Master of Arts in Political Science curriculum
Major fields/concentrations of study
The following are the course requirements for the major fields or concentrations offered in the political science M.A. program. Each major consists of general requirements, concentration electives, other electives and an essay or thesis.
American politics
This concentration requires a minimum of 33 credits.
General requirements (seven credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5630 | Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science I | 4 |
| PS 7660 | Research Methods in Policy and Politics | 3 |
Concentration requirements (six credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 7030 | American Political Processes | 3 |
| PS 7040 | American Governmental Institutions | 3 |
Concentration electives (six credits)
May include one of the concentration requirements
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5030 | African American Politics | 4 |
| PS 5040 | Religion and Politics | 3 |
| PS 5110 | Constitutional Law | 4 |
| PS 5120 | Constitutional Rights and Liberties | 4 |
| PS 6010 | Political Psychology | 3 |
| PS 6020 | Intergovernmental Relations and American Federalism | 3 |
| PS 6050 | Class, Race and Politics in America | 3 |
| PS 6860 | American Foreign Policy | 3 |
| PS 7010 | The New Institutionalism | 3 |
| PS 7410 | Policy Formation and Implementation | 3 |
Electives outside concentration
Students should select courses from other fields of political science to complement the concentration. Courses taken as concentration electives cannot be double-counted to meet this requirement.
Thesis or essay
Under Plan A the student writes a thesis (PS 8999 for eight credits). Under Plan B the student writes an essay (PS 7999 for three credits).
Comparative politics
This concentration requires a minimum of 33 credits.
General requirements (seven credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5630 | Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science I | 4 |
| PS 7660 | Research Methods in Policy and Politics | 3 |
Concentration requirements (six credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 7710 | Seminar in Comparative Politics | 3 |
| PS 7711 | Advanced Seminar in Comparative Politics | 3 |
Comparative politics electives (nine credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5999 | Special Topics: Field Research/Mexico | 3 |
| PS 7711 | Advanced Seminar in Comparative Politics (may be taken more than once when offered on different topics) | 3 |
| PS 7720 | Comparative Politics of Advanced Industrial Democracies | 3 |
| PS 7730 | Comparative Politics of Developing Countries | 3 |
| PS 7740 | Comparative Political Economy | 3 |
| PS 7810 | Seminar in World Politics | 3 |
Electives outside concentration
Students should select courses from other fields of political science to complement the concentration. Courses taken as concentration electives cannot be double-counted to meet this requirement.
Thesis or essay
Under Plan A the student writes a thesis (PS 8999 for eight credits). Under Plan B the student writes an essay (PS 7999 for three credits).
Political theory
This concentration requires a minimum of 33 credits.
General requirements (seven credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5630 | Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science I | 4 |
| PS 7660 | Research Methods in Policy and Politics | 3 |
Concentration requirements (six credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 7550 | Topics in the History of Political Thought | 3 |
| PS 7560 | Contemporary Political and Social Theory | 3 |
Concentration electives (nine credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5560 | Biopolitics | 4 |
| PS 5999 | Special Topics: Politics of Science Fiction | 3 |
| PS 7550 | Topics in the History of Political Thought (may be taken more than once for credit when topic is different) | 3 |
| PS 7580 | Political Theory of Public Law | 3 |
Electives outside concentration
Students should select courses from other fields of political science to complement the concentration. Courses taken as concentration electives cannot be double-counted to meet this requirement.
Thesis or essay
Under Plan A the student writes a thesis (PS 8999 for eight credits). Under Plan B the student writes an essay (PS 7999 for three credits).
Public administration
Visit our master's in public administration for more information.
Public policy
This concentration requires a minimum of 34 credits.
General requirements (seven credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5630 | Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science I | 4 |
| PS 7660 | Research Methods in Policy and Politics | 3 |
Concentration requirements (nine credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 7410 | Policy Formation and Implementation | 3 |
| PS 7480 | Policy Analysis for Administration | 3 |
| PS 6640 | Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science II | 3 |
Concentration electives (minimum of nine credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 7300 | Public Administration and its Environment | 3 |
| PS 7330 | Public Budgeting and Finance | 3 |
| PS 7240 | Urban Public Policy | 3 |
| PS 7460 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
| PS 7470 | Comparative Public Policy | 3 |
Electives outside concentration (six credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5560 | Biopolitics | 4 |
| PS 6860 | American Foreign Policy | 4 |
| PS 6020 | Intergovernmental Relations and American Federalism | 3 |
| PS 7040 | American Governmental Institutions: Congress and the Courts | |
| ECO 5000 | Microeconomics | 4 |
Thesis or essay
Under Plan A the student writes a thesis (PS 8999 for eight credits). Under Plan B the student writes an essay (PS 7999 for three credits).
Urban politics
This concentration requires a minimum of 33 credits.
General requirements (seven credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5630 | Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science I | 4 |
| PS 7660 | Research Methods in Policy and Politics | 3 |
Concentration requirements (six credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 7210 | Approaches to the Study of Urban Politics | 3 |
| PS 7240 | Urban Public Policy | 3 |
Concentration electives (nine credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5030 | African American Politics | 4 |
| PS 6020 | Intergovernmental Relations and American Federalism | 3 |
| PS 6440 | Regional, State and Urban Economic Development | 3 |
| PS 7250 | Seminar in Urban Administration | 3 |
| PS 7330 | Public Budgeting and Finance | 3 |
Electives outside concentration
Students may take courses in American politics, comparative politics, political theory, public policy or world politics. Alternatively, in consultation with the director of graduate studies, students may take courses in other departments as long as the courses are logically related to the program of study.
Thesis or essay
Under Plan A the student writes a thesis (PS 8999 for eight credits). Under Plan B the student writes an essay (PS 7999 for three credits).
World politics
This concentration requires a minimum of 33 credits.
General requirements (seven credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 7660 | Research Methods in Policy and Politics | 3 |
| PS 5630 | Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science I | 3 |
Concentration requirements (six credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 7810 | Seminar in World Politics | 3 |
| PS 7811 | Advanced Seminar in World Politics | 3 |
Concentration electives (nine credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PS 5850 | Human Rights | 3 |
| PS 5855 | International Law | 3 |
| PS 5860 | Conflict in the Nuclear Age | 3 |
| PS 5999 | Special Topics: International Prosecution of State Actors | 3 |
| PS 6100 | Introduction to Graduate Peace and Security Studies | 3 |
| PS 6830 | Civil War and Conflict Processes | 3 |
| PS 6850 | International Organizations | 3 |
| PS 6860 | American Foreign Policy | 3 |
| PS 6870 | US Foreign Relations Law | 3 |
| PS 7710 | Seminar in Comparative Politics | 3 |
| PS 7711 | Advanced Seminar in Comparative Politics (depending on the topic) | 3 |
Electives outside concentration
Students should select courses from other fields of political science to complement the concentration. Courses taken as concentration electives cannot be double-counted to meet this requirement.
Thesis or essay
Under Plan A the student writes a thesis (PS 8999 for eight credits). Under Plan B the student writes an essay (PS 7999 for three credits).