Department of Political Science and Public Administration
Whether you are interested in a career in law or politics, or as a leader of local, state or federal agency, AUM’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration can put your goals within reach. We offer small classes and faculty committed to provide students the personal attention and monitoring you need to succeed.
The department offers the Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science as well as the Master of Science in Political Science and the Master of Public Administration. In addition to other scholarship opportunities that could be available, the department awards a merit scholarship to a well-deserving junior or senior major. There are many career possibilities for students majoring and minoring in political science.
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences offers students a traditional liberal arts education to meet the needs of the 21st century, allowing them to compete for a variety of careers in an increasingly complex and evolving world.
Undergraduate Degree Programs
The courses making up the AUM Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science degree explore the multiple and various dimensions of politics. Political science is a frequently selected major for students interested in attending law school. One reason for this relationship is that political science courses emphasize analytical and critical thinking, careful reading, and persuasive writing, all skills highly valued in the legal profession. The Department is extremely proud of its record in preparing students for admission to American Bar Association accredited law schools.
American Politics
Students learn about the complex relationship between Congress, the presidency, and other political institutions; the impact of money on campaigns and elections, and the role of race in politics.
International Relations
Students study the implications of an international environment without a supranational government and how that environment leads countries to be the most important entities in world politics and, in turn, makes world politics the realm of power politics.
Comparative Politics
Students explore the factors that make democracy more or less likely, how the transition to democracy can create instabilities, and how differences in countries’ electoral systems can lead to government instability.
Public Administration
Students examine the relationship among political actors, institutions, and bureaucratic organizations to understand the issues related to effective governance.
Graduate Degree Programs
Master of Public Administration
Become an effective administrator in today’s complex and changing public policy environment.
Certificates
Certificate in Data Analysis and Policy Evaluation
The MPA program offers a four-course Certificate in Data Analysis and Policy Evaluation as an option for current students as well as individuals not enrolled in the AUM MPA program.
Certificate in Nonprofit Administration
The Certificate in Nonprofit Administration provides students with the skills to lead and manage nonprofit organizations. Courses in the certificate program cover key aspects of leading nonprofits: administration, grant writing, project management, leadership, and navigating state and local governments.
Certificate in Human Resource Administration
The Certificate in Human Resource Administration provides students with the skills to oversee human resource administration issues in public agencies and nonprofit organizations
Minors
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Through its various departments, the AUM College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences offers a variety of resources to give students the necessary knowledge and skills to be profoundly competitive. Join us and apply to AUM, where learning matters most. It’s why we learn-and why we teach.
Faculty & Staff
Andrew Cortell
Department Chair, Professor of Political Science
Andrew Cortell
Department Chair, Professor of Political Science | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Andrew Cortell is Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and a Professor of Political Science. His primary area of specialization is international relations. His teaching and research focus on globalization, international organizations, international norms, and national institutions. His work has been published in leading journals such as International Studies Quarterly, International Studies Review, the Review of International Studies, and Comparative Political Studies among others. He is the author of Mediating Globalization: Domestic Institutions and Industrial Policies in the United States and Britain. He spent many years as a faculty member at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where he received the Teacher of the Year Award and chaired the Department of International Affairs. Previously, he was an Olin Fellow in Economics and National Security at Harvard University. He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science and a M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University, and a B.A. with honors in History from Wesleyan University.
Hayat Alvi
Associate Professor and Khaled Chair in Political Science and International Policy
Hayat Alvi
Associate Professor and Khaled Chair in Political Science and International Policy | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Hayat Alvi is an Associate Professor and the Khaled Chair in Political Science and International Policy. Previously, she served as an Associate Professor at the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. Additionally, she was the Director of International Studies at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania, and she taught political science for four years at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Also, Dr. Alvi was a Fulbright Fellow in Syria.
Dr. Alvi’s specializations include International Relations, Political Economy, Comparative Politics, Security Studies, Terrorism, Conflict Resolution, Genocide Studies, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and South Asian Studies.
Dr. Alvi has published numerous books, journal articles, chapters, online videos and podcasts in her areas of expertise. Her latest books include: Nonviolent Activism in Islam: The Message of Abul Kalam Azad (Lexington Books, 2021); and The Political Economy and Islam of the Middle East: The Case of Tunisia (Palgrave MacMillan, July 2019). She lives in Montgomery, AL.
Tracey Bark
Associate Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Tracey Bark joined the AUM faculty in 2019 after earning her doctorate at the University of Oklahoma. Since that time, she has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses related to American politics and public administration, including Introduction to American Politics, Politics of Education, Foundations of Public Administration, Grant Writing, and Administration of Nonprofit Organizations. She also teaches courses designed to help students learn to do independent research, such as Research Design and Applied Social Statistics. In her own research, Dr. Bark focuses on bureaucratic politics and how government agencies influence public policy, especially at the state level. She has particular expertise in higher education policy and bureaucratic regulation. Her work has appeared in journals such as Regulation & Governance, Administration & Society, and Public Policy and Administration.
Kalu Kalu
Distinguished Research Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Kalu N. Kalu is Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science & Management (Organizational Systems) at Auburn University Montgomery, USA; Docent Professor at Tampere University, Finland; and Fulbright Scholar. He has been a Research Affiliate at The Whitney and Betty Macmillan Center for International and Area Studies (Yale University); Post-Doctoral Fellow (Yale University, and Yale University School of Medicine, 1996-2000); FDD Academic Fellow, on Counterterrorism and Intelligence (Israel); and a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos. He is Visiting Professorial Fellow & Research Scholar at the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA), Kaduna. He is a recipient of two Certificates in Joint Strategic Leadership (2010), and National Security Decision Making (2011) from the United States Air War College (MAFB).
Kalu’s articles and publications have appeared in top peer-reviewed journals such as Public Administration Review, Administrative Theory & Praxis, International Review of Administrative Sciences, American Review of Public Administration, Systemic Practice and Action Research, International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Administration & Society, Contemporary Politics, Defence Studies, Air & Space Power Journal, and Journal of Political and Military Sociology. He has authored several books including State Power, Autarchy and Political Conquest in Nigerian Federalism (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008); Citizenship: A Reality far From Ideal (co-edited with Nada Kakabadse and Andrew Kakabadse, Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, 2009); Technology, Culture, and Public Policy: Critical Lessons from Finland (Routledge Publishers 2017); Citizenship: Identity, Institutions, and the Postmodern Challenge (Routledge Publishers 2017); Political Culture, Change, and Security Policy in Nigeria (Routledge, 2018); A Functional Theory of Government, Law, and Institutions (Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2019 – Winner of CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title, 2020); and Beyond Westphalia: The Modern State and World Order in the 21st Century (forthcoming 2026).
Dr. Pia Knigge
Assistant Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Pia Knigge completed her undergraduate studies and Master’s Degree in Political Science with concentrations in comparative politics and political behavior at the University of Bamberg in Germany. Before she moved to the United States to pursue a doctoral degree in political science at the University of Kentucky, she interned with the German parliament (Bundestag) and the Commission of the European Communities (now European Union), and worked at a research institute affiliated with the University of Mannheim dedicated to the analysis of European public opinion polls (Eurobarometer). Her research and teaching interests are located at the intersection of political science and psychology focusing on public opinion, political behavior, political extremism, civic engagement, and the study of race and ethnicity.
