StudyQA — Master: Political Science

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Description Contents Requirements

The Political Science Department at the University of Utah seeks graduate students who are both motivated and able to succeed in political science study and research. Students with substantial preparation in political science or another social science are most likely to meet this standard, although the department has admitted applicants from other disciplines who can demonstrate, through relevant interests and experience, the abilities necessary for advanced work in political science. The fit between applicants' interests and the research expertise of our faculty is also an important consideration during the admissions process. Although there are no specific course prerequisites for our graduate program, applicants must have completed at least a bachelor's degree.

The department offers a variety of courses that effectively introduce students to major research issues, plus others that encourage advanced research. Graduate degrees promote career advancement for certain types of jobs and are the prerequisite for faculty appointments at the college and university levels. Students take classes (seminars) in different subfields of the discipline: International Relations, Comparative Politics, American Politics, Public Administration or Political Theory.

Must complete the degree within two calendar years after admission to the program.
Complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of approved graduate course work.
Successful completion of a master’s thesis or master’s essay and final oral defense of the thesis or essay.
Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

Core Courses

(Complete 2 courses)

POLS 6001 - Quantitative Analysis in Political Science 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6003 - Approaches to the Study of Politics 3 Credit(s)

Major and Minor Field Requirements

(Courses are offered in five fields listed below. Students must designate one of these fields as a major field and a second as a minor field)

American Politics

Major Field

(Complete 2 out of the 3 courses and one 6000-level American Politics course)

POLS 6281 - American Political Institutions 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6282 - American Political Behavior 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6283 - American Policy Processes 3 Credit(s)
and
One 6000-level American Politics Course

Minor Field

(Complete 1 of the 3 courses and one 6000-level American Politics course)

POLS 6281 - American Political Institutions 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6282 - American Political Behavior 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6283 - American Policy Processes 3 Credit(s)
and
One 6000-level American Politics Course

Comparative Politics

Major Field

(Complete 3 courses)

POLS 6400 - Proseminar: Comparative Politics 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6405 - Comparative Public Policy 3 Credit(s) ORPOLS 6740 - Political Change 3 Credit(s)
One 6000-level Comparative Politics course

Minor Field

(Complete 2 courses)

POLS 6400 - Proseminar: Comparative Politics 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6405 - Comparative Public Policy 3 Credit(s) ORPOLS 6740 - Political Change 3 Credit(s)

International Relations

Major Field

(Complete 3 courses)

POLS 6850 - Field Seminar in International Relations 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6690 - Foundations of International Security 3 Credit(s) OR POLS 6630 - Foundations of International Organization 3 Credit(s) OR POLS 6710 - Introduction to International Political Economy 3 Credit(s)
One 6000-level International Relations course

Minor Field

(Complete 2 courses)

POLS 6850 - Field Seminar in International Relations 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6630 - Foundations of International Organization 3 Credit(s) OR POLS 6690 - Foundations of International Security 3 Credit(s) OR POLS 6710 - Introduction to International Political Economy 3 Credit(s)

Political Theory

Major Field

(Complete 3 courses)

POLS 6000 - Foundations of Political Thought: Ancient and Judeo-Christian 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6010 - Modern Political Theory 3 Credit(s)
ONE of the following: POLS 6008, POLS 6015 , POLS 6020, POLS 6025 , POLS 6030 , POLS 6035 , POLS 6045, POLS 6140

Minor Field

(Complete 2 courses)

POLS 6000 - Foundations of Political Thought: Ancient and Judeo-Christian 3 Credit(s)
POLS 6010 - Modern Political Theory 3 Credit(s)

Public Administration

Major Field

(Complete 3 courses)

PADMN 6050 - Proseminar: Survey of Public Administration 3 Credit(s)
PADMN 6300 - Administrative Theory 3 Credit(s)
ONE of the following: PADMN 6230 , POLS 6320 , POLS 6330, POLS 6340 , POLS 6360, POLS 6380, POLS 6870

Minor Field

(Complete 2 courses)

POLS 6300 - Administrative Theory 3 Credit(s)
ONE of the following: POLS 6230, POLS 6320 , POLS 6330, POLS 6340 , POLS 6360, POLS 6380, POLS 6870

Oral Defense

Graduate School policy requires that all Master’s candidates pass a final oral examination conducted by their supervisory committee. This exam covers only the essay or thesis topic and not unrelated course work. The completed essay or thesis should be given to all committee members well in advance of the date of the oral defense. Graduate School policy specifies that students should submit acceptable drafts to the committee chair at least three weeks in advance, and to the other committee members at least two weeks in advance of the oral defense date. If the defense is successful, the committee chair files the “Report of the Final Oral Examination” with the Graduate Program Coordinator. Students should expect to make additional revisions to their papers after the oral defense in order to put the paper into final approved form.

Students must be registered for at least three credit hours during the semester in which they defend, even if they defend during the summer. POLS 6980, Faculty Consultation, should be used for this purpose if no further courses or thesis credits are needed. Students do not need to be registered after a successful oral defense, even if minor revisions to the essay or thesis are necessary