Courses You Will Take

At the beginning of the graduate program, you must consult with the advisor to develop degree plans in accord with your needs and goals.

The degree requires a minimum of 30 hours, at least 15 of which must be earned in political science courses at the 600 level. The 600-level courses must include POLS 625 Research Methods in Political Science and at least three additional 600 level courses in at least two subfields of the discipline chosen in conjunction with your advisor.

Subfields include:

• American politics
• Comparative politics/international relations
• Public policy/administration

The university research and writing requirement can be met in one of four ways: a thesis for 6 hours of credit, a research paper for 3 hours of credit, a creative project for either 3 or 6 hours of credit, or satisfactory completion of POLS 626 Research Seminar.