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Course of Study

Political Science majors should consult regularly with their academic adviser to develop a plan of study that is tailored to their individual circumstances.

The M.A. in Political Science is 36 credits, 12 of which have to be in the Department’s core courses: Political Science 505, 613, 630 and 638. The other 24 credits are electives. The program is designed to be completed in two years. Students have the choice of taking the Department’s written comprehensive exam or writing a master’s thesis. The comprehensive exam is a two-hour written exam in two of the four subfields of political science (political theory, international relations, comparative politics and American politics – the four areas covered by the core courses listed above). Students who choose to write an M.A. thesis take 30 credits of coursework (including the four core courses) and two courses of thesis work spread over two semesters.