BSc (Honours) Political Science
Overview
The Political Science major at LUMS introduces students to various aspects of the discipline including theoretical debates, methodological innovations and empirical developments with a focus on area studies. The discipline of Political Science is traditionally divided into four major sub-fields: Political Theory, Comparative Politics, International Relations (IR) and Political Sociology. The LUMS BSc (Honours) Political Science degree, situated within the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences (MGSHSS) offers a wide range of courses covering all the sub-fields of the discipline. Furthermore, the structure of the program creates an opportunity for the students to engage with other domains of Humanities and Social Sciences so that they can meaningfully benefit from a broad-based, interdisciplinary liberal arts education at LUMS. Students are thus provided a platform to engage in inter-disciplinary learning by taking courses in Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, History and Economics along with the core Political Science requirements.
Starting with introduction to Political Science, Comparative Politics, IR and Political Theory, the program incrementally builds on these foundational courses. The more advanced courses thus situate students within the contemporary debates across the sub-fields. Important themes within Comparative politics such as democratization, nationalism, civil-military relations, civil society, social movements, and governance are covered across several courses offered by the Political Science faculty. The Political Science program also offers a set of courses that explore politics within individual countries such as Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, China and the US. Within the domain of IR, the program attempts to expose students to on-going debates covering theoretical dimensions of international politics, security studies, international conflict and conflict management, diplomacy and regional security. Another innovation within the Political Science major are a set of courses within the domain of diplomacy and foreign policy offered by the practitioners. The practitioners thus bring in a unique perspective through their reflections on conduct of foreign policy beyond theoretical debates. The Political Science major also focuses on providing methodological training to our students by offering courses on qualitative and quantitative research methods. This training is a prerequisite for undertaking Senior Projects.
The Political Science graduates thus leave LUMS with an exposure to various sub-fields of the discipline, a foray into both the theories and methods of the subject and an ability to situate empirical observations within broader theoretical literature. Most of the courses are reading-intensive with a view to train students to critically evaluate the academic literature. Our students have gone on to successful careers in governments, international organizations, academia and civil society. Some of our students have successfully completed graduate studies in various educational institutions of higher learning across the globe. We in the Political Science major aspire to train our students to comprehend and evaluate the political developments shaping our lives through an academic, critical and fair lens.
Structure
Core Curriculum
MGSHSS has a Core Curriculum for its undergraduate studies. The interdisciplinary nature of the Core Curriculum aims to ensure that students graduating from this School with a Bachelor’s degree possess a broad foundation of knowledge and a diverse set of transferable skills. This enables them to emerge as reflective, empathetic, and historically informed individuals, with an understanding of both global and local current issues. The School has created six thematic clusters from which students will be required to take at least one course, each over the duration of the degree. These are:
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Year 1 |
Arts and Humanities Social and Behavioural Sciences STEM |
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Year 2 |
Contemporary Debates |
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Year 3 & 4 |
Great Authors Academic Writing |
The Core Curriculum will be completed over the course of the Bachelor’s degree.
Students are also required to complete 52 credits (13 courses) as part of the programme through a combination of core and elective courses.
Programme Structure
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Graduation Requirement |
130 Credit Hours |
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University Core |
8 Credit Hours (3 Courses) |
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University Distribution |
Total |
21-28 Credit Hours (7 Courses) |
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Major Requirement |
Major Cores Major Electives Total |
12 Credit Hours (3 Courses) 40 Credit Hours (10 Courses) 52 Credit Hours (13 Courses) |
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Free Electives |
Courses can be taken from any area to complete 130 Credit Hours. |
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Core Courses
3 Core Courses – 12 credits:
- POL 100 Introduction to Political Science
- POL 203 Introduction to Western Political Philosophy
- POL 221 Introduction to Comparative Politics
Elective Courses
10 Elective Courses – 40 credits:
In addition to the compulsory courses, students of this programme are required to complete 10 elective courses in any of the following sub-fields of the discipline. Out of these, no more than one should be at the 100 level and at least three should be at the 300 and 400 levels.
- Political Theory
- Comparative Politics
- International Relations
- Political Sociology and Political Anthropology
- Political Economy and Public Policy
Admission Criteria
Fall Admission 2025
Local and International Applicants
LUMS is dedicated to enrolling highly accomplished students who possess the potential to make valuable contributions to the learning environment at LUMS and effect positive change in their communities.
