Welcome to the advising center for the Department of Political Science!

Are you a declared major in Political Science, Political Science - Public Service, or International Relations? Are you interested in our majors or minors? Have questions about your major requirements, student life, and more? You've come to the right place.

Reach out to us or check out our Frequently Asked Questions below! Here are all the ways you can contact our advising team:

1. Email advising questions to poladvising@ucdavis.edu. You can also email us forms needing a signature, course information for study abroad, and Academic Planning Forms (APFs). 

2. Use virtual drop-in advising with our Academic Peer Advisors: hours are listed below. Peer Advisors are current students in the major and are trained to answer questions about major requirements, adding a double major or a minor, academic planning, student life, and more. Drop-in advising is open to all current UCD students.

3. Set up a full 30-minute advising appointment with a staff advisor. Go to appointments.ucdavis.edu: Click on “Get Scheduled” then “Kerr Hall Advising Center” and your specific major. To ensure equitable access, staff advising appointments are limited to DECLARED POL/PPS/IRE major students only, and students are limited to 1 appointment per quarter. Due to demand, appointments with staff advisors are booked very quickly; new appointment slots are released each day, so please check at the beginning of each day for the best availability. Appointments can be booked up to two weeks in advance. Please make sure to attend your scheduled advising appointments – appointment access may be limited in the future for students who repeatedly miss appointments. If you must meet with a staff advisor and cannot book an appointment, please email us at poladvising@ucdavis.edu for assistance. 

On this page: 

• Drop-in advising hours and links
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Meet your Advising Team

DROP-IN ADVISING

Check out our virtual drop-in advising hours, open to all current UC Davis students. Meet via Zoom with our Academic Peer Advisors for quick questions about major requirements, internship & research opportunities, student involvement, declaring one of our majors, and more.

Virtual Peer Advising for Political Science (POL) & Political Science-Public Service (PPS)
No peer advising for summer 2025 - please check back for Fall 2025 hours! If you need assistance, please email us at poladvising@ucdavis.edu. 
Login here: https://polisci.advisingfrontdesk.lsit.ucdavis.edu/

Virtual Peer Advising for International Relations (IRE)
No peer advising for summer 2025 

Fall 2025 
Mondays/Wednesdays 1-2pm
Tuesdays/Thursdays 12-1pm

If you need assistance, please email us at poladvising@ucdavis.edu. 
Login here: https://intrel.advisingfrontdesk.lsit.ucdavis.edu/

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• What is advising? What is the difference between major advisors and college advisors?

• In order to receive a degree from UC Davis, you will need to meet University requirements, College requirements, and major requirements. You may have additional requirements if you have more than one major, or add a minor. Going to both major and college advising is essential to your academic success. However, since the advisors in either department have different roles, it’s important to understand which advising center can best assist you based on your questions and goals. 

  Major advisors (that's us!) can assist you with creating academic plans, understanding major requirements, discussing your educational and career goals, preparing for grad school, and learning about field-related opportunities. Learn more about your major advisors for Political Science, Political Science - Public Service, and International Relations at ps.ucdavis.edu/advising-center.

  College Dean's Office advisors can assist you with understanding General Education (GE) and IGETC requirements and other non-major degree requirements. They also advise on academic standing and minimum progress, Pass/No Pass grading restrictions, and dropping courses with a PTD. The Political Science Department is part of the College of Letters & Science, visit the College of Letters & Science Dean's Office advising team at lettersandscience.ucdavis.edu/students/advising.

  The goal of academic advising is to help you shape a meaningful educational experience. The elements of that education include your classes, your co-curricular activities, your work, and your personal experiences. Through ongoing reflection and discussion, with your interests and goals in mind, you will integrate all the elements of your college experience so you can make the most of your education. You need to be actively engaged in the process of defining your academic goals, and sharing those goals with your advisor in a series of conversations that extend over your entire undergraduate years.

• How can I schedule an advising appointment?

