Building the department map…
Building the department map…
Department paths
Courses with no prerequisites inside the department that unlock the most downstream work.
The shortest canonical route from each entry point to a gateway course.
Generated from Brown University’s catalog, prerequisite, and concentration data. Spotted an error? Departments can adjust labels, ordering, and notes without a code change, so contact us.
Checking recent course schedules…
Each of these unlocks the largest share of downstream work on this map. Courses from other departments can appear here when they genuinely gate POLS coursework.
Intro tiers at the top, advanced work below; arrows point from a prerequisite to the course it unlocks. Courses from other departments appear where they gate POLS work. Click any course to see what it requires and unlocks without leaving this page; hovering lights up its neighbors. The lists on this page carry the same courses in text form.
Showing the 11 POLS and feeder courses that have prerequisite links. 284 more POLS courses have no recorded prerequisites. They are listed under Tracks below, not drawn as loose dots here.
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Upper-level clusters, grouped by the gateway that opens them.
The deepest prerequisite chains in POLS. These are the routes that take the most semesters to climb.
3 courses deep, ending at POLS 1920
2 courses deep, ending at POLS 1390
2 courses deep, ending at POLS 1496
A suggested order for the 11 courses on the map, built from prerequisite chains and how often each course has run in fall and spring across the last 12 regular terms. It is not the department’s plan, and it is not a promise a course will run. Confirm against the department’s own advising material.
The concentrations and majors that build on POLS, and how their requirements are structured. Expand a program to see which courses satisfy each group, then plan it in the Planner.
Political theory course1 required · verify with the official sheet
One political-theory course taught by a Political Science theory professor.
Senior capstone1 required · verify with the official sheet
A senior capstone, independent study, or honors-sequence course.
Five additional POLS courses5 required · verify with the official sheet
Five further courses from Political Science or taught by POLS faculty.
Track foundational1 required · verify with the official sheet
Track foundational course.
Senior capstone1 required
All POLS courses in the Brown catalog
Grade medians are for verified students. Sign in with your school email to see them.
Use your school emailInstructors on POLS sections in Spring 2027, from the registrar's schedule.
Groups the university lists under this department.
This shows once five students share their club memberships.
Political Science does not run a page here yet. When it does, its events show up here and on the Brown campus feed.