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Master of Arts in Political Science

CURRICULUM and Sample Syllabi from recent semesters

Students in the Political Science MA Program may choose from one of two curriculums: American Government or International Relations/Comparative Politics. Each curriculum consists of four parts: required courses, concentration courses, options, and electives.

Required Courses: PS 5000 - Scope and Methods and PS 5050 Research Methods are required in each curriculum A prerequisite for PS 5050 Research Methods is an undergraduate statistics course. If your undergraduate transcript does not indicate that you have had such a course, you must take one prior to enrolling in PS 5050. Each concentration also requires one or two additional courses appropriate to the particular curriculum.

Concentration Courses: Six to nine semester hours of concentration courses are required for each curriculum, however, a student may take more than the minimum. Courses in this category are selected in consultation with the MA Director.

Options: Students must choose from one of three options. They may write a thesis, complete an internship, or complete a directed research course. Students who plan to pursue further graduate work at the Ph.D. level are strongly encouraged to write a thesis.

Electives: The remainder of the student’s required 33 or 36 semester hours consists of elective courses selected in consultation with the MA Director. These hours may be chosen from among those listed in the concentration courses, from other courses in the PS/CJ Department, or from appropriate graduate courses in other departments.

American Politics Curriculum (pdf 9kb)

International Relations/Comparative Politics Curriculum (pdf 9kb)

 

EXAMPLES OF OUR GRADUATE COURSE SYLLABI