Each successful applicant is made an offer for entry into a particular school at LUMS. Applicants for each School are selected on the basis of the programme requirements of that particular school. Applicants should carefully choose the school(s) they apply to, and consider their interests, motivations, academic strengths, and future career paths.
Applicants who meet the minimum eligibility criteria outlined here for the Undergraduate Programme will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Academic Background;
Performance in the Admission Test(s);
Online Application Submission;
Online Submission of Supporting Documents and Fee Payment;
Application Review; and
Interview (if called)
To be considered for admission evaluation, ensure all steps are completed on or before the stipulated deadline.
Note:
These are the minimum requirements that applicants need to fulfil in order to be eligible to apply. Fulfillment of these criteria does not guarantee admission to LUMS. Admission decisions made by the University are final.
Currently active or enrolled (admitted) LUMS UG students are not eligible to reapply for admission to the Undergraduate Programme.
Academic Background
The University is keen to attract students who are not only academically competent but also have the potential to contribute to the learning environment of LUMS. Following are the minimum academic requirements for applicants applying to the Undergraduate Programme:
Applicants with Complete Higher-Secondary Degree
Applicants who have successfully completed their Higher Secondary degree, i.e. FA/ICS/ICOM/FSc/A Level/High School Diploma or International Baccalaureate (IB), are eligible to apply for admission if they fulfil one of the following academic qualifications:
- Successful completion of Matric with 70% marks or above and FA with 65% marks or above/FSc/ ICS/ICOM with 70% marks or above;
- O Level results (in at least 1 8 subjects) with an average grade of at least ‘B’ in all subjects attempted and A Level (in at least three full-credit A Level subjects) with an 2 average of 2 Bs & 1 C grade across best three subjects. The three best subjects cannot include any Advanced Subsidiary subjects, the A Level General Paper, or an A-Level grade less than an E;
- American High School Diploma (HSD) with 70% or above/Grade Point Average of B or above;
- International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) 3 with at least 28 out of 45 points;
- International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme
- Combination of the above;
- Any other equivalent qualification (minimum acceptable scores will be determined by the Admissions Committee).
If shortlisted for admission, applicants will be given a conditional offer. To join LUMS in Fall 2025, applicants must subsequently meet all the stipulated conditions specified by the Admissions Committee by August 2025.
Note:
Candidates who have registered or taken the exam of a minimum of three full-credit A Level subjects and do not meet the minimum grades requirement (specified above) must improve their grades in order to be eligible for admission. A level exams are held in November and June. To be eligible for admission in 2025, applicants must improve their A-level grades in the November 2024 exams. These applicants will have to go through the entire admission selection process, and their application for Fall 2025 will be re-ranked and reassessed to make the final admission decision.
Candidates who have registered or taken the exam of a minimum of three full-credit A level subjects and do not meet the minimum grades requirement (specified above) and are planning to improve their grades by taking the June 2025 exams are not eligible for the Fall 2025 session.
Candidates who have already completed their Higher secondary degree (FA/FSc/ICS/I.COM/High School Diploma/IB, etc.) and do not meet the minimum marks/grades requirement must improve their marks or grades by November 2024 in order to be eligible for the Fall 2025 session. These applicants will have to go through the entire admission selection process, and their application for Fall 2025 will be re-ranked and reassessed to make the final admission decision.
In addition to meeting LUMS' specified conditions, applicants are required to fulfil the academic credential verification requirements of IBCC, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, or any other relevant authority, including Accreditation Councils.
Applicants admitted to LUMS and later require attestation of their undergraduate degree by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, must adhere to the conditions specified by the HEC for the attestation process. Detailed information on these requirements can be found on the HEC website.
1Minimum subject requirement for O Level may vary regionally and can be checked here.
2Best three (3) A level full-credit subjects will be considered for evaluation.
3Applicants should have science subjects in IB to apply to Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE) at LUMS. Applicants will be required to submit the IBCC equivalence certificate in science subjects for SBASSE. For Chemical and Electrical Engineering, the IBCC equivalence certificate should be equivalent to Pre-Engineering Stream.
