Department of Political Science

M.A. Requirements

• Required Policy Core (12 hours)
  • P.S. 330 Public Policy Analysis
    
  • P.S. 430 Seminar in American Policy Process
    
  • P.S. 435 Seminar in Public Policy Evaluation Research
    
  • P.S. 439 Seminar in Policy Analysis

• Elective Courses (9 hours)
  • P.S. 336 Politics of Agenda Setting
    
  • P.S. 438 Policy Implementation
    
  • P.S. 310 Intergovernmental Relations
    
  • P.S. 429 State and Local Government
    
  • P.S. 410 Judicial Politics, Policy, and Law
    
  • P.S. 491 Advanced Study: American Policy Topics
    
    • Economic Policy
      
    • Social Welfare Policy
      
    • Environmental Policy
      
    • Criminal Law Policy
      
    • Civil Rights Policy
      
    • Energy Policy
      
  • P.S. 491 Advanced Study: American Politics Topics
    
    • Congress
      
    • Presidency
      
    • Interest Groups
      
    • Political Parties and Electoral Processes

• Research Methods (9 hours)
  • P.S. 300 Introduction to Policy Research
    
  • P.S. 400 Quantitative Methods in Public Policy
    
  • P.S. 401 Advanced Quantitative Methods

• Economics (6 hours)
  • Econ. 211 Microeconomics
    
  • Econ. 2__ Econ. Elective

• Required Policy Core (12 hours)
  • P.S. 330 Public Policy Analysis
    
  • P.S. 360 International Public Policy Analysis
    
  • P.S. 435 Seminar in Public Policy Evaluation Research
    
  • P.S. 439 Seminar in Policy Analysis

• Elective Courses (9 hours)
  • P.S. 351 Politics of Planned Development
    
  • P.S. 355 Comparative Public Policy
    
  • P.S. 462 Comparative Foreign Policy Analysis
    
  • P.S. 464 U.S. Foreign Policy Analysis
    
  • P.S. 468 National Security Policy

• Other Electives:
  • Econ. 250 International Economics
    
  • Econ. 350 Advanced International Economics
    
  • Econ. 213 Economic Development
    
  • AGEC. 342 International Agricultural Economic Development
    
  • AGEC. 453 Resources in Trade and Development

• Research Methods (9 hours)
  • P.S. 300 Introduction to Policy Research
    
  • P.S. 400 Quantitative Methods in Public Policy
    
  • P.S. 401 Advanced Quantitative Methods

• Economics (6 hours)
  • Econ. 211 Microeconomics
    
  • Econ. 2__ Econ. Elective

With the exception of students opting to write a masters thesis, all M.A. students must complete P.S. 439 Seminar in Policy Analysis in which the student is required to design and implement a systematic empirical analysis concerning some theoretical issue or policy problem. Although not nearly as long as a masters thesis, this paper should be viewed as comparable to a journal article, conference paper, or government policy report. It should thus be about twenty to thirty pages in length, and should consider each stage in the research process.

Students also have available to them a Thesis Option. Students who choose the thesis option are expected to enroll in P.S. 480 Thesis, which carries six hours credit. M.A. students who expect to go on to the Ph.D. degree with the intention of teaching, may wish to choose the thesis option since the thesis could serve as a base for future research at the dissertation level. Students opting for the thesis option will work with a 3-person faculty committee, chaired by a principal advisor, who is responsible for guiding the student in all aspects of the thesis. An oral examination on the thesis follows its completion.

A final oral examination and defense of the P.S. 439 paper is required for the M.A. in Public Policy. Students must have all incomplete grades removed with the exception of P.S. 439 before taking the oral examination. The examining committee consists of two faculty from the Department of Political Science and one from outside the department. Selection of the outside member should be made by the student in consultation with his or her chair. All MA candidates are responsible for coordinating their examinations with their advisors early in their fourth semester of study.