Our Timeline
1930
The first BA degree in political science was awarded in 1930 by the Department of History and Political Science at the State College of Washington (WSC).
1932
The first master’s degree was awarded.
1956
The history program reorganized into a separate department.
1959
WSC is renamed Washington State University.
1982
Another reorganization merges the WSU Department of Criminal Justice into the WSU Department of Political Science.
2011
The criminal justice program is split out to become a stand-alone department.
2011
The School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs (PPPA) is created through a dynamic integration of the departments of philosophy and political science at WSU Pullman, along with the public affairs program at WSU Vancouver, into one administrative unit offering three unique bachelor’s degrees, several master’s programs, and a PhD in political science.
Johnson Tower
The School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs office is located in the Claudius O. Johnson Tower on the WSU Pullman campus.
Constructed in 1966, the building was dedicated the following year to honor Johnson, who became the first full-time professor and the first chairman of the Department of History and Political Science in 1928. He served as the chair until 1951 and retired from the faculty in 1960.
Multiple scholarships bearing his name support political science students at WSU.
Read the Claudius O. Johnson Biography to learn more about his work and his impact at WSU and beyond:
