Major: Governance

Governance studies what happens when many people live together and depend on each other. It is about the negotiation and achievement of common goals, such as peace, prosperity, and happiness. The Major Governance is different from a program in political science or in law because it covers a broader range of social science disciplines. It is oriented around three central areas of inquiry: communities, states, and markets.

The following chart is an overview of the modules in the Governance Major:

The chart provides an overview of the Major composition, but the modules are not necessarily listed in the order in which they will be taken. You can find the full description of each module in the Module Handbook. The basic and profile courses we offer in the above-mentioned modules are listed in the Course Catalog.

Full description

Students choose their major after completing the Foundational Year. In answering complex questions about communities, states, and markets, the Major Governance draws on social sciences and legal studies: political science (political theory, comparative politics, and international relations), classical and behavioral economics, political sociology and public administration, and legal studies, especially human rights and international law.

The Major Governance lets students progressively develop a knowledge base in the key areas of social studies, starting with the introductory module in the first year, initiating students into the logic, vocabulary, and procedures of social science scholarship. From the second year of studies, students take Foundational Modules in the key areas of the Governance Major – political theory, comparative politics, international relations, law and society, and economics. At the same time, they start developing their academic profile with modules on methods, area studies and advanced modules of their choice. The study program continues in the third and fourth years of study with senior modules, introducing students to research in an area of governance studies and giving space for the development of an individual social science focus with a specialization option and a senior profile module.

Many of the Governance courses combine several social science disciplines or are offered jointly with other majors, bridging social sciences with environmental sciences, life sciences, and the humanities.

The Major Governance prepares students to understand different takes on and disagreements around current social, political, economic, and legal issues and to critically engage with them, either in an academic or in a professional way. The possibility to shape one's studies by choosing suitable courses for advanced and senior modules and the topic of the bachelor thesis as well as the opportunity to accredit major-relevant research and practical projects prepares our graduates for a wide range of Master programs and careers.

An overview of what Governance graduates do after their Bachelor from UCF, can be found here.

For more information about this Major, please contact Dr. Mila Mikalay.