Mississippi State University's bachelor's in political science is one of the best in the country, as reflected in our students winning so many Truman Scholarships. MSU is among an elite group of five universities to have first received the Truman Honor Institution Award, granted by this prestigious foundation based in Washington, D.C. An objective assessment of our undergraduate program was provided recently by an external reviewer, Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at Auburn University, Dr. Robert A. Bernstein, who has studied many universities across the nation. He writes:

"I have never seen a more successful undergraduate major program than at MSU... At MSU, the major is filled with students who are better than those in most other majors. Their students have higher SAT/ACT scores and win more national scholarships than do students elsewhere on campus. The undergraduates I met with were rabidly enthusiastic about the program and the department...While at MSU, students are taught in small classes by superior teachers. They are guided by one of the university's top advisors, Diane Wall. Honors classes are offered and faculty are willing to direct Honors theses. Outstanding students get strong travel support from the Stennis Center. Training is also available for top students interested in pursuing national awards such as Truman, Rhodes, and Madison Fellowships."

Political science majors are pleased to find that most of their classes are relatively small, some enrolling fewer than 20 students. They have discovered that political science offers three different honors courses every year, more than any other department. Small classes facilitate intense but friendly student-faculty interaction. The dynamic challenges students to engage in some serious self-examination, and writing and reasoning skills are be put to the test.