Political Science Specialization under the Social Sciences AS Degree:

• College Catalog Entry for AS Social Science with Political Science Specialization.

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.

More information on the above mentioned curriculum programs of study can be found in the College Catalog HERE.

Advisement Report: 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 unofficial transcript prior to meeting with me for advisement. Here's the How-To on accessing your Advisement 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.

CLEP Tests: A useful way to knock out some credits at a lower cost is to "CLEP out" of classes. CLEP tests are 90 minute exams that costs less than $100. The credits go toward your degree. This route should only be considered if you have a strong understanding of the topic and study thoroughly before the exam. If you take the exam and do not pass, then you still need to take the course, and you threw away almost $100. It is most important to keep in mind that some universities do not accept CLEP credit, like UVA; in those situations, the CLEP credit will help you get your NOVA degree, but that credit will not help you with your four year college. Be sure to investigate if the college you hope to transfer to takes CLEP credit.

Here is additional information on taking a CLEP test, or earning other Credit for Prior Learning, at NOVA-AL: Click HERE.

Here is information from the organization that runs CLEP tests: Click HERE.

NOVA realizes that most of its students hope to go to four-year colleges. We have many established agreements with four-year colleges, and those agreements include Guaranteed Admissions Agreements (GAA) and Articulation Agreements:

• The best agreements are the Guaranteed Admissions Agreements (GAA). That means that if you meet a number of requirements, particularly (but not ONLY) a minimal GPA, you are GUARANTEED to be admitted into the college. NOTE: You might only be guaranteed a place on the waiting list though. And the standards can change, so it's best to keep tabs with your preferred four-year college to make sure you are aware of changes.
• NOVA has also established Articulation Agreements with other colleges. These agreements are not as helpful as GAAs, but they provide a path that will help you get into the four-year schools that NOVA has Articulation Agreements with. Again, it's important to read the agreement carefully and be aware of specific requirements, and other conditions.
• Find more information on GAAs and AAs here: https://www.nvcc.edu/transfer/agreements/index.html

US News and World Report ranks colleges and universities based on a wide array of measures.

Main page with national rankings HERE.

The rankings of schools in the South HERE.

Some information regarding local colleges and universities

If you want to see how NOVA PLS courses transfer to Four Year Colleges and Universities in the area, go to the bottom of the page, or CLICK HERE.

Note 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.

A few important points from the GMU Guaranteed Admission Agreement with NOVA:

The minimum cumulative NOVA GPA is 2.85.

Please note that the requirements change, so please refer to the specific GMU GAA to be sure of what the requirements are for admission: http://www.nvcc.edu/current-students/transfer/Search/GAAAdmission.aspx

Students are strongly encouraged to apply for fall admission to Mason; students who apply for spring admission will be considered on a space available basis.

Also, only A, B, and C grades transfer; NOT D and F grades.

Please read the Guaranteed Admission Agreement HERE, as there are other details you need to be aware of prior to applying. In particular, note the comment about electronically submitting a "Letter of Intent."

Here are some "Frequently Asked Questions" that the good folks at GMU confront when dealing with the Guaranteed Admissions Agreement: http://admissions.gmu.edu/transfer/gaa.asp

Here's the GMU Transfer Guide, that offers a lot of extra guidance for specific majors/programs: http://admissions.gmu.edu/transferGuide/default.asp

Transfer application due dates are:

Spring - full time Oct 1 / part time Dec 1

Fall - Mar 1

Schar School of Policy and Government

Two majors of interest:

BA in Government and International Politics.

BS in Public Administration.

Global Affairs Program

School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (SCAR)

Undergraduate degree options as SCAR.

James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Humanities and Social Sciences (which includes political science, international affairs, justice studies, public policy and administration, etc.).

School of Public and International Affairs.

Department of Political Science.

Office of Admissions.

Admissions for Transfer Students.

Very important link: NOVA (VCCS)-JMU Equivalents for Political Science courses (How NOVA's PLS courses and credits are applied at JMU).

You can find other program NOVA-JMU Equivalents here.

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.

Political Science Major information from the UMW Catalog.

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.

See website for more on the GAA.

Marymount University, Arlington, VA.

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.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA.

Bachelor of Arts Political Science Degree.

Political Science Program in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs.

Transfer Applications.

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.

University of Virginia (UVA), Charlottesville, VA.

The Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics.

Information on transferring into Government or Foreign Affairs majors at UVA, see this: https://politics.virginia.edu/transfer-students/

UVA also has an office to help undergraduate students transferring in: https://admission.virginia.edu/transfer

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).

Georgetown University, Washington, DC.

Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Information for Transfer Applications:

"Each year, the admissions committee evaluates approximately 1700 applications for transfer. Typically, a cumulative B+ average or higher is recommended for consideration for admission."

Contact Information for Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

School of Foreign Service.

Depart of Government (Political Science).

American University, Washington, DC.

Admissions Office.

Undergraduate Admissions

202-885-6000

Fax: 202-885-1025

admissions@american.edu

Transfer Student Information.

Transfer Credit Guidelines.

School of International Service.

School of Public Affairs.

The George Washington University, Washington, DC

Undergraduate Admissions

Political Science.

Political Communication.

How NOVA's PLS Courses Transfer to Area Four Year Colleges

You can see that spreadsheet here as well: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1W86h2V4vMEOMZz386foP9PWfzlM4bhWvffxAuB3_3GA/edit?usp=sharing