Applicants with an Incomplete Higher-Secondary Degree
Applicants who have not registered or taken the final exams of their FA/ICS/ICOM/FSc/A Level (in at least three full-credit A Level subjects) High School Diploma or International Baccalaureate (IB) before the submission of their applications for Fall 2025 and are expecting their final results by August 2025 are eligible to apply for admission if they fulfil one of the following academic qualifications:
- Successful completion of Matric with at least 70% marks or above and FA (Part-1) with 65% marks or above/FSc (Part-1)/ICS (Part-1)/ICOM (Part-1) with 70% marks or above;
- O Level results (in at least 1 8 subjects) with an average grade of at least ‘B’ in all subjects attempted;
- American High School Diploma (HSD) (first year) with 70% or above/Grade Point Average of B or above;
- International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) (first year) 2 with at least 28 out of 45 points;
- International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (first year) results
- Combination of the above;
- Any other equivalent qualification (The Admissions Committee will determine minimum acceptable scores)
If shortlisted for admission, applicants will be given a conditional offer and required to complete their degree before the commencement of Fall 2025 classes.
Applicants admitted to LUMS and later require attestation of their undergraduate degree by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, must adhere to the conditions specified by the HEC for the attestation process. Detailed information on these requirements can be found on the HEC website.
1 Minimum subject requirement for O Level may vary regionally and can be checked by visiting the following link: http://www.ibcc.edu.pk/equivalence.php
2Applicants should have science subjects in IB to apply to Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE) at LUMS. Applicants will be required to submit the IBCC equivalence certificate in science subjects for SBASSE. For Chemical and Electrical Engineering, the IBCC equivalence certificate should be equivalent to Pre-Engineering Stream.
Major Preference
Students may apply for admission to any two schools through a single application. Applicants are required to mention their major preference(s) for BS Programmes at the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE) and department and major BA/BSc (Honours) Programmes at the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences (MGSHSS) and the Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) through the LUMS Online Admission Application form.
Students are admitted to a specific school based on merit and availability of seats. At the time of admission, the students are not assigned a major, except those admitted to the BA-LL.B Programme in the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL). For the BA/BSc (Honours) Programmes at the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences (MGSHSS), students are admitted into one of the two distinct admission streams (HSS, ECON) according to the preferences chosen by the applicants in the online application.
Allocation of a preferred major cannot be guaranteed at the time of admission. Allocation of a major will be done according to the School’s policy and mainly determined by the student’s preference(s), their academic performance at LUMS and, in the case of MGSHSS, the availability of seats in the major.
Students may request a change in their Programme/School at the end of their first year at LUMS, subject to academic performance and availability of space. However, the concerned department will consider such requests on a case-to-case basis.
Test Requirements
Applicants applying to the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities & Social Sciences (MGSHSS) are required to take One (1) of the following tests in order to be considered for Fall 2025 Admissions:
- SAT; OR
- ACT; OR
- LUMS Common Admission Test (LCAT)
- The deadline to take the SAT for the Fall 2025 admissions is March 08, 2025. Applicants can register for the SAT through www.collegeboard.org
- The deadline to take the ACT for the Fall 2025 admissions is April 05, 2025. Applicants can register for the ACT through https://www.act.org
- LUMS Common Admission Test (LCAT) will be conducted ONLY ONCE for Fall 2025 admissions at the designated cities of Pakistan. The date of the LCAT administration will be communicated later.
LCAT Guidelines
The LCAT is a paper-based, multiple-choice test, similar to SAT, though it may differ in terms of duration and format.
- Number of Sections: 4 (two verbal and two math sections)
- Duration: The duration of each section is 40 minutes, with a total test duration of approximately 3 hours.
- Test Mode: LCAT is a paper-based test.
- Calculators: Not allowed during any part of the test.
Verbal Sections
The Verbal Sections of the LCAT evaluate critical reading and writing skills essential for academic and professional success. These sections test comprehension, analysis, and effective communication through various content domains, including Craft and Structure, Information and Ideas, Standard English Conventions, and Expression of Ideas. Applicants are encouraged to practice reading comprehension, text analysis, and editing for clarity and accuracy.
Math Sections
The Math Sections of the LCAT evaluate essential mathematical skills required for higher education, focusing on Algebra, Advanced Mathematics, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis, and Geometry and Trigonometry which are critical for success in higher education. These sections test quantitative reasoning, data interpretation, and problem-solving abilities. Applicants are advised to strengthen foundational concepts, practice problem-solving without calculators, and review SAT-style materials for effective preparation.
Click here to access the LCAT guidelines and explore sample questions for both the Math and Verbal sections.
Important Note
- LUMS will only accept scores of the Admission Test(s) mentioned above for the Fall 2025 applications.
- SAT/ACT taken after the stipulated deadlines will not be considered for the Fall 2025 admissions.
- SAT taken before March 2023 will not be considered for Fall 2025 admissions.
