Student Experiences
Students studying political science are encouraged to augment their degree through daily civic engagement. To support this, the JU Department of Political Science supports student organizations and internships that expand learning beyond the classroom.
Internships
Students are encouraged to complete a political internship within the City of Jacksonville or their home city, state or country. Internships provide the opportunity to apply what they have learned in political science courses through work in public agencies, political offices, and non-profit organizations. Qualified students, under the supervision of a department faculty member, may earn academic credit for internship work experience.
JU Political Science students have found rewarding internships with local, state, and federal legislators, as well as organizations and agencies including the City of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Legal Aid, Equality Florida, the Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Teen Court, JEA, the Public Defender's Office, and Vote Smart.
An exclusive opportunity for JU students is the Undergraduate Legal Internship partnership with the United States Courthouse in Downtown Jacksonville.
JU Political Science Society
The JU Political Science Society is a student organization open to all interested students. The society provides an academic space to host civil debates on current political topics at Jacksonville University. Recent events have included discussions on climate change, social media content moderation, gerrymandering, and racial injustice. For more information and to get notified about future events, follow the JU Poli Sci Society on Instagram.
National Political Science Honor Society
The Department of Political Science at Jacksonville University hosts the Pi Psi chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha. Pi Sigma Alpha, an upper-division, specialized honor society, recognizes academic excellence. To be eligible for membership, undergraduate students must have completed at least 60 credit hours toward their degree; at least 10 credit hours of work in political science including at least one upper-division course, with an average grade of B or higher in those courses; and they must have achieved an overall GPA placing them in the top one-third of their graduating class.
Eligible students will be invited to join each year by the faculty advisor.
The JU Pre-Law Advantage
Many JU students studying political science are interested in pursuing law school. The Pre-Law program at JU supports that goal with a variety of resources, including specialized faculty advisors, workshops, a mock trial competition team, and a certificate program.