The Department of Government

Award-winning Model UN team on the Great Wall of China

The mission of the Department of Government is to produce and impart knowledge and skills necessary for understanding political issues and participating in public affairs.

To meet this mission, the Department of Government offers an undergraduate major in Government, a Law & Society supplemental major, a Master of Arts in Government and a Master of Public Administration, in addition to minors and a number of joint degree opportunities at the graduate and undergraduate level. 

The faculty combine a deep commitment to teaching at all levels with a passion for scholarship and public service.

Political leaders who chose this field of study:

Majored Government/Political Science/International Relations/Public Administration:

President Barack Obama - BA political science & international relations

Vice President Joe Biden - BA political science & history

Former President Bill Clinton - BA foreign service; Rhodes scholarship in government

Former Vice Presidents Al Gore and Richard Cheney - BA political science

General David Petraeus - MPA & PhD international relations

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - BA political science

And 7 of the current cabinet secretaries:

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke - BA political science

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius - BA political science & MPA

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano - BS political science & Truman Scholar

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan - MPA

Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar - BA political science

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis - BA political science & MPA

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton - BA political science

Breland Hall, NMSU Main Campus

Department of Government

New Mexico State University
Box 30001, Dept. 3BN
Las Cruces, N.M. 88003
Breland Hall Room 337