M.A. in Political Science

We consider an application only after all of the relevant information is on hand. Be sure to complete your on-line application for admission from the Graduate School also. Please complete the following to facilitate our admission process:

• A form, "Reviewer Comments to Supplement Application for Admission," from 3 professors or others who are qualified to speak to your academic activities and potential.
• A brief (one-page) statement, outlining your career objectives and areas of interest in political science or criminal justice.
• An official copy of your GRE scores sent to our department.

In order for your application to be considered for admission, all application materials, including recommendation forms and official GRE scores, must be sent to the Department of Political Science by February 1 for fall admission and by November 1 for spring admission. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.

The successful master’s candidate will be able to step into a variety of administrative, teaching, or research positions.

Admission Information

To be eligible for admission to regular student status, the student must:

1. have at least a B (3.00 on a 4.00 scale) grade point average in the last 60 hours of the student's graded undergraduate work, from a recognized college or university
       OR
   at least 12 semester hours of approved course work from recognized graduate schools with at least a B grade point average;
2. submit an official copy of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal and quantitative);
3. submit a form, "Reviewer Comments to Supplement Application for Admission," from 3 academic referees or others who are qualified to speak to the student's academic activities and potential;
4. submit a brief (1- to 2-page) statement, outlining areas of interest in political science and the student's career objectives.

Requirements for Master's Degree in Political Science

The M.A. candidate must be enrolled, at a minimum, in either: a) 2 semesters; b) 2 regular semesters and one summer session; or c) 3 regular semesters, depending upon course load.

In general M.A. candidates choose their courses from the following areas:

• American Institutions and Processes,
• Comparative and International Politics, and
• Administration, Justice, Applied Policy Studies.

And more specifically:

• Public Law,
• Political Theory,
• Public Policy Studies,
• Public Administration,
• Criminal Justice,
• Political Psychology, and
• Gender, Justice and Politics.

Hours: 32 hours are required for the master of arts degree.

Of those 32 hours:

• 27 hours shall be graded graduate credit course work;
• 24 hours shall be graded political science course work, no more than 6 hours of which shall be 300- or 400-level courses which provide graduate credit in their program statement to the graduate school;
• Political Science 501 and 503;
• a minimum of 4 hours shall be in Political Science 702;
• Pol S 599 1 credit Pass/Fail Professionalization Practicum.

Note that students who plan on applying to the Ph.D. program should design, as much as possible, their coursework to fulfill requirements for the Ph.D.

Statistics Course: Students who have not previously taken a course in statistics will be required to complete at least 3 semester hours in that field.

Master’s Essay: Students are required to write a master's essay, which will be developed in cooperation with the student advisory committee. The work for this essay should be roughly equivalent to the work for a 3-credit graduate seminar.

Oral Exam: At least 15 working days prior to the examination date, the master's candidate shall provide each member of the examining committee with a final draft of the master's essay. The oral examination will feature a defense of the master's essay and can also cover the entirety of the candidate's program.