Dubuque, USA
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2025
TUITION FEES
USD 33,500 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* annual full-time rate
Key Summary
Introduction
Do you find questions of power, conflict, rights, law, or justice interesting? Do you like examining and debating issues such as immigration, war, and peace, the environment, campaign finance, foreign relations, human rights, or nationalism? Do you want to learn how other countries struggle to face political challenges in ways that often differ dramatically from those of the United States? If so, a Politics major may be right for you. The Loras Politics major offers courses in American and global politics and political thought. Professors emphasize multiple perspectives, critical thinking, and lively student interaction.
Unlike the study of politics at many other colleges, the Loras program examines the moral principles and ethical dilemmas underlying political matters across its courses. The college’s Iowa location gives students a front-row seat to the influential first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, including campus visits by presidential candidates and the chance to work on the nationally-recognized Loras College Poll. Loras also fields nationally ranked teams in moot court and mock trials. Each spring Loras hosts students from France studying American politics.
Student Experience
Loras is affiliated with the Washington Center, and regularly sends students to study and intern in Washington, D.C. This experience is invaluable and creates a program that combines a theoretically rigorous curriculum rooted in the liberal arts with professional experience. For those with interests beyond U.S. politics, the Washington Center has numerous internship opportunities with organizations and institutions that have a global focus.
Pi Sigma Alpha
Loras College is home to the Alpha Alpha Upsilon chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha.
As the national political science honor society, the organization’s purpose is “to promote worthwhile curricular and extracurricular activities related to political science,” and “to stimulate scholarship and intelligent interest in political science.” Induction into the organization is a sign of a student’s superior academic achievement in the study of politics. The Loras chapter, founded in 2003, is the 589th chapter nationwide.
Gallery
Program Outcome
Student Outcomes Goals
Unlike the study of politics at many other colleges, the Loras program examines the moral principles and ethical dilemmas underlying political matters across its courses.
- You will learn how to look at problems in different ways, how to untangle cause and effect relationships, and how to develop creative solutions.
- You will learn about the underlying dynamics of human conflict and cooperation.
- You will learn how to gauge the influence of current events in the local, national and global arenas.
- You will learn how to effectively communicate with others in both written and oral forms, a critically important ability in today’s information-based society.
An area for particularly active and competitive state and congressional races, Dubuque itself offers Politics majors unparalleled access to political campaigns and candidates. Large numbers of majors work oftentimes through academic internships, in political campaigns at both the state and federal level, or in local government lobbying efforts and organizations.
In addition to the myriad of professional experiences available locally, Loras is affiliated with the Washington Center, and regularly sends students to study and intern in Washington, D.C. This experience is invaluable and creates a program that combines a theoretically rigorous curriculum rooted in the liberal arts with professional experience. For those with interests beyond U.S. politics, the Washington Center has numerous internship opportunities with organizations and institutions that have a global focus.
Locally, Politics majors are frequently placed in internships with the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce, the East Central Intergovernmental Association, or the Dubuque City Government.
The Politics program houses the Loras College Moot Court program—an intercollegiate competition in which Loras is traditionally very successful. Loras is also the home to the annual Upper Midwest Regional Moot Court Tournament—one of six tournaments serving as qualifiers to the national championships.
Student Learning Outcomes – Politics
- Basic Political Literacy—mastery of core political concepts
- Global Awareness—the ability to recognize and understand the ways in which global political dynamics, institutions, and ideas influence political life
- Normative Awareness—the ability to recognize and understand the inescapable moral dimensions of political life
- Intellectual Openness—the ability to recognize and understand a range of critical perspectives on political life
- Critical Thinking—the ability to analyze arguments, synthesize ideas, defend positions, and develop coherent and consistent lines of thought
- Group Work—the ability to effectively initiate, develop, and complete projects in collaboration with other students
- Written Communication—the ability to effectively communicate written ideas that are coherent, insightful, well-organized, grammatically correct, and supported by evidence
- Oral Communication—the ability to effectively communicate spoken ideas, in both formal presentations and informal discussions, that are coherent, insightful, well-organized, and supported by evidence
Career Opportunities
“What can you do with a Politics degree?”
As a Politics major, you will be prepared for a variety of interesting careers:
- Lawyer
- Business Executive
- Nonprofit Director
- Urban Planner
- Congressional Staff Member
- U.S. Military
- Elementary/High School Teacher
- Lobbyist
- Government Administrator
- Policy Analyst
- Diplomat
- Journalist
Loras Politics Alumni Success
Politics alumni have gone on to distinguished careers as lawyers, business executives, nonprofit directors, urban planners, congressional staff members, members of the U.S. military, teachers at the elementary and secondary levels, lobbyists, college professors, government administrators, policy analysts, and diplomats.
They include several state legislators, two former members of Congress, a state attorney general, and the owner of a private detective agency.
English Language Requirements
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