Our lives are affected by politics every day, and political events are happening all around us. Political Science is the study of politics and power in its many forms, including protest movements and revolutions, law-making and criminal justice, war and international conflicts, human rights violations and efforts to stop them, campaigns and elections in the U.S. and around the world, and competing political ideas and ideologies.
Our courses provide the tools to analyze and understand all of these things and more, and they also help students develop skills in research, analysis, writing, and speaking that are necessary for success in a variety of professions. Our graduates work in nonprofit organizations, international affairs, law, business, education, advocacy groups, and in local, state, and national government.
The GVSU Political Science Department offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science. We also host an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations.
February 23, 2026 3:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Join the Asian Student Achievement Program (ASAP) in a brief history of block-printing throughout Asia, see popular examples of artwork, and have free time to carve your own rubber stamps! Everyone...
February 24, 2026 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Thinking about your next adventure? Join us for an inside look at the Alumni Travel Program and our upcoming trip to Iceland in September 2026! Our partners from Premier World Discovery will walk...
February 25, 2026 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Join us for a deep dive on Nonviolent Civil Resistance: what it is, studies by multiple scholars, and examples of different types of Protest, Noncooperation, and Intervention. Blending some lessons...
February 26, 2026 All Day
Join fellow Lakers to cheer on two of your favorite Grand Rapids Sports teams! Come support the Grand Rapids Rise and Griffins, and score limited-edition, co-branded merch! Get a special GVSU discount...
Olivia Robach (PLS and IR double major) earned a scholarship to join student scholars from around the US to attend the annual conference of the World Affairs Council in Washington, DC in November 2025.
Dec 3, 2025
This spring, Dr. Whitt Kilburn, Associate Professor of Political Science at Grand Valley State University, published Introduction to Political Analysis in R through Chapman and Hall/CRC.
Sep 12, 2025
Senior Staff Attorney for the Benefits Review Board at the U.S. Department of Labor.
Executive Assistant to the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Worldwide Digital Content, Advertising, and Corporate Development
Vice President of Government Affairs, Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce.
Parks Planner for Metro Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee
Grant Writer and Case Manager
Principal, GSO Solutions
Teaching at United States Military Academy
