Degrees
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Candidates for the M.A. may elect either a thesis option, which requires 30 hours of graduate course work plus a thesis, or a non-thesis option, which requires 33 graduate hours and a bibliographic essay. M.A. students also must take 9 credits in a particular area of study (American Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Analysis, Political Theory, or another area approved by the Graduate Director). The M.A. program usually takes two years to complete.
MA Information
- MA Thesis Guidelines (pdf file, 18K size
- Blibliographic Essay(pdf file, 225K size)
- Grievance Policy (pdf file)
Degree Plans
- MA Degree Plan I (Word file, 8K size)
- MA Degree Plan II (Word file, 8K size)
- Normal Progress Toward the MA degree (pdf file, 13K size)
Ph.D.
The Ph.D. requires a minimum of 48 hours of course work, including M.A. work; written comprehensive examination in two subfields and the successful defense of a dissertation. The doctoral degree usually takes an additional two years beyond the M.A., although some complete the M.A. and Ph.D. within four years.
PhD Information
- PhD Degree Plan Fall 2017 and Beyond (pdf file, 134K size)
- Normal Progress PhD Fall 2017 and Beyond (pdf file, 124K size)
- Grievance Policy (pdf file)
Comprehensive Exam Information
- Comprehensive Exam Application (pdf file, 7K size)
- Comprehensive Exam Grade Report (pdf file, 4K size)