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MA in Political Science

Chapter 6 Graduate Program Requirements/Course Descriptions
College of Liberal and Fine Arts

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND GEOGRAPHY

Master of Arts Degree in Political Science

The Master of Arts degree in Political Science is a professional degree designed to provide students with skills in acquiring and analyzing data on political behavior within societies, the relationship between data and theory, the interplay between politics and economics, and the basis of divergent theoretical perspectives. Students may choose to specialize in one of four areas: American government, international politics, political economy, or political theory and public law. Students choosing the specialization in American government may focus in one of two sub-fields: American institutions and processes (furthering career possibilities in the three branches of government, bureaucracy, or nongovernmental arena) where students focus on legislative and executive structures and processes, or political communications and behavior (leading to possible careers in public opinion polling; political campaign management; consulting; advertising; print or broadcast political journalism; or public relations and affairs) where students take coursework in political psychology, campaigns, and media and politics. Students choosing the specialization in international politics (leading to possible careers in comparative analysis and international relations in the public and private sectors) may acquire the skills to compare political systems and behavior in different countries, and to analyze the way governments and international organization interact in the global political arena. Students choosing the specialization in political economy (leading to possible careers in public or private sectors of domestic or international business and government) have the opportunity to acquire detailed knowledge and skills in a variety of areas, including political economy, business and labor, and budgeting and finance in the public sector. Students specializing in political theory and public law (leading to possible careers in teaching or judicial systems) focus on courses in political philosophy, jurisprudence, and law and politics. All specializations further students’ preparation for additional graduate or professional education.

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Program Admission Requirements. To qualify for unconditional admission, applicants must satisfy University-wide graduate admission requirements, submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, have completed 18 hours in upperdivision undergraduate or graduate-level courses in political science or related fields, have a 3.0 grade point average in the last 60 hours of undergraduate and graduate work, and be accepted by the Graduate Program Committee. There is no minimum GRE score below which applicants will be automatically disqualified. Applicants who do not meet the above requirements for unconditional admission will be considered for admission under the condition that they take specific courses and achieve specific grades. Students may also be admitted as special graduate students. Admission as a special graduate student does not guarantee subsequent admission as a degree-seeking graduate student. These students must reapply for degree-seeking status.

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Degree Requirements. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for the degree, exclusive of coursework or other study required to remove deficiencies and courses in foreign languages, is 36. Admission to the program may require students without a basic foundation in statistics and/or social science research methods to complete an undergraduate-level course in one of those areas before enrolling in POL 5013 Research Methods. Students selecting the political economy and the international politics specializations are required to demonstrate reading proficiency in a foreign language through a written examination or by receiving an "A" or "B" in a foreign language course.

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Degree candidates must complete

A. 12 semester credit hours of core courses

POL 5003 Political Inquiry
POL 5013 Research Methods

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Plus 6 semester hours from the following:

POL 5023 Political Economy
POL 5043 International Politics
POL 5063 Political Philosophy
POL 5153 American Government and Politics

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B. 18 semester credit hours (for the Master’s thesis) or 21 semester credit hours (for the Master’s essay) of designated elective courses in consultation with the faculty advisor. Students may receive up to 6 semester credit hours for courses taken outside of political science after consultation with their advisor.

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C. Students specializing in American government must complete POL 5153 and at least 9 semester credit hours from courses numbered 5100-5199; 5400-5499; or other courses with permission of advisor.

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For a concentration in Political Communication and Behavior, students must complete POL 5033 and at least 6 semester credit hours from the following:

POL 5403 Topics in Political Communications and Behavior
POL 5413 Political Psychology
POL 5423 Campaign Management and Consulting
POL 5433 Electoral Behavior
POL 5443 Polling and Survey Research Techniques

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For a concentration in American Institutions and Processes, students must complete POL 5163 and at least 6 semester credit hours from the following:

POL 5103 Topics in American Politics
POL 5133 Ethnic and Gender Politics
POL 5503 Constitutional Law and Judicial Decision-Making
POL 5173 Policy Process
POL 5183 Congress
POL 5193 Presidency

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D. Students specializing in international politics must complete POL 5043 and at least 9 semester credit hours from the following:

POL 5303 Topics in Comparative and International Politics
POL 5703 American Foreign Policy
POL 5713 Comparative Political Systems
POL 5723 International Organizations
POL 5733 Political Actors and Systems in Latin America
POL 5743 Electoral Systems in the Americas
POL 5903 Political Geography
PAD 5653 Public Policy and Public Administration in Latin America
PAD 5663 Development Administration

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E. Students specializing in political economy must complete POL 5023 and at least 9 semester credit hours from the following:

POL 5803 Topics in Political Economy
POL 5813 Principles of Economic Governance
POL 5823 Political Economy of the Americas
POL 5833 Business and Labor in U.S. Politics
ECO 5303 International Trade and Finance
POL 5903 Political Geography
PAD 5363 Public Sector Financial Management

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F. Students specializing in political theory and public law must complete POL 5063 and at least 9 semester credit hours from the following:

POL 5203 Topics in Political Theory
POL 5223 Issues in Contemporary Political Theory
POL 5503 Constitutional Law and Judicial Decision-Making
POL 5523 Litigation Politics
POL 6103 Seminar in Theories of Politics and Law

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G. Students must complete the core course requirements within their first 18 hours of coursework. Students must complete at least 21 hours of coursework and maintain a 3.0 grade point average before they may enroll in POL 6983 Master's Thesis (6 semester credit hours) or POL 6993 Master's Essay (3 semester credit hours).

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