Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.)

The new MPA program will be accepting applications for the Fall 2009 semester. The new program website is available now, which details the new curriculum and admissions aspects of the program. Please contact Dr. Yuasa, Graduate Coordinator for the MPA Program, if you are interested in applying or want to know more about the new MPA program. 

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Candidates for the M.A. may elect either a thesis option, which requires 30 hours of graduate course work plus a thesis, or a non-thesis option, which requires 33 graduate hours and a bibliographic essay. The M.A. program usually takes two years to complete.

There are two plans under which graduate students can earn a Master of Art’s degree: Plan I, which requires 30 hours of coursework and 6 hours of Master’s thesis hours; and Plan II, which requires 33 hours of coursework and 3 hours of Bibliographic Essay hours. Master’s students in Political Science are encouraged to plan their studies based on one of four Concentrations: American Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Analysis, and Political Theory. Each of these is described below. Students may also create their own Concentration with the permission of the graduate director. Other graduate level political science courses outside the Concentration may be used as electives for the remaining hours. Students should submit a degree plan form and declare their concentration by the time they have completed 9 hours of course work.

Ph.D.

The Ph.D. requires a minimum of 48 hours of course work, including M.A. work; written comprehensive examination in three subfields, one of which must be American politics; and the successful defense of a dissertation. The doctoral degree usually takes an additional two years beyond the M.A., although some complete the M.A. and Ph.D. within three years.