StudyQA — Master: Political Science

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Description Contents Requirements Funding

Political science is an academic discipline focused on understanding the exercise of power in a variety of settings. The subfield of American politics focuses on party politics, elections, the branches of government, public policy, social movements, and other political and governmental issues in the United States. The subfield of comparative politics looks at similar issues in countries other than the United States, and tries to find out how differences in culture, levels of development, social structures, and forms of government influence the ways in which politics are conducted around the world. The subfield of international relations studies the relationships among states in the international system and also looks at international institutions, transnational organizations, and the role of norms and law in international affairs. The subfield of political theory focuses on normative issues such as justice and legitimacy in politics, both through the study of the history of political thought and by seeking to make original contributions to thinking on classic problems.

Our Master of Arts program maintains a strong focus on political science research and analysis. By providing access to Ph.D.-level courses and involvement in the intellectual environment of the department, including stimulating co-curricular workshops and seminars, we expose M.A. students to the highest quality of research. Moreover, the department offers a one-semester proseminar tailored specifically to introduce M.A. students to the research being done in the department, the approaches of the different subfields, and the most recent developments in the discipline of political science.

Another advantage of Columbia's M.A. program over larger programs is the size of the cohort. Since we admit only about twenty students each year, each student receives individualized advising and one-to-one mentoring from faculty in the department.

Course Requirements

Students in the M.A. program must complete (within one academic year) a minimum of eight graduate-level political science courses for a total of at least 30 points, including:

two colloquia or seminars (8000- or 9000-level courses) offered by the Department of Political Science, or, with prior approval of the Director of the M.A. program, advanced graduate courses that include the requirement of writing a paper;
three additional courses offered by the Department of Political Science, normally in one of the four subfields of political science (i.e., American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory);
three additional courses offered by the Department of Political Science or, with prior approval of the Director of the M.A. program, courses offered by another department that relate closely to political science.

One of the two sets of courses in the non-colloquium section of the requirement must be completed with an average grade of B+ or better. The other set of courses in the non-colloquium section of the requirement may include up to two courses completed for R credit; however, courses offered in fulfillment of the research tools requirement must be completed for examination credit.

Research Tool Requirements

For the M.A. degree, students must demonstrate command of one research tool selected from the following list:

a reading knowledge of a foreign language, demonstrated by successfully passing the proficiency exam offered by the relevant language department, or by placing out of the fourth year on the placement exam offered in those departments that do not offer a proficiency exam (for example, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures). Native speakers of a language other than English may offer their native language in satisfaction of this requirement;
an approved two-course sequence in quantitative analysis with an average grade of B or better;
an approved two-course sequence in formal modeling with an average grade of B or better;
one course in qualitative methodology in combination with any one of the above quantitative or formal modeling courses with an average grade of B or better;
a comparable level of proficiency in a comparable research tool, approved in writing by the M.A. Program Director upon recommendation of the student’s adviser.
Courses taken to fulfill the research tool requirement can count toward the 8 courses for the degree.

Two-course sequences that fulfill the Research Tool requirement are:

Quantitative analysis:

POLS GU4710 and GU4712
POLS GU4710 and GU4714
POLS GU4710 and GU4730
POLS GU4714 and GU4790
POLS GU4764 and any above 4000-level quantitative courses
POLS GU4768 and any above 4000-level quantitative courses

Formal modeling:

POLS GU4700 and GU4730
POLS GU4730 and GU4732

Qualitative methodology:

POLS GU4702 (Methods of Inquiry and Research Design)
POLS GR4780 (Qualitative & Interpretative Methods in Political Science)
SOC GR6091 (Historical Method & Documentary Analysis)
Or an alternative approved by the DGS

Languages used to fulfill the requirement are to be chosen in consultation with the adviser from among those encompassing a significant literature in political science, including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. Certain other languages necessary for the student’s research interests may, upon approval by the student’s adviser and the M.A. Program Director, be offered as a foreign language. English may not be offered as a foreign language.

Requirements

All students must submit one transcript showing courses and grades per school attended, a Statement of Academic Purpose and three letters of recommendation from academic sources. All international students whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate degree is from an institution in a country whose official language is not English must submit scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS.
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