [The Progressive Young Democrats] and young Republicans [The College Republicans].”
For more information: contact the Political Science Department through Administrative Assistants Julie Madrigal (882-8890) or Carmen Arizmendi (665-3341).
–Compiled by Gabriel Galvan
