Political Science and Public Affairs, M.A.
¶¶Òõpro's Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Affairs program allows academically talented students to advance their knowledge and analytical skills by focusing on an interdisciplinary problem-oriented area of interest within political science.
SLU's M.A. in political science and public affairs is open to individuals who have previously earned a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in political science or a related social science discipline from an accredited university and demonstrate outstanding potential.Ìý
Curriculum Overview
The M.A. in Political Science and Public Affairs requires 30 credits.
M.A. students on the St. Louis campus may choose one of three formal concentration areas—American politics, international affairs or public policy and administration. Alternatively, they may design an individual plan of study in consultation with a faculty mentor and the coordinator of graduate studies.ÌýAll M.A. students on complete a concentration in international relations and crisis.
Students enrolled on either the St. Louis or the Madrid campus may take elective courses on the other campus.
American Politics Concentration
This concentration provides a substantive grounding in the academic study of American politics, strong methodological skills, and options to focus on particular areas of interest, such as public law. This concentration is appropriate for students with a variety of interests and goals, including additional graduate study in political science and related fields or law school.
International AffairsÌýConcentration
This concentration provides theoretical and substantive grounding in international relations and comparative politics. Some of the topics covered are the process of democratization, international security, warfare, and economic development.Ìý
Ìý
International Relations and Crisis Concentration (Madrid Campus)
This concentration familiarizes students with the key theoretical, political, and social dimensions of the global governance of insecurity, and the emergence, management and consequences of crises today.
Public Policy and AdministrationÌýConcentration
This concentration is designed for students interested in gaining a practical understanding of how political and social policies are developed and administered. Like a Master of Public Administration, it prepares students to work in local and national government, non-profits and the private sector.
Careers
An M.A. in political science and public affairs prepares students for careers in government, foreign service, national or international business, nonprofit organizations and NGOs, as well as future graduate study. Possible careers include campaign aide, diplomat, nonprofit manager and labor relations specialist.Ìý
Admission Requirements
A B.A. or B.S. with at least 18 credits of undergraduate courses in political science or a related social science field is strongly encouraged.
Successful applicants usually possess a GPA of 3.40 (overall and in political science courses) and a sufficient TOEFL score (for international applicants).
Applicants are not required to submit GRE scores but may do so if they wish to have them considered as part of their application.
Application Requirements
- Online application and fee.Ìý
- Two letters of recommendation written by people who can speak to your academic and/or professional skills. These letters should come from someone in a supervisory position, for example a professor, academic advisor or workplace supervisor.
- Transcript(s). Provisional offers of acceptance can be made based on unofficial transcripts. Admitted students will need to submit an official transcript upon enrollment.
- A statement of purpose in which you detail why you wish to pursue a Master’s degree, how your background prepares you for this academic program, and how you plan to use the skills or knowledge you learn in the program to achieve your future goals.ÌýPlease also include a brief note if you wish to be considered for departmental need- or merit-based funding.ÌýThe total statement of purpose should not exceed 4 double-spaced pages and may be shorter.
- A writing sample that demonstrates your academic writing abilities. This may be a term paper you wrote for a course, an honors thesis or other independent research or a policy brief. If you do not have a suitable writing sample, please choose a policy area or research topic in which you are interested and write a research memo in which you introduce the topic, identify a compelling research question or questions, explain how you might go about conducting research on the topic and identify implications of studying this topic. Writing samples should be at least 5 double-spaced pages and may be longer.Ìý
- Curriculum vitae or résumé.
Requirements for International Students
All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students. International students must also meet the following additional requirements:
- DemonstrateÌýEnglish Language Proficiency
- Financial documents are required to complete an application for admission and be reviewed for admission and merit scholarships.Ìý
- Proof of financial support that must include:
- A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the student's time at ¶¶Òõpro
- A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of the student's study at the University
- Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include:
- Courses taken and/or lectures attended
- Practical laboratory work
- The maximum and minimum grades attainable
- The grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations
- Any honors or degrees received.
WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.
