Political Science

Program Requirements and Curriculum

PPIA
"Our times demand a new definition of leadership -- global leadership. They demand a new constellation of internatinal cooperation -- governments, civil society and the private sector, working together for a global public good." -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Program of Study

Thirty-six (36) credits are required for the M.A. degree. They include 21 in a set of five required core courses that provide students with an overview of the field of public policy, the international political economy that is affecting policymaking at all levels, rigorous training in the qualitative and quantitative research methods needed to develop, implement and evaluate public policy, and either a six-credit thesis or internship. Fifteen credits (5 courses) are taken in electives -- drawn from either of two concentrations: Public Policy and Administration or Public Policy and International Affairs. Two of the elective credits can be taken outside the Political Science Department from a list of courses relevant to a variety of professional goals. Full-time students can expect to complete the program in about two years.

Curriculum

36 credits

(All courses are three credits unless otherwise specified. Courses without numbers are currently in process of being revised or added.)

Required Courses - 21 credits

Electives - 15 credits

Track I Public Policy and Administration

Track II Public Policy and International Affairs

Up to two electives may be taken outside the department.

Suggested non-departmental electives:

Track I Electives
  • ECON 609 Economic Analysis
  • COMS 601 Telecommunications Systems
  • COMS 605 Language and Communication
  • COMS 609 Leadership Processes and Group Conferencing
  • COMS 611 Intercultural Communication
  • MBA 616 Organizational Behavior & Communication
  • MBA 640 Business, Government and Society
  • NURS 570 Health Legislation & Health Policy
  • SOC 510 Sociology of Cities
  • SOC 521 Contemporary Issues in the Workplace
  • SOC 661 Sociology of Complex Organizations
  • SOC 566 Conflict & Conflict Management
  • SOC 604 Social Problems
  • SOC 613 Population
  • SOC 614 Modern Industrial Societies
Track II Electives
  • AACS 506 Nation Building & Modernization in Africa
  • AACS 606 Peoples & Cultures of Africa
  • AACS 618 Third World Social & Political Thought
  • COMS 611 Intercultural Communication
  • COMS 621 Global Communication
  • ECON 609 Economic Analysis
  • HIST 560 Twentieth Century U.S. Foreign Relations
  • HIST 565 Nuclear America
  • HIST 633 Modern Britain
  • HIST 634 Modern France
  • HIST 650 Seminar on the Contemporary Middle East
  • HIST 660 Seminar in Asian History & Culture