Political Science, Master of Arts

In addition to University Requirements:

• Complete individual plan requirements.

Purpose Statement

The Master of Arts in Political Science degree provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to understand and participate in the political systems of the United States and the world.  This degree provides a broad perspective on experiences, international and domestic, from both theory and practice.
 
This degree builds a strong foundation in the advanced knowledge of the political world, and enables students to be able to use key concepts and analytical approaches from Public Policy, American Politics, Public Administration, Comparative Politics and International relations.
 
Building upon this fundamental knowledge, our curriculum ensures that students can define, design, and implement effective scholarly research projects in political science.  In addition, they will be able to make clear and effective demonstrations of their work in writing and in public presentations, including scholarly presentations to academics at professional political science conferences.  Students will also leave this program ready to work in government, non-academic research institutions, and governmental and non-governmental organizations.
 
Our goal is to train students to be active, engaged, and informed participants in the global system who can not only understand the world around them but also shape and influence it. 

Student Learning Outcomes

All students in the MA Political Science Program will achieve the following learning objectives:

• Conceptual and Analytical:  Students should have an advanced knowledge of the political world, including contemporary political thought, and public policies, and be able to use key concepts and analytical approaches from political science.
  • Identify and use salient political science concepts and analytical method to evaluate current public policies, political actors’ behavior, political events, and institutional arrangements within a diverse world.
  • Evaluate the strengths and limitations of a variety of significant analytical approaches used in political science.
  • Analyze, synthesize and evaluate the interconnectedness and interdependence of the human experience on a global scale.
  • Engage in original research making a contribution to the larger field.
• Inquiry and Research:  Students will define, design, and implement effective research projects in political science.
  • Devise an advanced research design.
  • Test hypotheses with basic empirical data.
  • Write findings in scholarly publishable-quality original research papers.
• Communication: Students should be able to make clear and effective demonstrations of their work in writing and in public presentations.
  • Students will demonstrate advanced writing skills and be able to summarize and explain scholarly political science articles.
  • Analyze and critique the material read /discussed.
  • Suggest and discuss alternative possibilities and outcomes.
  • Speak in public settings, including oral defense of thesis (thesis option) or an oral exam (non-thesis option).
  • Demonstrate an ability to apply the discussion to policy and “real world” applications.
  • Students will be able to communicate at an advanced level with other academics in the field of political science, including presenting their own research work at academic conferences.
• Professional and Citizenship: Students should know, understand, and be able to meet the expectations of professionalism and citizenship.
  • Demonstrate professional behavior in terms of demeanor, personal presentation, ethics, and
  • civic participation in experiential learning, classrooms settings and at professional conferences.
  • Acquire the skills and knowledge base to understand the importance of and options for environmental sustainability and its tenuous relationship to economic development in local and global terms.
  • Critically reflect upon the nature and consequences of diversity (e.g. race, gender, class, ethnicity, religion, culture, nation), and develop an understanding of how this diversity both alters and is altered in a world characterized by increasing global interaction.

Additional Admission Requirements

• Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

• The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Graduate College.
  
  Admission requirements include the following:

  • Transcripts.
  • Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.

  
  Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.
  
  Ready to apply? Begin your application now.

  International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.

• • A bachelor’s degree in a closely related discipline
  • Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above or  6 units of subsequent coursework at the graduate level with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better

• • Three letters of recommendation
  • A writing sample
  • A personal statement or essay

• • Resume or Curriculum Vitae

Master's Requirements

• This Master’s degree requires 36 units distributed as follows:

  • Politics and International Affairs Core Coursework:  9 units
  • Select primary coursework from the following specialization areas: 9 units
    • American Politics    
    • Public Administration
    • International Relations
    • Comparative Politics
  • Select secondary coursework from Social Movements, Environment, Development and Diversity foci areas: 9 units
  • Select Thesis or Non-Thesis: 9 units

  
  
  Take the following 36 units:
  
  Politics and International Affairs core courses:

  •  POS 600, POS 601, POS 607 (9 units)

• 
  Select primary coursework from the following specialization areas:
  
  American Politics (9 units):
  • POS 603*, POS 606*, POS 610, POS 612, POS 658*, POS 659
  Public Administration (9 units):
  • POS 527, POS 541 or POS 641, POS 543 or POS 643, POS 603*, POS 606*, POS 642, POS 644, POS 658*, POS 671
  International Relations (9 units):
  • POS 552, POS 603*, POS 606*, POS 658*, POS 679, POS 680, POS 684
  Comparative Politics (9 units):
  • POS 552, POS 603*, POS 658*, POS 670, POS 672, POS 679*
  *Topics course selected in consultation with your advisor. 
  
  
  Select secondary coursework from Social Movements, Environment, Development and Diversity foci areas (9 units):
  • At least one additional POS course as approved by your advisor
  • Electives as approved by your advisor

• 
  The Master of Arts in Political Science is available in two forms: Non-thesis and Thesis. (Select One)

• • Non-Thesis:
    • Additional POS courses or electives related to primary or secondary coursework (6 units)
    • POS 597 (3 units)
    • A final oral exam with satisfactory performance

• • Thesis:
    • Additional  POS course or elective related to your primary or secondary coursework (3 units)
    • POS 699, for the research, writing, and oral defense of an approved thesis. Please note that you may end up taking more units of thesis credit than the 6 units you can count toward your degree because you must enroll for it each term while you work on your thesis. (6 units)

• Please note that you choose all courses in consultation with your plan advisor.
  
  You may count up to two 400-level courses toward this academic plan if they haven't previously been counted toward a bachelor's degree.
  
  

• Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.