Department of Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Organizational Leadership

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Location: Landrum Academic Center 134
Telephone: 859-572-5321
Fax: 859-572-6184
Email Address: psc@nku.edu
Web Address: http://artscience.nku.edu/departments/psccj.html
Department Chair: Karen Miller
Other Key Personnel:

Assistant Department Chair and
Program Coordinator for Political Science: Shauna Reilly
Program Coordinator for Criminal Justice: Marcos Misis
Program Coordinator for Criminal Justice Online: Alexis Miller
Program Director or Organizational Leadership: Jeffrey Zimmerman
Program Coordinator for Organizational Leadership: Amanda Kilmer
Program Coordinator for International Studies: Edward Kwon
Program Coordinator for Pre-Law: Bruce McClure
Program Coordinator for Master of Public Administration: Melissa Gish
Retention Specialist: Aprile Redden
Internship Coordinator: Caroline Braden
Academic Coordinator: Margo Wheatley
Secretary: Samra Pilav

Full-Time Faculty: Shamima Ahmed, Nana Arthur-Mensah, Michael Baranowski, Michael Bush, Ada Cencki, Megan Downing, Jan Hillard, Edward Kwon, Jae-Seung Lee, Bruce McClure, Danielle McDonald, Jonathan McKenzie, Alexis Miller, Marcos Misis, Melissa Moon, Gail O’Brien, Julie Olberding, Aprile Redden, Shauna Reilly, Ryan Salzman, Jill Shelley, Kimberly Weir, Jeffrey Zimmerman

Thinking about the discipline: Majors in these programs prepare students for careers in government (from local to international positions), entry into the private sector, and opportunities in nonprofit organizations. This multidisciplinary department offers students a comprehensive understanding of government, politics, ethics, leadership, and bureaucracy.

Special opportunities for our students: Majors in this department have opportunities to conduct research with faculty and to enroll in independent reading courses to meet their specific or unique intellectual needs. Students have excellent opportunities to intern or co-op at different places including in Frankfort (through the FLIP program) and in Washington, D.C. (through the Washington Center Internship Program). Through its curriculum, the department regularly offers courses for the honors program and service-learning experiences for students. The department advises several student clubs including Xi Omega (political science honor society), Phi Alpha Delta (pre-law honor society), Model United Nations Club, College Democrats, College Republicans, Lambda Alpha Epsilon (American Criminal Justice Association), Alpha Phi Sigma (national criminal justice honor society, and Organizational Leadership Collaborative (organizational leadership student group).

Each year the department holds an awards ceremony to recognize students’ achievements. The department regularly offers study abroad courses that students are encouraged to avail.

Special admission requirements: To declare a major in political science, criminal justice, organizational leadership, or international studies, students - including transfer students - must have earned a GPA of at least 2.50 in all prior college work. First-semester students who wish to declare a major in one of the above programs must have an ACT composite score of at least 21 or an SAT score of at least 990.

Students with less than 2.5 cumulative GPA seeking to declare the organizational leadership major must first be admitted to the pre-LDR major. Students in the pre-major who successfully complete 12 credit hours with a GPA of 2.5 or above may request to be admitted into the major.

You should also know: Students majoring or minoring in any of the programs offered by the Department of Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Organizational Leadership must earn at least a C- in each course counted as part of their program. Students can also complete a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and organizational leadership in a fully online format. For more information, contact Distance and Online Learning (nkuonline@nku.edu).

Interdisciplinary Minors:

• Asian Studies Minor  
• European Studies Minor  
• International Studies Minor  
• Latin American and Caribbean Studies Minor  
• Middle Eastern and North African Studies Minor  
• Sub-Saharan African Studies Minor  
• Geographic Information Systems Certificate  

Programs

• Criminal Justice, B.A.
• International Studies, B.A.
• Organizational Leadership, B.A.
• Political Science, B.A.

• Criminal Justice Minor
• Criminalistics Minor
• Organizational Leadership Minor
• Political Science Minor
• Pre-Law Minor
• Public Service Minor

• Pre-Law Focus

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