• To schedule an advising appointment with your major advisors, please visit appointments.ucdavis.edu and select "Kerr Hall Advising Center", and your major. We offer both in-person and virtual appointment availability. Once you schedule an appointment, you will receive an email confirmation with location information for in-person meetings and with Zoom meeting information for virtual appointments. 

  Our advising calendar opens two weeks in advance, with new appointments opening each day. Please note that while new appointment availability posts each morning, the calendar fills quickly due to very high demand; please check our calendar early in the day for the best availability.

  Note: There are peak periods when advising is in high demand, such as during course registration. During this time, it may be difficult to book an appointment. If you are unable to keep your appointment, please cancel or reschedule as early as possible so the slot can be made available to other students. Don't forget about assistance available during drop-in advising!

• Help! Advising appointments are full.

• Please note: advising appointments with staff advisors are by default only available to our declared major students. If you are not a declared major, please use drop-in advising for assistance or email us at poladvising@ucdavis.edu. 

  Our advisors work with over 1,500 students across three majors and minors in the Department of Political Science. At times, our calendars will be fully booked due to demand for advising appointments. If you need a form signed, please email us a copy at poladvising@ucdavis.edu. You can also email us any questions you may have. Due to the volume of student requests that we receive, please allow 3-5 business days for a response via email. 

  Drop-in hours are available with our peer advisors for brief questions. Please note that peer advisors can advise on topics like major requirements, declaring a major/minor, navigating OASIS, course planning, and finding campus resources. See the top of this page for the latest drop-in advising hours. If you require a document to be signed or an advising hold removed, please make an appointment with your staff advisor or send us an email at poladvising@ucdavis.edu. 

• How do I prepare for an advising appointment?

• Know when you need an appointment! Keep important dates (e.g., course registration) and deadlines (e.g., Study Abroad forms) in mind and schedule appointments in advance! Keep in mind that appointments can book quickly especially during busy times such as course registration; utilize drop-in advising or be proactive about booking appointments so you can get your questions answered. 

  Next, think about what areas you need guidance in, what specific information you are looking for, and what your goal is for the appointment. Prior to meeting with us, write down questions you have, review your major requirements, and have a look at your OASIS Academic Record. You may even wish to create a Degree Worksheet in OASIS to track your progress in the major. Appointments are scheduled for thirty minutes. By preparing ahead of time, you can get the most out of your appointments.

• Why is there a mandatory advising hold on my account?

• All students are periodically required to meet with their major advisor to ensure they are on track to complete their degree. When you are flagged for mandatory major advising, you will receive a future hold on your registration informing you to meet with an advisor to clear your hold, and a future date when the hold will officially take effect. You will be notified of an upcoming hold well in advance.

  When you see the hold appear in OASIS or on Schedule Builder, check your email for further instructions from your advising team! Advising appointments can be scheduled at appointments.ucdavis.edu. Consider taking advantage of the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about your major.

• What steps do I need to take to change my major to Political Science, Political Science - Public Service, or International Relations?
• Before changing your major, it is highly recommended that you take and pass at least one major class; recommended major classes include POL 1, 2, 3, or 4 for Political Science and Political Science - Public Service, and the Preparatory Subject Matter courses for International Relations. After this is accomplished, you can submit a change of major petition on OASIS. The petition can be found under the “Forms and Petitions” tab. Select “Submit a New Form” and scroll down to “Change of Major”. More detailed instructions can be found here. You will be notified when your department has approved your petition or if further information is needed.
• How can I declare a double major?

• Before changing your major, it is highly recommended that you take and pass at least one major class; recommended major classes include POL 1, 2, 3, or 4 for Political Science and Political Science - Public Service, and the Preparatory Subject Matter courses for International Relations. After this is accomplished, you can submit a change of major petition on OASIS. The petition can be found under the “Forms and Petitions” tab. Select “Submit a New Form” and scroll down to “Change of Major”. Make sure to change your number of majors from 1 to 2. More detailed instructions can be found here. You will be notified when your department has approved your petition or if further information is needed.

  If you are a current Political Science, Political Science - Public Service, or International Relations major and you would like to declare a second major in another department, please check the requirements for declaring any other majors with that specific department, as some majors may have specific requirements to meet before declaring. 