- ACT taken before February 2023 will not be considered for Fall 2025 admissions.
- While registering for the SAT / ACT / LCAT, use your name as it appears on your LUMS Online application and other academic credentials. Using a different name may prevent your scores from matching the rest of your application in our database.
- Official SAT scores of all applicants must be submitted by the testing agency, i.e., ETS, directly to the LUMS Admissions Office. Applicants must request ETS to send a direct report to LUMS. The college code for reporting SAT scores to LUMS is 0513.
- Official ACT scores must be submitted directly to the LUMS Admissions Office by the testing agency, i.e., American College Testing Service (ACT), USA. The college code for reporting ACT scores to LUMS is 7896.
- Applicants are required to report test scores of all attempts through an online application and must submit a copy of the score report(s) to the University. Scores and attempts not reported through the LUMS Online application will not be considered valid for evaluation.
- The best score of a single attempt (SAT and/or ACT) will be considered for application evaluation.
- Applicants are required to submit score(s) of the SAT and/or ACT to the LUMS Admissions Office soon after the announcement of the result. A copy of a “Student Report” should also be uploaded online.
- LCAT Scores will be valid only for One (1) academic year.
- LCAT scores will be used for application evaluation and, hence, will not be disclosed to applicants.
- Applicants taking the LUMS Admission Test(s), and those who have also taken (or are planning to take) the SAT and/or ACT tests are encouraged to submit a copy of their standardized test score report(s) as part of their admission application. A copy of the scores should be uploaded online along with all other supporting documents OR reported directly from the Testing Agency.
Submission
The admission application will be considered for evaluation after the successful completion of the following Five (5) STEPS by the applicants on or before the stipulated deadlines:
- Online Admission Application submission;
- Online submission of scanned copies of required supporting documents;
- Submission of an appropriate Application Processing Fee;
- Online Submission of Financial Aid Application (if applicable) by the due date; and
- Online submission of Teacher's Evaluations by the Referees.
Application Processing and Test Registration Fee
- The application processing fee is PKR 10,330.
- The application processing fee is USD 170 for International applicants.
- LUMS Common Admission Test (LCAT) Registration Fee is PKR 5,650 (if applicable).
Note:
- Applicants must complete and submit their Online Admission application on or before February 04, 2025, 5:00 PM (PKT).
- Applicants are required to submit Online scanned copies of all supporting documents on or before February 06, 2025.
- After the successful submission of the Online application, applicants must make the Processing Fee payment by the deadline.
Only applicants who have indicated their intention to apply for LUMS Financial Aid (through the Online Admission Application Form), submitted their admission application, and paid the required application processing fee by the deadline will be granted access to the Financial Aid application. Once these requirements are met, the Financial Aid application tab will be visible on the online admission portal starting February 07, 2025. Applicants must submit their complete Financial Aid application, along with all necessary supporting documents, by March 06, 2025.
Referees must submit completely filled Teachers Evaluation(s)/Letter(s) of Recommendation by the given deadline.
Completion of all steps is mandatory. Applications, documents, or fees received after the stipulated deadline will not be processed.
Application Review
Shortlisted applications will be reviewed by the relevant Committee to finalise the admission decision. Applicants are encouraged to provide complete information regarding their academic achievements and extracurricular activities and must tell LUMS about their success stories to substantiate their applications.
Interview Performance
Only shortlisted candidates are called for an interview.
The modes of payment are as follows:
1. Voucher can be paid through cash, Pay Order and Bank Drafts made in favour of "Lahore University of Management Sciences" at any branch within Pakistan of following banks:
- Allied Bank Limited
- Meezan Bank Limited (Customer Code: LUMS)
- Bank Al-Habib Limited
2. For online Credit/Debit card payment, please click here.
3. Vouchers can also be paid through ATM machines and internet banking portals of the following banks:
- Allied Bank Limited
- Askari Bank Limited
- Bank Alfalah Limited
- Bank Al-Habib Limited
- Faysal Bank Limited
- Meezan Bank Limited
- Standard Chartered (Only for Online Payments)
Note:
- For making payments through internet banking portals/ATM, students need to have bank account in the respective bank.
- Fee payment through "Pay Orders" is accepted at banks up to two working days prior to the payment deadline. Fee may be paid through Cash Receipts, Online Services and Credit/Debit Cards till payment deadline.
Advance Tax:
Through an amendment in the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 by Finance Act 2013, advance tax (under section 236 I)