Political Science

The Graduate Political Science Program at the University of California, Riverside prepares students for research and teaching in academic institutions. The Department offers a small, research-oriented program. We are particularly well suited to train people interested in political behavior, race, ethnicity and identity, comparative political institutions, and experimental methods.  Additional specializations include civil-military relations, Latin American politics, skepticism, liberalism, and hermeneutics.  Students receive the broad methodological training needed to succeed as political scientists.

Total graduate enrollment is approximately 40 students. Consequently, our graduate classes are small – first-year classes typically have around 10 students.  We encourage close working relationships between faculty and students. This makes for a collegial atmosphere that helps serve the professional education of our students.

The department has actively participated in, and often initiated, workshops and conferences that rotate between the major academic institutions in the area. These include conference series on Comparative Political Institutions, American Politics, Race, Ethnicity and Immigration, and Experimental Methods.  These conferences provide opportunities for students to interact with scholars working in these areas and to present their own work.

There are two plans under which the master’s degree is administered. With rare exceptions the department operates under Plan II (Comprehensive Examination) in administering the master’s degree program. Under this plan, students must complete 36 units, of which at least 28 units must be in 200-level Political Science courses, including POSC 201 and POSC 202A. In addition, students must complete at least one course from at least three of the five fields offered by the department (see listing below). Up to 8 units of academic work in related fields may be approved by the graduate advisor as part of the 36 units.

Comprehensive Examination must be passed in one of the following fields:

1. Comparative Politics Students must complete the core course, POSC 217, and at least one additional course in the field.
2. International Relations Students must complete the core course, POSC 216, and at least one additional course in the field.
3. American Politics Students must complete the core course, POSC 249, and at least one additional course in the field.
4. Mass Political Behavior Students must complete the core course, either POSC 255, or POSC 256, and at least one additional course in the field.
5. Political Theory Students must complete the core course, POSC 212, and at least one additional course in the field.

Permission to complete the M.A. program under Plan I (Thesis) is restricted to students who can demonstrate a readiness to undertake advanced independent research and who can identify a faculty member willing to supervise preparation of the thesis.

Requirements

• The minimum GPA for the last two years of undergraduate or graduate course work is 3.20. Admission may be justified for applicants with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.19 – based on a high GRE score and/or strong academic letters of recommendation. Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 are ineligible.
• All applicants are required to take the GRE exam; scores up to five years old may be used. 307 (1200 on the old scale) is the minimum GRE score required for admission (combined quantitative and verbal portions only); combined Q/V scores below 307 (1200 on the old scale) may be justified by a high GPA (3.75+) and/or strong academic letters of recommendation. Subject test is not required.
• All International applications are required to take the TOEFL exam; scores up to two years old may be used. 213 is the minimum TOEFL score on computer administration; 550 is the minimum TOEFL score on paper and pencil administration; and 80 is the minimum for the Internet-based exam (iBT). The TOEFL requirement is waived for international applicants who have successfully completed a degree where the language of instruction is English. For a variety of reasons, the department cannot make offers of admission conditional on students successfully taking the TOEFL exam after a year of language study.  Students seeking language training prior to applying to our programs may want to consider the options offered by UCR Extensions.
• Three academic letters of recommendation from faculty in your current program of study are required (written in English).

Scholarships

• Fellowships
• Teaching and Research Assistantships