Mainframe and desk top computer facilities are available to all graduate students. In addition to facilities provided by the University, the department maintains a omputer laboratory next to the graduate assistant offices on the third floor of Woodburn Hall. Other computer work stations are available in the general office complex of the Department of Political Science or scattered throughout the University.
As students progress through their academic program, they are given instruction on computer hardware, software, and in statistical techniques appropriate in policy analysis and political science. All computer and statistical services used in graduate student research are offered free of charge, with the exception of the paper used for printing text. All students are also provided a personalized account for electronic mail and connection to the Internet.
The department offers routine secretarial assistance to graduate assistants who are assigned independent teaching responsibilities. This includes the duplication of syllabi, tests, and other teaching materials. In addition, the secretarial staff will provide telephone and message services, duplication of job placement aterials, assistance in grant applications, and other services as appropriate to all graduate students.
The department will provide complete copying service and office supplies required by graduate assistants in teaching their own course. All graduate students also have access to copying and office supplies to support research for conference presentation or publication. Specific requests for these services should be made through the Director of Graduate Studies or the student's research supervisor to the Office Manager. The department will not provide paper, pens, legal tablets, or other supplies for routine student use, nor it will provide routine copying ervices. The nature of the maintenance contract on the photocopy equipment also precludes individual payment for copies made by students.
Graduate teaching assistants will be assigned office space that will permit individual conferences with students enrolled in their classes. Graduate research assistants will be assigned offices or desks appropriate to their specific research activity. Although office and desk space is limited, the department will make an effort to accommodate all graduate students with office or desk space that is conducive to strong academic performance and professional development.
The department provides telephone service for all graduate assistants for local calls only. Any long-distance use must be cleared by the Office Manager.
All graduate students are assigned a mailbox on the third floor of Woodburn Hall next to the Seminar Room (Room 306E). Students should check their boxes daily for notices, messages, and personal mail. Students are expected to assume all costs of personal correspondence. Use of the department's mailing services is confined to official correspondence and is only rarely authorized by the department. Students engaging in mail survey research may request support from the department. Such requests should be made through the student's research supervisor.
The University provides limited travel support for Ph.D. students conducting research. Applications for this support (Doctoral Student Travel Program Application) may be obtained from the department and may be submitted at any time. The maximum award is $350. This support may be used for data collection, travel to present a paper at a professional conference, or other appropriate esearch activity.
The University provides financial support for dissertation research, including data collection, data analysis, printing, or other expenses. The maximum amount of any award is $700.
The West Virginia University Library contains over a million volumes and 900,000 microforms. Some 30,000 volumes are added each year, and 9,000 periodical titles are received. Graduate students have full access to university libraries and are issued an encoded Library Card.
Students in the public policy program have the opportunity to become associated as a graduate assistant with various research units at the University. These nstitutes operate separately from the department and select their own personnel, including graduate assistants. Research institutes which hire graduate assistants include:
Research and Training Center
West Virginia University
PO Box 6122
Morgantown, WV 26506-6122
Telephone: (304) 293-5313
Although students entering the public policy program are targeting a variety of careers, both academic and applied, a common requirement of all fields is the ability to conduct primary research. This ability involves a capacity to design a research project (including defining a research question), collecting data, data analysis, and writing, reporting, and presentation. In order to perfect these skills, graduate students are expected to prepare papers for presentation at local, state, and national conferences. The faculty will guide students in this important aspect of their professional development, often collaborating with students, and providing advice on the proper course to follow in presenting research. Students should seek opportunities to present their research, either singly or as co-authors with other students, or in collaboration with faculty. The most common research presentation experiences available to students at West Virginia University include department-sponsored colloquia, the annual m eeting of the West Virginia Political Science Association, and the annual meetings of the Southern, Midwest, and American Political Science Associations, as well as various other regional conferences and specialized meetings such as the annual meeting of the International Studies Association. This process should begin early in one's course of study.
Ideally such conference paper presentation should be seen as a prelude to publication. Students are strongly encouraged to make publication the final goal of these extensive research activities. Publication in professional journals is generally perceived as the single most influential factor in enhancing placement of students in professional and academic positions.
The department provides the opportunity for students to receive advanced training at national summer institutes at the University of Michigan and Ohio State University. The University of Michigan annually provides training in advanced statistical techniques for students who wish to improve their statistical skills and enhance their general professional development.
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