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College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

Academic Information

We designed this Master's degree to provide you with broad training suitable for pursuing doctoral work or a career in government, teaching, or the private sector. You choose your primary field of study from one of these three areas: American Politics and Public Administration, Comparative Politics and International Relations, or Public Policy.

The MA in Political Science is available in two forms: Non-thesis and Thesis.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

Careers

What Can I Do with a Master of Arts in Political Science?

A degree in Political Science can prepare you for a career in a diverse range of job opportunities. Here, you can advance your knowledge about how our public lives are organized at the local, national, and international levels. We offer a highly diverse and collaborative approach to graduate study in political science. You will work closely with faculty to formulate a specialized plan to pursue your personal interests. Whether it's American politics, public administration, public policy, comparative politics, or political theory, you can tailor your academic work to help you meet your career goals. You'll be in good company, with many fellow students and faculty members pursuing in-depth study in the field.

With further education, one of these paths is possible:

Diplomat
Educator
Journalist
Policy analyst

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

University Requirements

To receive a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject areas, consisting of at least 30 units of graduate-level courses. Many master’s degree programs require more than 30 units.

You must additionally complete:
- All requirements for your specific academic plan(s). This may include a thesis.
- All graduate work with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
- All work toward the master's degree must be completed within six consecutive years. The six years begins with the semester and year of admission to the program.
Read the full policy here.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

Overview

In addition to University Requirements:

Complete individual plan requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion	36
Additional Admission Requirements	Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
Thesis	Thesis may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option.
Comprehensive Exam	Comprehensive Exam may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option.
Research	Individualized research may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option.
Progression Plan Link	View Program of Study
Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan	Optional

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 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

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 methods 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 contributing 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 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, classroom settings, and 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.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

Details

Graduate Admission Information

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 Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.

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.

Additional Admission Requirements

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

- 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
- Primary Coursework Specialization Areas - Select one: 9 units
  - American Politics/Public Administration
  - Comparative Politics/International Relations
- Secondary Coursework: 6 units
- Thesis or Non-Thesis Option - Select one: 12 units
Take the following 36 units:

- - Students completing a non-thesis, coursework, project, track, internship, track, or exam option must complete 24 units of formal letter-graded coursework.

- - Students completing a thesis are required to complete 18 units of formal letter-graded coursework.

Politics and International Affairs Core Courses (9 units)
- POS 602, POS 607 (6 units)
- Select from the following (3 units):
  - POS 604, POS 609

Primary Coursework Specialization Areas - Select one (9 units)

- American Politics/Public Administration (9 units)
  - Select from the following (9 units):
    - POS 527, POS 610, POS 612, POS 641, POS 642, POS 644, POS 652, POS 659, POS 671
    - POS 603 (Topic selected with your advisor)
    - POS 658 (Topic selected with your advisor)

- Comparative Politics/International Relations (9 units)
  - Select from the following (9 units):
    - POS 552, POS 652, POS 670, POS 672, POS 680
    - POS 603 (Topic selected with your advisor)
    - POS 658 (Topic selected with your advisor)
    - POS 679 (Topic selected with your advisor)

Secondary Coursework (6 units)
- Select secondary coursework from Social Movements, Environment, Development and Diversity foci areas. (6 units)
  - At least one additional POS course as approved by your advisor.
  - Electives as approved by your advisor.

Thesis or Non-Thesis Option - Select one (12 units)

- Thesis Option (12 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)
  - Additional POS courses or electives related to your primary or secondary coursework. (6 units)

- Non-Thesis Option (12 units)
  - POS 597 (3 units)
  - Additional POS courses or electives related to primary or secondary coursework. (9 units)
  - A final oral exam with satisfactory performance.

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.

Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Program

- This program is available as an Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan wherein a student may start a master's degree while simultaneously completing their bachelor's degree.

- Students enrolled at the Flagstaff campus for both undergraduate and graduate programs are eligible to complete the Bachelor of Arts in <Plan Error> and start a Master of Arts in Political Science, non-thesis option at NAU.
  
  OR
  
  Students enrolled at the Flagstaff campus for both undergraduate and graduate programs are eligible to complete the Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Affairs and start a Master of Arts in Political Science, non-thesis option at NAU.
  
  OR
  
  Students enrolled at the Flagstaff campus for both undergraduate and graduate programs are eligible to complete the Bachelor of Science in Political Science and start a Master of Arts in Political Science, non-thesis option at NAU.

- Students must apply to the master's program by the graduate program's application deadline, meet all admissions requirements listed in the policy Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Programs, as well as the admissions requirements for the specified master's plan to be considered for admission. Admission to programs is competitive and qualified applicants may be denied because of limits on the number of students admitted each year.
  
  Be sure to speak with the Master's Program Director/Coordinator regarding your interest in the accelerated plan.

- Students accepted into the Accelerated Program should complete the following requirements:

- Master's Requirements
  
  This Master's degree requires 36 units distributed as follows:
  - Politics and International Affairs Core Coursework: 9 units
  - Undergraduate Coursework: 6 units
  - Primary Coursework Specialization Areas - Select one: 9 units
    - American Politics/Public Administration
    - Comparative Politics/International Relations
  - Non-Thesis Requirements: 12 units
  Take the following 36 units:

- - - Students completing a non-thesis, coursework, project, track, internship, track, or exam option must complete 24 units of formal letter-graded coursework.

- Politics and International Affairs Core Courses (9 units)
  - POS 602, POS 607 (6 units)
  - Select from the following (3 units):
    - POS 604, POS 609

- Undergraduate Coursework (6 units)
  - POS 421C (3 units)
  - Select from the following (3 units):
    - POS 408, POS 423, POS 466, POS 485

- Primary Coursework Specialization Areas - Select one (9 units)

- - American Politics/Public Administration (9 units)
    - Select from the following (9 units):
      - POS 527, POS 610, POS 612, POS 641, POS 642, POS 644, POS 652, POS 659, POS 671
      - POS 603 (Topic selected with your advisor)
      - POS 658 (Topic selected with your advisor)

- - Comparative Politics/International Relations (9 units)
    - Select from the following (9 units):
      - POS 552, POS 652, POS 670, POS 672, POS 680
      - POS 603 (Topic selected with your advisor)
      - POS 658 (Topic selected with your advisor)
      - POS 679 (Topic selected with your advisor)

- Non-Thesis Option (12 units)
  - POS 597 (3 units)
  - Additional POS courses or electives related to primary or secondary coursework. (9 units)
  - A final oral exam with satisfactory performance.

- Please note that you choose all courses in consultation with your plan advisor.

Additional Information

Some courses may have prerequisites. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

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Flagstaff

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Campus Availability

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

Academic Information

Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

Careers

What Can I Do with a Master of Arts in Political Science?

With further education, one of these paths is possible:

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

University Requirements

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

Overview

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

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Graduate Admission Information

Additional Admission Requirements

Master's Requirements

Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Program

Additional Information

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Politics and International Affairs

Political Science, Master of Arts

Campus Availability

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