Government (BA)

College of Arts and Sciences

Program Website

Program Description

The Government major curriculum provides students with a broad range of options for study. Some students specialize in one of our four traditional subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory. Others develop their own thematic interests by combining courses across subfields, focusing on issues such as democracy, identity, institutions, political economy, conflict studies, or studies of one particular world region (Asia, Europe, or another). Other students take a more different approach, taking different courses across the subfields for a comprehensive introduction to the study of politics. The flexibility of the curriculum is one of the strengths of the Government major.

Academic Standards

Admission to the Major

To be admitted to the major, a student must pass two Cornell government courses.

Honors Program

The Honors criteria described here will start for all graduates in the 2026-2027 academic year. The Department of Government awards Honors in Government to outstanding undergraduate majors who complete the department’s year-long, thesis-based honors program. All Government majors with a 3.8 within-major GPA (not including FWS courses) are eligible to apply. Honors students must complete a research design seminar in the fall and a directed study with their thesis adviser in the spring of their senior year. Theses are evaluated by a committee of faculty for the determination of departmental honors. More information about the honors program, eligibility requirements, and application instructions are available at the Cornell Department of Government website.

Special Academic Options 

Brooks School Cornell in Washington DC Connect Program

Government majors may apply to the Cornell in Washington Program which offers students in all colleges an opportunity to earn full academic credit for a semester in Washington, D.C. Cornell in Washington DC Connect is a spring semester or summer program in the heart of Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital. This unique experience offers students in all colleges an opportunity to earn full academic credit for the spring semester or summer. Students take part in small courses led by Cornell faculty, and gain work experience through an internship of their choosing, while living in the Brooks School's residence hall near Dupont Circle. Learn more about the Cornell in Washington DC Connect.

Major Seminars

Fall or spring. 4 credits. These seminars, emphasizing important controversies in the discipline, cap the majors' experience. Thus, preference in admission is given to majors over nonmajors and seniors over juniors. Topics and instructors change each semester. For more information, please visit "Guide to the Undergraduate Major in Government."