Professor Lechelt is available for advisement meetings. To schedule an appointment, contact him at jlechelt@nvcc.edu. Prior to meeting with Professor Lechelt, students MUST fill out a Program Advisement Sheet and print out a copy of their Degree Progress Report. See below for more information, under "Meeting the Requirements of Your Major."
Please note that Professor Lechelt cannot meet for advisement during EXAM WEEK and is available for only a few very brief advisement meetings during the week prior to exam week; lots of grading and administrative work to complete during that point of the semester.
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A Career in Political ScienceThe American Political Science Association (APSA) has a number of resources for those interested in pursuing careers with political science degrees. Check out their website HERE. There are a variety of career sectors for political science graduates:
Careers in political science are out there! In fact, the opportunities for a career in political science are improving. Furthermore, the skills a student acquires with a strong political science knowledge base are useful outside of politics. Consider the "job outlook" for political science as described in the US Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook:Employment of political scientists is projected to grow faster than average,
reflecting the growing importance of public policy and research. Demand
for political science research is growing because of increasing
interest in politics, foreign affairs, and public policy, including
social and environmental policy issues, healthcare, and immigration.
Political scientists will use their knowledge of political institutions
to further the interests of nonprofit, political lobbying, and social
and civic organizations. Job growth also may be driven by the budget
constraints of public resources. As a growing population exerts excess
demand on certain public services, political scientists will be needed
to analyze the effects and efficiencies of those services, as well as
to offer solutions. Here is more information on political science career prospects from the US Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook.And here is information on political science from the US Department of Labor's O-Net System. Meeting the Requirements of Your MajorIt's important to make sure the classes you take help you meet the requirements of your major. If the classes you are taking are not meeting degree requirements, then consider a different major. It's never too late to get the college degree you want.New Political Science Specialization under the Social Sciences AS Degree: Program Advisement Sheets are particularly useful tools for students to help them keep track of their progress and to make sure that potential course selections help a student work towards graduating. It's a great tool to have on hand when registering for courses. Here is the website where students can find all Program Advisement Sheets for all NOVA degrees. The sheets are listed alphabetically. (Political Science [PLS] is under "P," which can more directly be accessed HERE.) Students MUST print and complete a Program Advisement Sheet before meeting with me. Check out the sheets to see what requirements are expected of students seeking those degrees. Important differences regarding languages and math are listed. As an adviser, I am usually assigned students who are seeking the following three degrees, and the links below connect you to the specific Program Advising Sheets for those degrees: More information on the above mentioned curriculum programs of study can be found in the College Catalog HERE. Degree Progress Reports: This is the unofficial record of your progress at NOVA. How are credits applied to your degree requirements? How have transfer credits been applied? What do you need to graduate? All the answers are here! Students must view and print their degree progress reports prior to meeting with me for advisement. Here's the How-To on accessing your Degree Progress Report. Political Science Courses. Here's a list of all the Political Science (PLS) courses that NOVA offers (also posted on the right side of this page). Each listing has a detailed description of what the course covers. Other unique courses can be offered and usually have the "PLS 295" categorization. To see which courses are offered during any particular semester, go to the Schedule of Classes search engine. Transferring to Four Year Colleges and UniversitiesNOVA has a helpful transfer resource website: NOVA Transfer Site. The site has a step-by-step checklist to ensure a smooth transfer process. Here's a list of Transfer Guides provided by many of the colleges NOVA students want to transfer to. NOVA has "articulation agreements" with many colleges that NOVA students are often interested in transferring to. Some colleges may allow for automatic acceptance if students graduate with their associate's degrees, with certain qualifications (like an appropriate GPA, for example): Here's a list of all the "guaranteed admissions agreements" NOVA has with other colleges, and what those agreements entail. US News and World Report ranks colleges and universities based on a wide array of measures. Some information regarding local colleges and universitiesNote on abbreviations: GAA = Guaranteed Admission Agreement; an agreement between NOVA and the College that guarantees NOVA students admission if they meet certain requirements. VCCS = Virginia Community College System (NOVA is one of almost 2 dozen of the state's community colleges in the System). PLS = Political Science. George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. George Mason University has a great website that lists how every NOVA course counts towards GMU credit: The GMU Transfer Credit Search Engine. For more information on transferring to George Mason University, contact the GMU Transfer Center; Phone: 703-993-9152.
Global Affairs Program Guaranteed Admission Agreement b/w GMU and NOVA: The GMU Guaranteed
Admission Agreement requires a 2.75 GPA. Grades of ‘D’ will not be
accepted, but students can take courses over again and their GPA will be
calculated using only the most recent courses – so ‘Ds’ can be forgiven
as far as the GPA goes, though those grades will still show up on their
transcripts. Humanities and Social Sciences (which includes political science, international affairs, justice studies, public policy and administration, etc.). Admissions for Transfer Students. Transferring from VCCS colleges (NOVA is a VCCS college). The JMU Student Checklist for earning a guaranteed admission through the JMU-NOVA GAA: Sign a Letter of Intent with a community college counselor in the
semester during which you will complete the associate degree.
Maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA and adhere to specific requirements as outlined in the GAA. Earn an approved associate degree (click here for a list) from one of the community colleges with which JMU has a GAA. Apply to JMU - you must complete the on line application to complete the process. Be sure to go to the JMU site and follow application guidelines precisely. University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA. Department of Political Science and International Affairs. General Transfer Application Information. Transfer Credit Guide for NOVA Political Science Courses (How Political Science credits taken at NOVA apply at UMW). Transfer Credit Guide for ALL courses. Guaranteed Admission Agreement b/w UMW and the VCCS: To be guaranteed
admission to UMW, students must complete the requirements to
become GAA
students (graduation from a transfer-oriented degree program
at a Virginia
community college with a cumulative
grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 or
higher on a four-point scale with intent to
transfer to Mary Washington)
and submit an official transcript showing completion of the
associate degree
to UMW Admissions Office. In addition, GAA students must have
earned
a grade of “C” or higher in each community college course
applicable to the
transfer-oriented associate degree program. Marymount University, Arlington, VA.See website for more on the GAA. Department of History and Politics. Politics BA and Minor program. Transfer information. Articulation Agreement between Marymount and NOVA. Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. Department of Political Science and Geography. International Studies Program. Transfer information for VCCS transfer students: See Political Science and International Studies Program Sheets. Guaranteed Admission Agreement between NOVA (and all VCCS colleges) and VCU states that all NOVA graduates with 2.5 GPAs are guaranteed admission into VCU. See agreement for more details HERE. Guaranteed Admission Agreement between NOVA and UVA: 3.4 or better GPA (and other important qualifications - so it's REALLY important to read the NOVA-UVA GAA form HERE).
Transfer Credit Guidelines. |