The Minor and Affiliated Certificate Programs

Political Science Minor

Degree or Credential Requirements
Minor in Political Science

A minimum of five courses in political science, at least two of which are at the 300 or higher level. Four courses must be Duke courses taught by a member of the Duke political science instructional staff; one course may be a transfer course. However, in satisfying the minor, students in the Robertson Scholars Program may count, exclusive of the transfer course, one course taken at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Advanced Placement courses do not satisfy course requirements for the minor.

Starting in the Spring Semester of 2024, majors and minors will be able to take one 100-level course Sat/Unsat and count that course toward their major or minor. Courses above the 100-level taken S/U before Spring 2024 can be counted toward the minor.  

 

Affiliated Certificate Programs

Certificate Name Overview
Certificate in Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) The Duke University Philosophy, Politics, & Economics (PPE) certificate offers interdisciplinary coursework for undergraduates seeking a credentialing program designed to integrate research in the fields of philosophy, political science, and economics. PPE is an interdisciplinary certificate program at Duke and a minor at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill that emerged to fill in some crucial gaps between the three disciplines, and to bring students a breadth of perspective they cannot get from a single discipline. Important issues ranging from health care allocation and global pandemics to nuclear weapons proliferation and climate change have moral, political, and economic dimensions. Economics and Political Science can help us understand these issues; Philosophy can help us evaluate different proposed solutions to them. PPE students learn to look at the world through different windows, and to think about the relative role of markets and political institutions in promoting human welfare.
Certificate in Decision Science (DECSCI) The Decision Sciences certificate (DECSCI) at Duke University focuses on how humans make decisions in a variety of contexts – including economic, political and social choices. If you are interested in behavioral economics, game theory, machine learning or neuroeconomics, this certificate will provide an interdisciplinary appreciation for how these (often) separate fields all approach decision making. This will enable communication and collaboration across disciplinary boundaries and will allow you to engage in research with a broader perspective than that provided by any single major.