• What steps do I need to take to declare a minor?
• You can submit a minor petition on OASIS. The petition can be found under the “Forms and Petitions” tab. Select “Submit a New Form” and scroll down to “Minor Declaration”. Include all classes you have taken or plan on taking to fulfill the minor requirements. Please note that minors are subject to final approval upon graduation.
• How will taking a class Pass/No Pass affect my major requirements?
• The Political Science Department does not hold any restrictions for Pass/No Pass grading on major requirements—you can opt for P/NP grading for major requirement courses for Political Science, Political Science - Public Service, and International Relations. However, please note that you must comply with the overall P/NP limits from the College of Letters and Science. Please see additional guidelines for P/NP grading here.
  
  If you have questions about how opting for P/NP grading may affect graduate or law school, we encourage you to discuss that with the Pre-Grad/Pre-Law Advising offered by the Office of Educational Opportunity and Enrichment Services.
• How can I fulfill my internship/research requirement for the Public Service major?
• Political Science—Public Service majors are required to complete 6 units of internship credit and 2-4 units of research course credit as part of the major requirements. There are a number of ways that students can address these requirements, including the UC Davis Washington Program, the UC Center Sacramento program, or through an internship they secure on their own. Independent internships will need to be approved for credit by the Department of Political Science, and students will be enrolled in courses for internship credit and research credit that will be supervised remotely by a faculty advisor, with assignments submitted on Canvas. To receive credit for internship or research, you must apply by the first week of the quarter you wish to receive credit for. Please note that an internship must be secured independently before applying for credit - the Department of Political Science does not place students in internships. 
  
  For information on the internship & research requirement, and information on receiving internship credit through our Department, visit https://ps.ucdavis.edu/internships-political-science.
• How can I get credit for courses taken at other institutions?

• Major credit may be awarded for courses taken at community colleges or other universities, including for study abroad programs. UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions first determines what courses transfer for UC credit and how many total units will transfer. Your transfer credit takes time to process, and you may not see your transfer credit in OASIS for some time, up to a quarter after submitting a transcript.

  If Admissions deems credit to be transferable to UC Davis, there are additional steps requried to determine whether courses can satisfy major/minor requirements. For an overview of course equivalencies within the UC and California Community College systems, you can use assist.org to identify equivalent credit for many UC and CCC courses. For courses taken at other 4-year institutions in-state or out-of-state, out-of-state community colleges, institutions abroad, or courses that do not have an equivalent in Assist.org, please obtain a syllabus from the course and email it to poladvising@ucdavis.edu. The Department of Political Science will determine if the course can be applied to your major requirements using this information. 

• Q: Can study abroad classes be used towards major requirements?
• Maybe! UC Davis students have a variety of opportunities to study abroad and the coursework you complete abroad might count towards General Education or major requirements. To learn more about these opportunities, please visit the UC Davis Global Learning Hub. Make sure to check in with all of your advisors including those in the Global Learning Hub to learn more about how to fit your desire to study abroad into your academic plan. See above for more information about assessing coursework from other institutions.
• Are there prerequisites for upper-division POL classes?
• Most upper-division POL classes do not have prerequisites; however, many courses recommend taking the lower-division course corresponding to its area of concentration (POL 1, 2, 3, or 4) prior to enrolling in the upper-division course. This is to ensure that you have the foundational knowledge to set you up for success in the course.
• Why am I not able to enroll in some classes during Pass 1 registration?
• Some departments on campus, including the Department of Political Science, allow only students majoring in their programs to enroll in their upper-division courses during Pass 1. For example, only Sociology majors may enroll in upper-division SOC classes during Pass 1. These restrictions are lifted during Pass 2 registration, at which time you will be able to enroll or request addition to a waiting list. No exceptions can be made to this restriction policy. For POL classes, many upper-division POL classes are restricted to Political Science, Political Science - Public Service, and International Relations majors during Pass 1. This does not include Political Science minor students. To find out if a course you want has such an enrollment restriction, check the course detail information in Schedule Builder, the Registrar's Office web-based class planning and registration tool that allows you to plan your class schedule and register for classes.
• Q: A class I saw in the General Catalog isn't available on Schedule Builder. How can I find it?
• Not all courses in the catalog are offered every quarter. The courses available on Schedule Builder are the only ones offered during the selected quarter. If there's a specific course you're looking to take, a keep an eye out on Schedule Builder in future quarters as it may be offered in the future. You can also find a tentative schedule of POL courses for the whole academic year on our department website.

