Each student will complete a minimum of 39 credits, as follows:
METHODS SEQUENCE: (10 credits)
- 801: Scope and Methods in Political Science (1st semester) (1 credit) (Pass/Fail)
- 815: Introduction to Statistical Methods for Political Science (1st semester) (3 credits)
- 816: Philosophy of Science and Research Design (2nd semester) (3 credits)
In addition, one of the following courses:
- 817: Statistical Methods for Political Science II (3 credits)
- 819: Qualitative Methods for Social Science (3 credits)
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: (3-6 credits)
Skills Requirement (one of the following):
- Competency in a foreign language (0 credits)
- 812 Proseminar in Political Theory (if not chosen as primary field) (3 credits)
- Additional methods course (may be quantitative or qualitative course not taken for the Methods Sequence, or a course from outside the department or participation in a research methods workshop) (3 credits)
One Proseminar (not in primary field) (3 credits):
- 803 Proseminar in American Politics
- 809 Proseminar in Comparative Politics
- 812 Proseminar in Political Theory (may count for Skills also if primary field is not Political Theory)
- 825 Proseminar in International Relations
PRIMARY FIELD REQUIREMENTS: (15 credits)
For courses counting towards the respective fields, see below.
Primary Field (15 credits: proseminar plus 12 credits of electives):
- Students must complete the proseminar in their primary field
- Students must complete four additional courses in their primary field
CRISP, ELECTIVE AND OTHER COURSES: (8-11 credits)
Students must take Current Research in the Study of Politics (CRISP – POSC 850) which is a one-credit pass/fail class each spring of their first two years. In addition, students must take elective courses (two or three, depending on the means by which the skills requirement is fulfilled) to bring their total credits to 39.
Students may take no more than one 3-credit independent study in their first two years of coursework. In order to do so, students need to submit to the Director of Graduate Studies a written request and a course design for review and approval. Elective courses may include six credits taken outside the Department with the prior approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. In addition, each semester additional courses (POSC 867s) may be offered and may count toward one or another field or as an elective and as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
MA WRITING REQUIREMENT: (0 credits)
Students not moving further into the PhD program will prepare a major research paper, usually one written for one of their graduate seminars. The Department understands a "major research paper" to be one which speaks to an important and well-defined topic, demonstrates mastery of the pertinent literature, strives to make an original contribution to knowledge, and is presented in a coherent and professional manner. In meeting this requirement, students are to identify an appropriate academic journal and write the paper as if they were preparing a manuscript for submission to that journal. This research paper is to be handed in to the professor for whom the paper was originally written, or a professor of the student's choosing, in May of the second year, as part of the completion of the MA requirements. It is the prerogative of that professor to determine whether the student's work meets the test of this definition. Students will register for POSC 899 Research Paper for Master of Arts (0 credits) in the spring of their second year to facilitate completion of this requirement. MA Students who wish to pursue a PhD must notify the Director of Graduate Studies no later than January 15, of their intention. (For students pursuing a PhD, this major research paper is the Long Paper, and a different procedure applies. See Long Paper description below.)
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