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 Virginia Commonwealth University’s catalog, prerequisite, and concentration data. Spotted an error? Departments can adjust labels, ordering, and notes without a code change, so contact us.
Each of these unlocks the largest share of downstream work on this map. Courses from other departments can appear here when they genuinely gate POLI 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 POLI 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 7 POLI and feeder courses that have prerequisite links. 78 more POLI courses have no recorded prerequisites. They are listed under Tracks below, not drawn as loose dots here.
The concentrations and majors that build on POLI, and how their requirements are structured. Expand a program to see which courses satisfy each group, then plan it in the Planner.
Major requirements2 required · verify with the official sheet
• Major core requirements; Secondary education
2 courses from2 required · verify with the official sheet
Economics:; Geography (select two courses from the list below):; International political science:; U.S. political science:; History/double major; Historical survey courses (100-level HIST); Junior seminar course (select from HIST 401 through HIST 422 ); Additional upper-level HIST courses ( HIST 301 through HIST 492 , excluding HIST 490 )
Major requirementsall required
• Major core requirements; • Additional major requirements; • Concentration requirements; Select courses from the concentration electives list below.; • Major electives; POLI electives
1 course from1 required
Major requirementsall required
• Major core requirements; • Additional major requirements; • Concentration requirements; Select courses from the concentration electives ist below.; • Major electives; POLI electives
1 course from1 required
Major requirementsall required
• Major core requirements; • Additional major requirements; • Concentration requirements; Select courses from the concentration electives list below.; • Major electives; POLI electives
1 course from1 required
Major requirementsall required
• Major core requirements; • Concentration requirements; Select courses from the concentration electives list below.; • Major electives; POLI electives
1 course from1 required
Major requirementsall required
• Major core requirements; • Major electives; POLI electives (select from 300 and 400 level)
1 course from1 required
1 course from
Major requirementsall required
• Major core requirements; • Concentration requirements; Select courses from the concentration electives list below.; • Major electives; POLI electives
1 course from1 required
Upper-level clusters, grouped by the gateway that opens them.
The deepest prerequisite chains in POLI. These are the routes that take the most semesters to climb.
2 courses deep, ending at POLI 490
2 courses deep, ending at POLI 494
1 course from1 required
All ofall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
Ancillary requirementsall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
All ofall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
Ancillary requirementsall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
All ofall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
Ancillary requirementsall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
All ofall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
Ancillary requirementsall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
All ofall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
Ancillary requirementsall required
Experiential fine arts; Foreign language through the 102 level (by course or placement)
All ofall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
Ancillary requirementsall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
Complete a minimum of six credits from the approved concentration electives list below.
Ancillary requirementsall required
AI literacy course
All ofall required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
1 course from1 required
All POLI courses in the VCU catalog
Grade medians are for verified students. Sign in with your school email to see them.
Use your school emailNo section schedule with instructor names for POLI yet.
No clubs or organizations on record under POLI yet.
This shows once five students share their club memberships.
POLI does not run a page here yet. When it does, its events show up here and on the VCU campus feed.