Graduate Handbook

II. GRADUATE PROGRAMS (cont.)

Requirements for Ph.D. in Political Science and Criminal Justice

Overview—A student aspiring to the Ph.D. program should expect to spend three to four years, depending on the individual, in study and research beyond the M.A. degree, of which at least two years must be enrolled at Washington State University, and at least two consecutive semesters must be spent in residence as a graduate student in Political Science. This degree program is designed for the student entering the graduate program with a M.A. Students currently enrolled in the M.A. program here must submit a regular application to the Ph.D. program. Currently the department offers a Ph.D. in Political Science, with a separate track in Criminal Justice.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND COMMITTEE PROCESS
Primary responsibility for developing a doctoral program rests with the student and her/his committee. The primary criterion in the selection of the chair of a student's committee will normally be the student's expressed interest in a particular field of Political Science/Criminal Justice as her/his probable area of major concentration. It will then be the program committee chair's responsibility, by or before mid-term of the student's third semester of residence at Washington State University, to suggest other members of the program committee.

No later than the student's third semester in residence, the student and his/her committee should develop a specific program in Political Science/Criminal Justice. It is the joint responsibility of the student and the program committee chairperson to see that these things are done and to have the results placed on record with the Graduate School. Students who by the end of the third semester equivalent of full time enrollment in residence have failed to form a committee and file a program (in the case of the Ph.D.) shall normally be denied continuance in any assistantship or other kind of departmental employment, such as work with the Division of Governmental Studies and Services, Extended Degree Program courses, grant projects or related activities.

All changes in an approved Ph.D. program must be made on forms supplied by the Graduate School or from the Graduate Secretary in the department office. Such changes require the approval of the program committee chairperson (at later stages, of the thesis committee chairperson), and the other members of the program or thesis committee. Final approval also requires the signature of the chairperson of the Department of Political Science/Criminal Justice Program (or the Graduate Coordinator acting on the Chair's behalf) and the dean of the Graduate School.

A common oversight is failure by students and their advisors to file a dissertation title as a "change of program" where the program originally indicated only the intended general area of the dissertation. Such changes should be officially recorded as soon as the title has become specific and has the approval of the thesis committee. Please provide the Graduate Secretary with a copy of all documents submitted or for any changes requested. Any later alterations in a formally approved and recorded title must also be treated as a program change and made part of the official record by processing the usual forms.

During her/his second semester of residence, the student shall form a preliminary examination committee. (Note that this committee may be different from the M.A. committee if the student is coming from this program.) At the end of her/his fourth semester, the student should take preliminary examinations (see pages 12-13). After successful passage of the preliminary examination the student is admitted to candidacy (ABD status). In the semester following preliminary exams, Ph.D. students who have received their M.A. from a different institution are required to defend a dissertation prospectus (see pages 13-14). Normally, the last year of graduate study is devoted entirely to the preparation and defense of the dissertation.

Hour Requirements

48 semester hours (includes those from the M.A.);
at least 34 graded graduate credit hours;
no more than three 300 or 400 levels classes in Graduate School Program Statement;
at least 20 hours of 800 dissertation credits, usually taken during the dissertation phase, when coursework is completed;
for students new to the program, Pol S 539, 1 credit pass/fail practicum.

A. POLITICAL SCIENCE TRACK

Course Requirements

There are three different types of course requirements for the Ph.D. program: Research Tools; Core Courses; and Preliminary Examination Fields. Students should thoroughly familiarize themselves with the overall structure of the program as well as the specific course requirements of each area before discussing their course plans with the graduate advisor their first semester. The Research Tool courses are intended to provide the student with a well grounded background in the scope and methods of the social sciences. There are five Core Course areas: American Politics and Institutions; Comparative Politics; Criminal Justice; International Relations; and, Public Administration and Policy. The purpose of the core seminars is to provide a broad background in the general areas of Political Science and Criminal Justice. Preliminary Examination Field courses are designed to allow students to specialize in areas of particular interest and to prepare students for preliminary examination.

RESEARCH TOOLS
All Ph.D. candidates must take these classes. Students are not allowed to transfer-in courses or do independent reading classes as a substitute. Any exceptions to these rules must be approved by the Graduate Coordinator and the student's Committee, if it is formed.

Pol S 539: Professionalization Practicum 1 credit Pass/Fail (Continuing students from the M.A. program who have already satisfied this requirement are exempted.)

Pol S 501: The Scope of Political Science Basic issues in social science epistemology, elements of social science theory-building, theoretic frameworks in social science. Offered every Fall.

Pol S 503: Introduction to Political Science Research Methods Introduction to general topics in the area of social science research design including: Measurement, Sampling, Data Sources, Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs, Field and Historical Designs and Content Analytic Designs. Offered every Spring.

Crm J/Pol S 504: Quantitative Methods in Political Science and Criminal Justice 3 Prereq introductory statistics course. Applied statistical skills, enabling understanding of substantive political and social questions.

Political Theory Requirement: Students are required to complete a basic training in normative political theory. It is strongly recommended that students take one of the graduate seminars in normative theory offered by the department, Pol S 502 and 511 (please note: these courses may not be offered every year, so you should check future schedules with Diane Berger). Two courses in theory and/or epistemology at the undergraduate level may be used to fulfill this requirement; other equivalents may be used upon approval of both the Ph.D. committee and the graduate director. Please note: it is the responsibility of the student to make sure that any courses to be used in fulfillment of this requirement have the necessary approbation.

CORE COURSES
All Ph.D. students must normally take three (out of five) of the following core seminars:

Pol S 510: Introduction to American Institutions and Processes
Pol S 530: Theoretical Approaches to International Relations
Pol S 534: Seminar in Comparative Politics
Crm J 530: Criminal Justice: Processes and Institutions
Pol S 514 or Pol S 540: Seminar in Public Policy or Seminar in Public Administration

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