MA in Political Science
The Master of Arts degree in Political Science is designed to prepare
students for further graduate work in political science and for a
variety of positions in teaching, public service, and business. The
Department of Political Science offers graduate courses in several
areas of the discipline, including international relations, comparative
politics, American government, political theory, public administration,
research methods, public law, and public policy.
MA Handbook
(PDF)
Admission Requirements
Prerequisites to Admission
Prospective students seeking full status admission (non-restricted)
must have completed 12 semester hours of undergraduate course work
in political science. Full status is rarely granted to students with
less than a 3.00 (on a 4.00 point scale) undergraduate grade point
average.
It is highly recommended that students also have one year of a foreign
language (equivalent to eight semester hours) and a course in basic
statistics (equivalent to Statistics 101) before entering the program.
Application Requirements
The application deadline for fall admission is May 1 and the deadline
for spring admission is October 1. The fall deadline for students
wishing to be considered for a fellowship is January 1. Fellowships
are not generally awarded to students entering in the spring.
Instructions -
How to apply
Go to this link
Degree Requirements
Program of Study Committee
The Director of Graduate Education will assist incoming students in
outlining an academic program of study and in constituting a Program
of Study Committee. This Committee, which ordinarily consists of two
member of the Graduate Faculty in Political Science and one member
of the Graduate Faculty from another department, should be selected
during a student's second semester in residence. If the Committee
is not in place by the end of a student's second semester, the Chair
of the Department is authorized to appoint a Committee.
During the semester in which a student expects to earn a total of
at least 15 credit hours of graduate work the Program of Study Committee
will review the student's progress and set the requirements for formal
admission to candidacy for the Master of Arts degree. The Committee
may also administer to the student a written or oral examination in
the areas of political science in which the student has taken courses.
Course Work
Students must complete at least 30 semester credit hours. A minimum
of 21 of these hours must be taken in the Department of Political
Science. Six hours (two classes) of 400-level course work and three
hours of thesis credit (Political Science 699) may be applied toward
the 21 hour minimum. Students are also required to complete Statistics
401.
Students are strongly encouraged to complete 9 credit hours in graduate
courses outside the Department of Political Science that relate to
their area of interest. These courses must be approved by the Director
of Graduate Education or the student's Program of Study Committee,
and any exceptions to the 9 hour requirement must be approved by the
student's Program of Study Committee.
Students are also required to complete one of the following two requirements
(which may, with the Program of Study Committee's approval, count
toward the nine credit hours outside of political science):
Thesis
All students are required to write a thesis. As a first step in this
process, the Program of Study Committee must approve a written thesis
proposal. A thesis is considered complete when it is approved by the
Committee and the Graduate College.
Final Oral Examination
After completion of all the above requirements for the Master of Arts
degree, the student will be administered a final oral examination
of approximately two hours by his or her Program of Study Committee.
The examination may cover all courses taken by the student and the
material related to his or her thesis.
Graduation Check List
30 Total Credits Needed (Minimum)*
*9 credits of course work may be taken outside Political Science
**Only two independent studies (590) are permitted without permission
from the Director of Graduate Education.
Special Programs
Joint J.D./M.A. Program
The Department of Political Science co-sponsors a J.D./M.A. program
with the
Drake University Law School
enabling students to receive, concurrently, a J.D. degree in Law from
Drake and an M.A. degree in political science from Iowa State. Additional
information on this program is available in the Department of Political
Science office.
Teaching Programs
Students interested in becoming certified to teach social studies in
Iowa high schools should check with the College of Education for requirements.