Assistantship Application Deadline
For full consideration for a University-wide fellowship or assistantship, applicants should submit their application by Jan. 10.Ìý For consideration for a Department of Political Science graduate assistantship or tuition hours, applicants should submit their application by March 1 (for enrollment beginning in August).
Review Process
Applications are reviewed by a committee of political science department faculty members.ÌýComplete applications received by March 1 (for enrollment beginning in August) or November 1 (for enrollment beginning in January) will receive full consideration.ÌýWe will continue reviewing applications after these deadlines if space allows. If applying after the priority deadline, you are welcome to contact the graduate program coordinator to see whether applications are still being considered.
Tuition
Tuition | Cost Per Credit |
---|---|
Graduate Tuition | $1,310 |
Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:
Information on Tuition and Fees
Scholarships, Assistantships and Financial Aid
- Graduates will be able to explain how political systems operate within the context of their chosen M.A. concentrations.
- Graduates will be able to critique competing theoretical explanations and produce a comprehensive review of the scholarly literature in their chosen field of study.
- Graduates will be able to design original research and seminar projects that investigate political processes with appropriate methodologies and contribute to ongoing scholarly debates.
- Graduates will be able to explain the results of their research in public forums and justify their methodological choices.
- Graduates will be able to analyze the values that inform political institutions, behavior and policies.
- Graduates will be able to demonstrate honest and ethical research practices.
Students on SLU's St. Louis campus will choose one of the three formal concentrations, or they may choose a general M.A. designed around an individualized plan of study. All students on complete the concentration in international relations and crisis.
All students will complete a total of 30 credits for the M.A. degree. All students are required to pass a field exam on their formal concentration or individual topic of interest administered at the beginning of the student’s final semester of coursework.
No more than 12 credits of the M.A. may be taken outside political science, and no more than 6 credits may be independent study classes or internships. Some classes have prerequisites. Depending on their undergraduate preparation, students may be required to take specific undergraduate classes prior to enrolling in post-baccalaureate classes. Exceptions will be allowed only with the approval of the coordinator of graduate studies for the department.
Individualized Concentration in Political Science and Public AffairsÌý
Students are encouraged to explore courses outside the department related to their field of study, for example, courses in Women's and Gender Studies, Geographic Information Systems, and regional studies courses offered by the Department of Languages, Literatures
and Culture.
All students are required to select a concentration. If a student wishes to pursue a topic that is not covered by one of the formal concentrations, they may propose an individualized course of study that can be formalized through a "contract" concentration. All contract concentrations must be approved in advance by the student's advisor and the graduate program coordinator. Students wishing to consider a contract concentration should work with their advisor and/or the program coordinator as early as possible. All contract concentrations cover 30 credit hours and must include the following components:
Ìý
- A foundational course or courses on the content of the student’s topic of interest
- A foundational course on methods of inquiry with the Graduate Methods attribute
- A course with the Graduate Thought Foundations attributeÌý
- A range of elective courses constituted as a coherent domain of study
American Politics ConcentrationÌý
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Core Courses | ||
POLSÌý5100 | Seminar in American Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5750 | American Political Thought: Meanings of Citizenship | 3 |
Research Methods | ||
POLSÌý5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3 |
Other Required Courses | 9 | |
Three more American or Policy Foundation courses | ||
Political Science Elective Courses | 12 | |
Six credits may be an internship or MA thesis | ||
Total Credits | 30 |
International Affairs Concentration
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Comparative Politics Classes | 6 | |
International Relations Classes | 6 | |
Choose an additional course in either Comparative Politics or International Relations †| 3 | |
Research Methods | ||
POLSÌý5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3 |
Political Thought Foundation | 3 | |
Political Science Electives | 9 | |
Six credits may be an internship or M.A. thesis | ||
Total Credits | 30 |
- â€
POLS 5840 can count as a Comparative Politics course or an International Relations course, but it cannot count as both.
