Political Science and Public Administration

The Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Public Administration at UNAM, at FES Acatlán, prepares you to understand how government and public institutions work, how political decisions are made, and how society's problems can be solved. It combines knowledge of politics, administration, law, economics, and history with research and data analysis tools.

This degree may interest you if you want to understand current events, research social problems or take part in projects that improve public services and the well-being of the population. It also helps if you enjoy reading, debate, and teamwork, and if you are willing to organize activities and propose solutions.

To make the most of your training, it is advisable to have a foundation in mathematics, statistics, history, and social sciences. The degree requires learning to interpret information, argue clearly, and communicate ideas orally and in writing. Basic computer skills and comprehension of texts in another language are also recommended. Responsibility, ethics, and an interest in public service are important for professional practice.

The study plan is organized into eight semesters, equivalent to four years of academic training. In the first two, you study the foundations of public administration, political theory, philosophy, law, economics, and statistics. You also learn to write papers and to conduct research using documents and other sources.

During the third and fourth semester you study in depth how the State and government work, especially in Mexico. You study administrative law, macroeconomics, organizations, and public management. Courses in finance, accounting, and budgets provide an understanding of how public resources are obtained, distributed, and managed.

In the fifth and sixth semester, training focuses on solving specific problems. You learn to design organizations, make decisions, analyze public policies, and evaluate investment programs and projects. You also study the Mexican political system, other political systems, and techniques for selecting samples in research.

The last two semesters allow you to shape your education through elective courses on elections, political communication, citizen participation, transparency, security and municipal management, among other topics. The curriculum includes three pre-specializations: Municipal Administration, focused on services, finance and local development; Financial Administration, focused on accounting, financial analysis and resource management; and Politics, focused on power groups, social movements, negotiation and analysis of future scenarios. The eighth semester includes a mandatory research design workshop.

Upon graduating, you can perform political analysis, advisory, consulting, public management and research tasks. The job field covers federal, state and municipal government institutions, social and political organizations, NGOs, companies and consulting firms that work with the public sector. Teaching is also a possibility, depending on the requirements of the position.

Professional tasks include analyzing public problems, developing proposals, evaluating programs, studying citizen opinion and improving how institutions work. The training aims to help you connect theoretical knowledge with the needs of the population and contribute to well-founded decisions.

The requirements and graduation options depend on the program you completed. To find out which ones apply to you, you can contact the Jefatura del Programa Político, located in building A-6, ground floor, office 601. FES Acatlán is located in Naucalpan de Juárez, Estado de México.