Raising a Nation of Christian Leaders: PHC's One-of-a-Kind Government Program

The following article was also authored by Rachel Cochrane. 

The Program

Patrick Henry College was founded with a distinct purpose: to preserve fidelity to the spirit of the American founding through its academic rigor and unwavering biblical worldview. The college has a firm desire to transform Christian men and women into influential leaders in society who stand for Christ and for liberty, and its Government major offers the unique capacity to place Christians in influential positions in the American political system as it emphasizes classical learning, rigorous core government courses, and hands-on training in various fields of interest.

Built on a 63-credit core of classical Christian liberal arts courses, the Government major is designed to give students a deep understanding in a broad range of areas while educating its students to key subfields: American Political Institutions, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Science Research Methods.

Five different disciplines (tracks) are tailored to provide students with sound understanding and appreciation in specific areas within the Government major:

American Politics & Policy

International Politics & Policy

Political Theory

Political Philosophy

Strategic Intelligence in National Security

Students have a measure of flexibility to craft their course work to their specific academic interests. This flexibility is a part of Patrick Henry College’s classical Christian liberal arts education—allowing students to choose 12 credits in this variety of Government disciplines. General Government students may craft a unique experience with their courses at PHC.

In addition to the expansive (and also one-of-a-kind) core curriculum, students in the general Government major will take 47 major course credits. They have 12 open elective credit hours to fill with courses of their choice, and they will graduate having completed 123 credit hours total.

This combination of a wide range of specialized upper-division courses coupled with apprenticeship opportunities guarantees that students are well-prepared to enter public service, non-profit organizations, think tanks, or graduate universities after Patrick Henry. 

The Paths: One-of-a-Kind Internship Opportunities 

Government students are required to choose several apprenticeship opportunities comprising half of their major program (23 credit hours). These can include: Practicum in American Politics & Policy, a Practicum in International Politics & Policy, Topics in Politics & Policy, Applied Research in Political Theory, a Senior Thesis, Independent Readings/Directed Research, Special Projects in Strategic Intelligence, and Forensics activities such as Civic Debate, Mock Trial, and Moot Court.

Due to Patrick Henry College’s close proximity to Washington, D.C., numerous internship opportunities are open to students. Patrick Henry College Government students have completed internships at an impressive range of government agencies and private organizations, such as the Federal Communications Commission, the White House, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Office of the Attorney General, both State and Local Officials’ Offices, Generation Joshua, multiple law firms, and city councils among others.

Significance

The Government major at Patrick Henry College prepares students to be outstanding public servants, whether in foreign policy, domestic policy, the academic sphere, or the intelligence community. Because of the school’s high academic rigor and apprenticeship opportunities, students are well prepared for whatever government-related field they engage in after graduation.

The Government program is just one program that Patrick Henry College offers students who share its devotion to the truth and have a desire to serve God. Students who want to participate and become active, influential leaders in government should consider this major.

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View List of Courses and Recommended Course Sequence for Government Major

Have more questions about the Government major at PHC? Ask us by commenting below!