- Ìý
- Ìý
International Relations and CrisisÌýConcentration (Madrid Campus)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Required Courses | ||
POLSÌý5590 | Crisis of Leadership †| 3 |
POLSÌý5610 | International Relations: Theory & Practice †| 3 |
POLSÌý5630 | The European Union: Politics and Political Economy †| 3 |
POLSÌý5662 | International Contemporary Challenges †| 3 |
POLSÌý5663 | Key Contemporary Crises †| 3 |
POLSÌý5910 | Graduate Internship * | 3 |
Students must complete a 3 credit graduate internship with a national or international, governmental or non-governmental body. | ||
Research Methods | ||
POLSÌý5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods * | 3 |
Political Science Electives | 9 | |
Select 9 credits | ||
POLSÌý5100 | Seminar in American Politics * | |
POLSÌý5320 | Environmental Politics and Policy-Making * | |
POLSÌý5510 | Democratization ‡ | |
POLSÌý5520 | Political Change ‡ | |
POLSÌý5530 | Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power ‡ | |
POLSÌý5550 | Politics of Economic Development * | |
POLSÌý5650 | War, Peace, and Politics ‡ | |
POLSÌý5661 | Shifting Trends in Regional and Interregional Politics †| |
POLSÌý5664 | International Political Economy in Times of Crisis †| |
POLSÌý5665 | Historical Perspectives on Crisis: The 30 Years' European Crisis †| |
POLSÌý5690 | Theories of World Politics ‡ | |
POLSÌý5730 | Contemporary Political Ideologies * | |
POLSÌý5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy ‡ | |
POLSÌý5990 | Thesis Research * | |
For students conducting a Thesis, 6 credits are required. | ||
Total Credits | 30 |
- â€
Madrid campus only
- ‡
St. Louis campus only
- *
Offered on both St. Louis and Madrid campuses
Public Policy and Administration Concentration
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Core Courses | ||
POLSÌý5100 | Seminar in American Politics | 3 |
Policy Foundation course | 3 | |
Research Methods | ||
POLSÌý5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3 |
Political Thought Foundation course | 3 | |
Other Required Courses | 6 | |
Select six credits of the following: | ||
ECONÌý5010 | Economics for Managers | |
POLSÌý5310 | Issues in U.S. Public Administration | |
POLSÌý5325 | Public Sector Budgeting | |
POLSÌý5350 | Issues in Public Policy | |
POLSÌý5360 | Urban Economic Development | |
POLSÌý5850 | Policy Evaluation and Assessment | |
POLSÌý6310 | Policy Process | |
POLSÌý6320 | Organization Theory & Behavior | |
POLSÌý6330 | Public Finance Theory | |
Political Science Electives | 12 | |
Six credits may be an internship or M.A. thesis | ||
Total Credits | 30 |
Non-Course Requirements
- Students may complete an internship for up to six credits as part of the M.A. in political science and public affairs. Students will work under the direction of a preceptor at the internship location and a faculty member in the department. The internship should involve 200 hours of work central to the organization students are working with, and students will also need to write a paper related to the work.
- Students who choose to write master's theses will work closely with a faculty director and a committee of two other faculty members chosen with the director's guidance. The M.A. thesis is a two-semester project. Students will complete a thesis proposal in the first semester and the thesis itself during the second semester. Students who are not able to defend their proposal successfully during the first semester will not be allowed to continue to the second semester of thesis work.Ìý
- All students in the political science M.A. program must take and pass a field exam during their last semester of coursework. All students must pass the written portion of the exam. An additional oral exam will be required at the discretion of the exam committee.
Continuation Standards
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in all graduate/professional courses.