MEET YOUR ADVISING TEAM

Staff Advisor, Political Science/Political Science-Public Service: 
Chaz Butler

Pronouns: he/him

Hi everyone, welcome! As we embark on this journey together, here is a little about me: I am a big sports fan, fitness is kind of my thing, and I am a self-proclaimed Uno champion. I hold a MA in Higher Education Administration from Louisiana State University (LSU). My background is in undergraduate and graduate education, and student development, I am committed to fostering student success through personalized guidance and support.  I believe in empowering students to explore their academic interests and achieve their goals by providing tailored advice. I am passionate about inclusivity and student engagement, and I actively work to cultivate a supportive learning environment that encourages personal and academic growth. Looking forward to meeting with you soon!

 

Staff Advisor, Political Science/Political Science-Public Service: 
Saira Delgado

Pronouns: she/her

I am a proud UC Davis alum with degrees in International Relations and Communication. As a student, I was often involved in local political campaigns and public interest causes. After graduating, I worked for several years as a staffer for the California State Legislature. In my various positions, I worked with countless dedicated community volunteers and over 250 student interns! My enthusiasm for helping students achieve their career goals led me to my position as an academic advisor in Political Science. I strongly believe in the value of professional development and mentorship, so please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know how we can help you in your journey at UC Davis! I hope to continue empowering other students and youth to make change in their communities. I look forward to helping you achieve all of your goals on campus and beyond - go Ags! 

 

Staff Advisor, International Relations: 
Sarah Yunus

Pronouns: she/her

It's so lovely to meet you all! A little bit about my background is that I got my Undergrad degree at Chico State and then went on to New Hampshire to receive my Masters. Throughout my career, I have bounced around in different areas of education such as teaching, working for the Registrar and then moving onto advising in both Grad and now Undergrad spaces. I'm a first-generation student, so I really learned to lean on my advisors to help me navigate my academic career and essentially led me to where I am today. It's been a very rewarding journey that I now get to be on the other side of the advising table and take on that support role for students that had once made a significant difference in my own life! I have an open-door policy so I'm always here for you when you need me!

 

Peer Advisor, International Relations: 
Maddison Cunningham

I am a current UC Davis undergraduate International Relations and Psychology double major, minoring in Communication. I hope to pursue a career in diplomacy or with the federal government. In my free time, I am an avid reader and I love hiking, camping, and traveling (when I have the time). I am also a huge proponent of study abroad and have studied in France with the UCEAP French in Paris program, so I am always up for discussing study abroad! Please feel free to visit me during drop-in hours for any major advising questions or just to chat!

 

 

Peer Advisor, Political Science/Political Science-Public Service:
Annalise Harhay

I am a current UC Davis undergraduate Political Science and French double major. I hope to pursue a career in law or teaching. In my free time I enjoy painting and doing ceramics, as well as reading and traveling. I studied in France through the UCEAP Science Po Paris program so I am always willing to discuss study abroad! I’m excited to be your Undergraduate Academic Peer Advisor for Political Science and Political Science – Public Service. Please feel free to visit me during drop in hours to discuss any major advising questions you may have, or just to chat. Can’t wait to meet you all! 

 

Peer Advisor, Political Science/Political Science-Public Service:
Ethan Valencia

I am a third-year political science major and plan to pursue a career in law. In my free time, I enjoy playing lacrosse, golf, skiing, and watching Formula 1. This past summer, I interned with the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office, and next summer I’ll be interning with a commercial real estate law firm. I’m more than happy to share what I’ve learned from these experiences, my process for preparing and applying to law school, or anything related to the Political Science major. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just want to chat!