Undergraduate Degree in Political Science
The undergraduate degree in Political Science at Universidad Icesi teaches you to understand how power, governments, and institutions work, and how their decisions affect people and organizations. It is taught in person, lasts eight semesters, equivalent to four years, and has 136 credits. When you finish, you earn the title of Politólogo or Politóloga.
The program offers an eligible and certifiable track in Government and Strategy. This training helps you analyze problems, understand the interests of the people involved, and propose solutions that can be put into practice in governments, companies, and social organizations.
During the degree you will learn to study political systems, institutions, and public opinion. You will also analyze how changes in laws, government decisions, and social demands influence community life and how companies operate.
An important part of the training consists of learning to design, implement, and evaluate public policies. This means identifying a need, proposing a response, organizing its implementation, and checking whether it works. Research will allow you to gather information and use data to support your recommendations.
You will also develop skills to communicate ideas, negotiate, and resolve conflicts. You will learn to recognize different interests, facilitate dialogue, and build agreements between people or organizations that do not always think alike. These tools are useful for coordinating projects and making decisions when there are doubts, risks, or changes.
From the first semesters you will work with real situations and applied research. The Laboratorio de PolÃtica y Relaciones Internacionales complements classes with practical experiences. In addition, the program offers mentoring and short internships to bring you closer to professional work and introduce you to different work settings.
Among the international opportunities is the dual degree with Universidad de Beira Interior, in Portugal. This option involves studying for one year at that university and allows you to earn degrees from both institutions upon meeting the corresponding requirements. There are also exchanges and academic trips that help you learn about other political and social realities.
The degree lets you guide your professional future toward different areas. In the public sector, you can participate in the design and evaluation of programs for national, regional or local governments. In companies and trade associations, you can analyze political and regulatory changes, identify risks and support relations with public institutions.
You can also work in consulting, political communication and public opinion studies, developing analyses and recommendations for organizations, media outlets or campaigns. Other professional settings include foundations, parties, community associations, international organizations and research centers, where you can collaborate on social projects and coordinate initiatives.
The program holds SNIES registration 52059 and belongs to a university with High Quality Institutional Accreditation. Its director is Juan Carlos Gómez Benavides.