Political Science - American (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLSÌý5140 | Political Parties | 3 |
POLSÌý5150 | Gender and American Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5170 | Electoral Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5171 | Law, Policy, Society | 3 |
POLSÌý5310 | Issues in U.S. Public Administration | 3 |
POLSÌý5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy | 3-6 |
Political Science - Comparative Politics (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLSÌý5500 | Russian Political Culture | 3 |
POLSÌý5510 | Democratization | 3 |
POLSÌý5520 | Political Change | 3 |
POLSÌý5530 | Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power | 3 |
POLSÌý5550 | Politics of Economic Development | 3 |
POLSÌý5590 | Crisis of Leadership | 3 |
POLSÌý5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy | 3-6 |
Political Science - International Relations (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLSÌý5610 | International Relations: Theory & Practice | 3 |
POLSÌý5630 | The European Union: Politics and Political Economy | 3 |
POLSÌý5650 | War, Peace, and Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5661 | Shifting Trends in Regional and Interregional Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5662 | International Contemporary Challenges | 3 |
POLSÌý5663 | Key Contemporary Crises | 3 |
POLSÌý5664 | International Political Economy in Times of Crisis | 3 |
POLSÌý5665 | Historical Perspectives on Crisis: The 30 Years' European Crisis | 3 |
POLSÌý5670 | Politics of International Trade and Finance | 3 |
POLSÌý5690 | Theories of World Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy | 3-6 |
Political Science - Methods (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLSÌý5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3 |
Political Science - Policy Elective (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLSÌý5300 | Law and Regulatory Policy | 3 |
POLSÌý5310 | Issues in U.S. Public Administration | 3 |
POLSÌý5320 | Environmental Politics and Policy-Making | 3 |
POLSÌý5325 | Public Sector Budgeting | 3 |
POLSÌý5330 | Public Sector Economics | 3 |
POLSÌý5350 | Issues in Public Policy | 3 |
POLSÌý5360 | Urban Economic Development | 3 |
POLSÌý5850 | Policy Evaluation and Assessment | 3 |
POLSÌý6310 | Policy Process | 3 |
POLSÌý6320 | Organization Theory & Behavior | 3 |
POLSÌý6330 | Public Finance Theory | 3 |
SOCÌý5010 | Organizational Theory and Administration | 3 |
Political Science - Policy Foundation (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLSÌý5310 | Issues in U.S. Public Administration | 3 |
POLSÌý5350 | Issues in Public Policy | 3 |
POLSÌý6310 | Policy Process | 3 |
Political Science - Thought Foundations (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLSÌý5730 | Contemporary Political Ideologies | 3 |
POLSÌý5740 | Marx's Capital | 3 |
POLSÌý5750 | American Political Thought: Meanings of Citizenship | 3 |
POLSÌý5760 | Feminist Theories | 3 |
POLSÌý5760X | Feminist Theories | 3 |
POLSÌý5770 | Feminist Epistemologies | 3 |
Political Science - Elective (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLSÌý5010 | Cultural Methods: Gender, Politics, and Power | 3 |
POLSÌý5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3 |
POLSÌý5100 | Seminar in American Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5130 | Race, Class, and Punishment | 3 |
POLSÌý5131 | Race, Class, and Punishment | 3 |
POLSÌý5140 | Political Parties | 3 |
POLSÌý5150 | Gender and American Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5170 | Electoral Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5171 | Law, Policy, Society | 3 |
POLSÌý5300 | Law and Regulatory Policy | 3 |
POLSÌý5310 | Issues in U.S. Public Administration | 3 |
POLSÌý5320 | Environmental Politics and Policy-Making | 3 |
POLSÌý5325 | Public Sector Budgeting | 3 |
POLSÌý5330 | Public Sector Economics | 3 |
POLSÌý5350 | Issues in Public Policy | 3 |
POLSÌý5360 | Urban Economic Development | 3 |
POLSÌý5500 | Russian Political Culture | 3 |
POLSÌý5510 | Democratization | 3 |
POLSÌý5520 | Political Change | 3 |
POLSÌý5530 | Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power | 3 |
POLSÌý5550 | Politics of Economic Development | 3 |
