Political Science

Political Science


From local advocacy to world affairs

Unlike many undergraduate programs in political science, our faculty’s background and our location near New York City offers our political science majors and minors the chance to interact with every level of politics imaginable.

Students regularly attend public lectures and conferences on global affairs at NYC-based international organizations such as the United Nations. Professors organize special visits and theme-based class trips to the United Nations Development Program, the UN Security Council and UN-linked advocacy groups. An exciting part of the political science curriculum, the Harvard Model U.N. permits students to gain first-hand experience at the processes of conference diplomacy and negotiation that characterize international politics.

And our Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership regularly brings top names from global, federal, state and local politics to campus for lectures and workshops.

From local advocacy to world affairs, at Saint Peter’s you can master the road from political theory to practice.


Project Democracy

Project Democracy aims to embody “politics in action” in myriad ways, whether through voter education and registration drives, political conversations in our department, new course development, political organizing, etc. In our first foray, we will introduce a series of video installments featuring our terrific students. They will speak to you about why they chose to major or minor in political science, what they have learned, and their dreams for democracy (and fears, too!).

Project Democracy: Rebecca Marcillo-Gomez, ’23


Project Democracy: Omotolani (Tola) Osipitan, ’22


Project Democracy: Sandy Rodriguez, ’23


The Department of Political Science: Politics in Action
The Historic Visit to the United Nations: November 18, 2022  


What Our Students Say


Jennifer M. ‘21

My experience as a political science major was fantastic. All of my professors, especially Dr. Brown, were always so helpful when I had a doubt about something. I struggled to find the correct major for me since I entered as an undergraduate student at Saint Peter’s University, but once I took Perspectives on Politics, I knew it was for me. I graduated in the year 2017 and was able to get a job right after graduation as an Executive Assistant for a local non-profit organization, where I have learned so much. This job opportunity has opened many doors for me. I am now applying to graduate school to obtain a master’s degree in social work! I am very thankful to the Political Science Department for giving me such a positive college experience.

Gineen K. Abuali ’21

One of the best decisions I made as an SPU student was adding political science as a major. Not only did I meet people I will call friends and mentors for a lifetime, but I also received a phenomenal education. I learned so much about our world, the injustices surrounding us, and how I can actively play a role in changing that. I learned how to stand up for what I believe in, to organize, and to be a “woman for others.”

I was disappointed that my final year of college was completely virtual, but because of the leadership of Dr. Anna Brown and the Political Science Department, my fellow students and I were able to organize, even virtually. We fought for racial justice, and we were successful in changing our newspaper name, making SPU history. Since graduating, I have continued my education in law school. The Political Science Department provided me with the foundation and confidence I need to be an impactful attorney, especially as a first-generation law student.

Christian Bailey ’21

Deciding to major in political science has been one of the best decisions I have made in life. As a freshman, I was exposed to differing world views and was able to learn the fundamental aspects of power in a political context. Dr. Brown is the best instructor I have had because she is truly invested in her student’s futures. She doesn’t just concern herself with how we perform in class, but she provides her students with the skills needed to fight institutional injustices.

As a political science student, I was also taught soft and hard skills that allowed me to immediately jump into the political world. Unlike many college graduates, I already had a campaign position lined up. After the campaign concluded, it only took me a month to find another position at a local senate office in Jersey City. I’m biased, but the political science department is, without a doubt, the best department on campus.

Michelle P. ’16

I majored in Political Science with minors in Anthropology and Philosophy at Saint Peter’s University. Upon graduation, I began a graduate degree. I graduated with a Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Relations. I had specializations in Latin America and the Caribbean and Post Conflict State Reconstruction and Sustainability. Since graduating, I have worked for the State of New Jersey briefly as Senior Aide in the Office of Governor Philip D. Murphy, and presently as Cultural Commissions Coordinator and Program Officer under the guise of the New Jersey Commission on National & Community Service AmeriCorps National and Governor’s Office on Volunteerism, housed under the New Jersey, Department of State.

Karla M. ’12

Every political science course has shaped me into a more critical thinker. Dr. Anna Brown’s Seminar in Genocide introduced me to the political and social forces that can spawn racism and genocide… As a Latina student, I became conscious for the first time of the political elements that influenced the development of South American and Caribbean countries.