Political Science (BA or BS) Military Pathway
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science
For Catalog Years 2024-2027
This military pathway outlines degree requirements that may be satisfied by military training and experience or exams, as well as requirements that must be satisfied through courses taken at Old Dominion University.
Download a PDF of the Political Science (BS or BA) pathway
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Requirements Potentially Met Outside the Classroom
Where indicated, a passing CLEP or DSST examination score will satisfy the ODU course requirement.
- CLEP Exams - College Board
- DSST Exams - GetCollegeCredit.com
- ODU CLEP and DSST Credits
- CLEP Preparation - ModernStates.org
A student may forego the CLEP or DSST option and satisfy the requirements by taking the actual courses. If a course is taken elsewhere, check first for transfer equivalency in ODU's Transfer Equivalency Tool.
Prior learning credit is also available in specific situations at a cost of 20-50% of the current tuition rate. Prior learning credit may not be paid for by military tuition assistance (TA). Prior learning credit cannot exceed 60 credit hours.
Lower Division General Education Requirements
| Military Course, Certification, Experience or Exam | ODU Equivalent Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLEP College Composition (NOT Modular) | ENGL 110C English Composition | 3 |
| DSST Technical Writing | ENGL 231C Writing, Rhetoric, and Research: Special Topics | 3 |
| Instructor, career counselor, recruiter, or select specialties | Oral Communication requirement | 3 |
| CLEP College Algebra or Precalculus | MATH 102M or 162M (BA only) | 3 |
| DSST Principles of Statistics | STAT 130M Elementary Statistics (BS or BA) | |
| CLEP Foreign Languages or military linguist or DLIFLC grad | Language and Culture requirement* (CLEP for 201 & 202 may satisfy additional 6 credits for BA) | 6-12 |
| CLEP Principles of Macroeconomics | ECON 201S Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| CLEP Any History exam | Interpreting the Past requirement | 3 |
| CLEP American or Analyzing & Interpreting Literature | Literature requirement | 3 |
| CLEP Biology | Nature of Science requirement | 8 |
| Subtotal: 35+ credits | ||
*ODU’s Language and Culture requirement can be satisfied by three years of a foreign language or two years of two foreign languages in high school. Students whose native language is not English are exempt from taking a foreign language for general education.
Department or Major Requirements
| Military Course, Certification, Experience or Exam | ODU Equivalent Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLEP or DSST multiple choices | Elective or General Education requirements | various |
| CLEP Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 202S Principles of Microeconomics (if GEOG 100S not met) | 3 |
| Current or previous E6-E9 or DSST Principles of Supervision | SEPS 302 Workforce Supervision (meets elective requirement) | 3 |
| Current or previous E7-E9 or CLEP Principles of Management | MGMT 325 Contemporary Organizations and Management | 3 |
| Current or previous E8-E9 | MGMT 330 Organizational Behavior (meets elective requirement) | 3 |
| Current or previous E9 | MGMT 410 Leadership in Organizations (meets elective requirement) | 3 |
| DSST Ethics in America | POLS 495 Topics in Political Science | 3 |
| DSST Introduction to the Modern Middle East | POLS 466 Politics of the Middle East | 3 |
| DSST Western Europe Since 1945 | POLS 314 European Politics | 3 |
| Select specialties | POLS 350T Technology and War | 3 |
| Select specialties | POLS 327W Politics of National Security | 3 |
| Select specialties or CLEP American Government | POLS 101S Introduction to American Politics | 3 |
| Select specialties or DSST Introduction to Geography | GEOG 100S Human Geography (if ECON 202S not met) | 3 |
| Subtotal: 36+ credits | ||
Total requirements potentially met outside classroom: 71+ credits
Requirements Met at ODU
A minimum of 30 credits must be taken at ODU and 120 credits gained in total to earn this degree.
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| POLS 100S Introduction to International Politics | 3 |
| POLS 102S Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics | 3 |
| Select four 300- or 400-level POLS electives if not met elsewhere | 12 |
| Select one 300- or 400-level POLS writing intensive "W" course | 3 |
| POLS 308 Research Design (meets Information Literacy and Research requirement) | 3 |
| Select three 400-level POLS electives if not met elsewhere | 9 |
| Human Creativity requirement | 3 |
| Impact of Technology requirement | 3 |
| Philosophy & Ethics requirement | 3 |
| Electives not met elsewhere to satisfy 120 credits total | various |
Total requirements met at ODU: 42+ credits
Total credits for degree: 120
Next Steps
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Review Program Information
Learn more about our Political Science online bachelor's degree program.
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Explore Military Pathways
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Explore more pathways on our Military Pathways page.
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Military Student Services
From credit for your experience to flexible learning options, ODUGlobal can help fit education into your life. Learn more about how we support active-duty military and veteran students.