Required course work for the Master of Arts in Political Science:
For the Emphasis in American Politics and Public Policy, Research Methods in Political Science (POLS 765) is required of all candidates for the Master of Arts degree. Students must also take two seminars (POLS 711 Seminar in American Political Institutions and POLS 771 Public Policy Process). Students may take no more than nine hours outside of Political Science. Students must take at least 15 hours from the USD Political Science Department in actual course work. No more than six credit hours in Independent Study and no more than three credit hours of Internship will count toward the M.A. degree. The internship must be related to general theory to make it an academic as well as practical experience.
For the Emphasis in International Relations, Research Methods in Political Science is required of all candidates for the Master of Arts degree. Students must also take two seminars (POLS 751 Topics in International Relations and POLS 759 Readings in International Relationship Theory). Students may take no more than nine hours outside of Political Science. Students must take at least 15 hours from the USD Political Science Department in actual course work. No more than six credit hours in Independent Study and no more than three credit hours of Internship will count toward the M.A. degree. The internship must be related to general theory to make it an academic as well as practical experience.
Students receiving more than one grade below a ‘B’ may be placed on probationary status or dismissed from the program. For students taking the comprehensive exam option: If a student fails a comprehensive exam, three months must pass before the student may retake it. The entire exam must be retaken. A student may take the exam only twice. Failure to pass the exam on the second try will result in dismissal from the program.
