Academic Advising Information

W grades

A student may receive a maximum of one W per course per Academic Senate Regulation 500(F)(C),  Keep in mind that if you have already received a W for a course, you may not drop that same course after 4th week the second time you take it.

Retaking classes

You can only repeat classes for which you receive a D or an F.  If you retake a class where you received a grade higher than a D, you will not receive units for it, nor will it replace the old grade in your GPA. For information on how to repeat a class and eligibility, please visit Special Enrollment website.

If you wish to retake a course for the third time you must contact your College first for approval.

P/NP vs Letter Grade

The Department of Political Science requires that all students take their major required coursework for a letter grade.  This includes all lower division and upper division work.  The only exception to this rule is for courses that do not offer a letter grade option (such as POLI 199). In order for the course to be applicable to the major requirements, students must earn a C- or better. 

Major GPA

All Political Science majors must earn a 2.0 Major GPA to be eligible to graduate with a Political Science degree. When calculating a student’s major GPA (for reasons such as determining eligibility in the Senior Honors Seminar), the Department uses ALL Political Science courses taken at UCSD. 

Quarter Limit and Enrollment Beyond the Quarter Limit (for students entering UC San Diego in Fall 2019 and thereafter)

• An undergraduate student who enrolls at UC San Diego as a freshman in Fall 2019 and thereafter is allowed to enroll for twelve quarters to complete all requirements for a bachelor of arts (BA) or bachelor of science (BS) degree. If a student reaches this quarter limit and needs additional time to complete those requirements, they will be required to submit a completion plan and have it approved by their major department or program as well as their college prior to enrolling for additional quarters to continue work toward the degree.
• An undergraduate student who enrolls at UC San Diego as a transfer student in Fall 2019 and thereafter is allowed to enroll for six quarters to complete all requirements for a bachelor of arts (BA) or bachelor of science (BS) degree. If a student reaches this quarter limit and needs additional time to complete those requirements, they will be required to submit a completion plan and have it approved by their major department or program as well as their college prior to enrolling for additional quarters to continue work toward the degree.
• Summer session, as well as quarters during which students are approved for part-time status or have withdrawn from all courses, will not count toward the allowable number of quarters.
• Students should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher to enroll in Political Science courses past the unit limit 19.5.

Maximum Unit Limitation (for students enrolled at UC San Diego prior to Fall 2019)

• Students are limited to 200 units for B.A. and B.S. in Arts and Sciences, 230 units for B.S. in Engineering, and 240 units for double majors.
• Transfer units applicable toward general-education requirements or major requirements are included in the maximum unit calculation; all other transfer units are to be excluded. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate units are to be excluded.

At least 10 courses in political science must be taken in residence at UCSD. A total maximum of six courses may be taken elsewhere and applied toward the major. This applies to transfer students, students who pass the AP exam(s), students who study abroad on the Education Abroad Program (EAP) or the Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP), and students who take political science courses at another 4 year university (including UCs). 

Students planning to transfer coursework completed elsewhere are urged to consult an undergraduate student affairs advisor.

Students who wish to utilize a course that is not a UCSD Political Science course must request an exception by submitting a completed Undergraduate Student Petition. The petition must be accompanied by supporting documentation and will be reviewed by a Political Science faculty member to determine if Political Science credit can be granted.

• Undergraduate Student Petition (PDF)
• Supporting documentation includes a course syllabus (at minimum), major assignments, and a reading list. 
• Students petition after their coursework has posted to their record.

Petitions are not guaranteed to be approved and take approximately 4-5 weeks to be processed.

Notification of the decision is sent through the Virtual Advising Center (VAC). All petitions can be submitted to the Department of Political Science's Undergraduate advisor during drop-in advising hours or online via Google form.