Political Science (M.A.)

Master of Arts, Plan A (thesis): Total 33 credit hours

• Political Science core 6 credit hours
• Political Science electives 15 credit hours
• Thesis 6 credit hours
• Supporting courses outside of area 6 credit hours

Master of Arts, Plan B (non–thesis): Total 33 credit hours

• Political Science core 6 credit hours
• Political Science electives 18 credit hours
• Supporting courses outside area 9 credit hours

Required course work for the Master of Arts in Political Science:

POLS 765: Research Methods in Political Science is required of all candidates for the Master of Arts degree. Plan A (thesis) students must take a minimum of 6 additional credits and Plan B (non–thesis) students must take a minimum of 9 credits in political science courses numbered 600 or above. 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.

Comprehensive Exams: 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. The student answers four questions in four hours. Passing the exam requires at least a “High Pass” on three questions and a “Marginal Pass” on the fourth question.