Graduate Studies

Political Science
2023-2024

Please refer to the Political Science graduate program section for information including departmental contact information, list of graduate faculty members, program description, and course descriptions.

Bachelor of 艺术 in Political Science/Master of 艺术 in Political Science

Requirements for Enrollment
  • 最少3个.25 cumulative GPA
  • 最少3个.25专业GPA
  • 写作样本
  • Three letters of recommendation, two of which must be academic references
Integrated Degree Program Description

Students in the integrated program are allowed to use nine semester hours of B-level courses to satisfy both the Bachelor of 艺术 degree and Master of 艺术 degree in Political Science. The following courses may be used: POLS 400G/B, POLS 410 g / B, POLS 411 g / B, POLS 440 g / B, POLS 446 g / B, POLS 447 g / B, POLS 448 g / B, POLS 451 g / B, POLS 454 g / B, POLS 465 g / B, POLS 484 g / B, POLS 490 g / B, POLS 493 g / B, POLS 494 g / B, POLS 546 b, POLS 553 b, POLS 558 b, POLS 563 b, POLS 568 b.

Integrated Degree Requirements

I. Core Courses: 12 s.h.

Students must take at least one course in each of the following categories:

A. POLS 493 g / B Seminar in Organization Theory and Behavior (3)
or
POLS 546/546B Public Administration (3)

B. POLS 563/563B Seminar in American Politics (3)
or
POLS 583 Seminar in American Political Thought (3)

C. POLS 558/558B Scope and Methods of Political Science (3)

D. POLS 568/568B Comparative Government and Politics* (3)
or
POLS 553/553B International Relations* (3)

E. POLS 603 Comprehensive Examination (0)

*Students choosing the Comparative Politics and International Relations specialization must take both POLS 553 and POLS 568 to satisfy core requirements and 9 sh in area of specialization.

II. Select one of the following exit options: 18 s.h.

A. 论文

Area of Specialization (12)
POLS 600 论文 Research (3)
POLS 601 论文 (3)

B. 两个纸

Area of Specialization (12)
选修课(6)
POLS 604 Political Science Papers (0)

TOTAL PROGRAM: 30 s.h.

Theses and the two papers must be defended before a committee of three faculty members selected by the student and approved by the chair of the Graduate Committee. For the two-paper option, at least one paper must be in the area of specialization.

Up to six semester hours (at least three of which must be at the 500 level) may be taken outside the department for graduate credit if approved by the chairperson of the Departmental Graduate Committee. Each student may take a maximum of three semester hours in POLS 501, Independent Study. Additional hours in POLS 501 may be taken only by petitioning the Departmental Graduate Committee.

To satisfy the requirements for the M.A. degree, a student must pass a comprehensive exam in his/her area of specialization (POLS 603). The department will administer the comprehensive exams three times a year. Students must pass both parts of the comprehensive exam by the second attempt. Students failing to do so will be removed from the program. In a case where the student believes that extraordinary circumstances prevented him/her from passing the exam on the second attempt, the student may petition the department graduate committee requesting a third attempt. The petition should identify the precise circumstances justifying an exception to the two-attempt rule.