POLSÌý5590 | Crisis of Leadership | 3 |
POLSÌý5610 | International Relations: Theory & Practice | 3 |
POLSÌý5630 | The European Union: Politics and Political Economy | 3 |
POLSÌý5650 | War, Peace, and Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5661 | Shifting Trends in Regional and Interregional Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5662 | International Contemporary Challenges | 3 |
POLSÌý5663 | Key Contemporary Crises | 3 |
POLSÌý5664 | International Political Economy in Times of Crisis | 3 |
POLSÌý5665 | Historical Perspectives on Crisis: The 30 Years' European Crisis | 3 |
POLSÌý5670 | Politics of International Trade and Finance | 3 |
POLSÌý5690 | Theories of World Politics | 3 |
POLSÌý5700 | Historical Western Political Thought | 3 |
POLSÌý5710 | Citizenship and Social Difference | 3 |
POLSÌý5730 | Contemporary Political Ideologies | 3 |
POLSÌý5740 | Marx's Capital | 3 |
POLSÌý5750 | American Political Thought: Meanings of Citizenship | 3 |
POLSÌý5760 | Feminist Theories | 3 |
POLSÌý5760X | Feminist Theories | 3 |
POLSÌý5770 | Feminist Epistemologies | 3 |
POLSÌý5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy | 3-6 |
POLSÌý5850 | Policy Evaluation and Assessment | 3 |
POLSÌý5910 | Graduate Internship | 1-6 |
POLSÌý5911 | Graduate Capstone Internship | 3-6 |
POLSÌý5913 | Field Service | 1-6 |
POLSÌý5930 | Special Topics | 3 |
POLSÌý5960 | MPA Capstone | 0-3 |
POLSÌý5970 | Research Topics | 1-3 |
POLSÌý5980 | Graduate Independent Study | 1-3 |
POLSÌý5990 | Thesis Research | 3 |
POLSÌý6310 | Policy Process | 3 |
POLSÌý6320 | Organization Theory & Behavior | 3 |
POLSÌý6330 | Public Finance Theory | 3 |
POLSÌý6930 | Special Topics | 0 |
POLSÌý6980 | Independent Study | 1,3 |
SOCÌý5010 | Organizational Theory and Administration | 3 |
SOCÌý5060 | Qualitative Research Methodology | 3 |
SOCÌý5600 | Research Methodology | 3 |
SOCÌý5850 | Policy Evaluation and Assessment | 3 |
SOCÌý6100 | Regression Analysis & Non-linear Models | 3 |
WGSTÌý5010 | Feminist Theories | 3 |
WGSTÌý5020 | Feminist Epistemologies | 3 |
WGSTÌý5050 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
International Affairs Concentration
Year One | ||
---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | |
POLSÌý5690 | Theories of World Politics 1 | 3 |
POLSÌý5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods 2 | 3 |
POLSÌý5550 | Politics of Economic Development 3 | 3 |
Ìý | Credits | 9 |
Spring | ||
POLSÌý5510 | Democratization 1 | 3 |
POLSÌý5730 | Contemporary Political Ideologies 4 | 3 |
POLSÌý5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy 3 | 3 |
Ìý | Credits | 9 |
Summer | ||
POLSÌý5910 | Graduate Internship 5 | 3 |
Ìý | Credits | 3 |
Year Two | ||
Fall | ||
IA Concentration Field Exam 6 | 0 | |
POLSÌý5650 | War, Peace, and Politics 3 | 3 |
POLSÌý5350 | Issues in Public Policy 3 | 3 |
POLSÌý5530 | Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power 3 | 3 |
Ìý | Credits | 9 |
Ìý | Total Credits | 30 |
- 1
International affairs concentration core requirement; students choose two core courses from a list of comparative politics courses and two courses from a list of international relations courses.Ìý
- 2
IA concentration required research methods course.
- 3
ÌýElective.
- 4
IA concentration political theory requirement; students choose one course from a list.
- 5
Elective. (As an alternative, these three elective credits may be taken in a fourthÌýsemester.)
- 6
Students take the field exam for their concentration at the beginning of their final semester in the program.
Program Notes
The Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Affairs offers a number of concentrations, including international affairs, public policy and administration and American politics. Each concentration combines core requirements and electives.
The roadmap above is for the international affairs concentration. Core courses (in boldface in the shaded areas above) can be taken in a different order, but students should plan to complete core requirements during the first two semesters in the 30-hour M.A.
For additional information, please contact:
SLU-Madrid offers an M.A. in political science and public affairs, with a concentration in international relations and crisis.Ìý