Political Science, M.A.

Contact Information

Ian Hartshorn, Ph.D., Graduate Program Director
ihartshorn@unr.edu
Political Science Department
University of Nevada Reno
polisci@unr.edu
​​​​​​​(775)784-4601

http://www.unr.edu/political-science

Graduate Handbook *

Program Focus and Objectives

The M.A. program provides students with a curriculum rich in knowledge of the discipline and methodology.  M.A. students emphasize in fields of American Politics, Political Theory, Public Policy and Administration, International Relations, and Comparative Politics. The activities of the Department concentrate upon both undergraduate and graduate education, research, and public service.  As a smaller program, our students are able to work more closely with faculty members and senior graduate students to tailor a program that will help them to achieve their research and professional goals. 

The M.A. program has the following objectives:

• to offer students opportunities for advanced, specialized courses in the discipline of political science, leading to a graduate degree,
• to prepare students for additional graduate work leading to a Ph.D. and a career as a political scientist,
• to offer students the opportunity to prepare for a career in teaching, politics, public service and government, or to complement their present careers,
• to support university‐based research involving issues of politics and public policy.

The courses in political science cover a full range of the discipline, both in terms of substance and methodology. Courses in research methods provide the skills necessary for sophisticated analysis of political processes, institutions and policies. More specialized interests are developed through independent courses and projects students take as part of the curriculum.

Admission Requirement

Admission to the M.A. program is competitive; a limited number of applicants are accepted into the program each year. For the Graduate Committee to consider any application, the applications and supporting documentation must be complete. Please note that the Graduate School, which has to approve all applicants, has its own deadlines and regulations. Students are expected to know these and meet and follow them.

APPLICATION DEADLINES:

The Graduate Committee reviews admission applications yearly:

• Deadline: January 15. Both for Fall admission and graduate assistantship application. We do not have Spring admission for MA program. 

MINIMUM SCHOLASTIC REQUIREMENTS:

• Undergraduate Degree (B.A./B.S)
• 18 previously-completed credit hours (6 courses) in social science courses (broadly defined)
• Minimum 2.75 overall GPA (B.A./B.S.) or a 3.0 GPA for last two years of B.A./B.S.
• GRE Scores: GRE scores must be from an examination taken in the previous 5 years. The GRE scores are required by the department and the Graduate School and cannot be waived. The department is willing to accept GMAT scores in substitution.

Please note that these are minimum requirements; meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. We take into consideration a student’s overall record, as well as fit with departmental faculty areas of expertise and research/teaching interests.

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS:

• Undergraduate and Graduate School transcripts (if applicable)
• Test Scores:
  • GRE scores: The department is willing to accept GMAT scores in substitution
  • For international students studying under a student visa, the Test of English as a Foreign Language test (TOEFL) is required and you must have a minimum TOEFL score of 500 on the paper‐based exam; 79 on the internet‐based exam, or 173 for the computer‐based exam. Students must also meet all other requirements for International Students, as established by the Graduate School and the Office of International Students and Scholars/ 0074, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557‐0074. If admitted, International Students should contact the Office of International Students and Scholars immediately to make sure that all needed paperwork is processed as quickly as possible. Some paperwork needed, such as application for Social Security cards, can take weeks to complete, so students are encouraged to start this process once they are informed of their admission to the university.

The Political Science Department reserves the right to request that the English skills of incoming International Students be evaluated on campus. The results of that evaluation will be used to determine if the student needs to take additional English or other classes to facilitate their success in the program.

• Three letters of recommendation of which at least one are from professors with whom the student has completed coursework. People with 5 years of work experience may submit all three letters from people in a position to judge your work experience and aptitude for graduate work.
• Personal Statement or Statement of Purpose: the 500-word statement should explain to the Graduate Committee why the student has chosen the department for their graduate program, their career and educational goals, their potential research agenda and interests, how their research fits with the department’s research focus and any faculty members with whom the student has an interest in working.
• All statements should be printed with a standard 12 pt font and have the student’s name at the top of each page.
• All applicants must begin the application process by creating an electronic application account with the Graduate School of the University of Nevada, Reno.
• All additional application materials must be mailed to the Graduate School by the appropriate application date.

University of Nevada, Reno
Graduate School/0326
Reno, NV 89557-0326

Please do not mail application material to the department without consulting with the department’s Director of Graduate Studies. The Graduate School evaluates all applications for completion and then electronically forwards them to the department’s Graduate Committee for evaluation and admission decision. We cannot guarantee that materials sent directly to the department will be included in the student’s application file.

REGULAR ADMISSION

Completed applicant files are reviewed by the department’s Graduate Committee and forwarded to the Graduate School for final approval. The Graduate Committee reserves the right to specify additional application material if necessary. It is possible that the Graduate Committee may recommend admission for a student contingent upon the student taking additional coursework to make up for deficiencies in the student’s record. Such make‐up coursework can generally be completed while the student is pursuing an approved program of graduate study.

Admitted students will receive an email welcoming them to the department, but the official letter of admission will come directly from the Dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate Dean’s letter is the official offer of admission. To accept the offer of admission, students must contact the Director of Graduate Studies by email to acknowledge that they are accepting the admission offer. This communication will allow the department to establish department records and to add the new student to the department’s list serves. If the student does not respond to the department’s offer of admission by the established deadline, they will forfeit their seat for the incoming class.

GRADUATE SPECIAL ADMISSION STATUS

For students who are not sure about Graduate School and want to try a few classes before submitting a full application, the Graduate School allows students to apply for Graduate Special status. This status allows students to take up to 12 credits without being formally admitted to the program. For those who have had a long absence from the classroom, graduate special status will provide a re-introduction to the classroom environment. It can also slowly introduce students back into the classroom environment for those that may have had a long absence from the classroom. The 12 credits can be applied to a degree program once a department admits the student.

Application for Graduate Special Status must be made directly to the Graduate School, not through departments. Students can find additional information and an application status from the Graduate School’s website.

Students admitted as a Graduate Special should get in touch with the Director of Graduate Studies immediately to discuss which courses the student should take, given the student’s background and objectives.

FINANCIAL AID AND GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS

The Political Science Department offers a limited number of graduate research and teaching assistantships. Assistantships are competitive and available only for full‐time students. 

All funding is renewable on a yearly basis and contingent upon evaluations.In addition to satisfying the minimum requirements of continuous enrollment by the Graduate School, all funded students must satisfy departmental expectations to receive continuous funding. To retain funding, students will be evaluated on the following dimensions:

1. minimum GPA for department funding (3.30 or above);
2. sufficient, timely progress toward degree;
3. satisfactory performance in the Graduate Assistantship position to which they have been assigned.

In addition, unprofessional behavior and misconduct (such as plagiarism) might also lead to termination or non-renewal of graduate assistantship. 

The University provides a range of financial assistance options for graduate students. Interested applicants should contact Financial Aid. Students should also explore other sources of scholarships from private foundations and government agencies where available. Discussion of these opportunities can be had with your advisor or the Director of Graduate Studies.

I. Program Requirements

Students may choose among the two tracks described below to complete the M.A. degree. Students should discuss with their advisor which track is appropriate for them given their academic and career objectives. Students must select a field of study from the five departmental offerings below:

1. American Politics
2. Political Theory
3. International Relations
4. Comparative Politics
5. Public Policy and Administration

II. Total Units

• Plan A: 30 units
• Plan B: 36 units

Notes

1. Graduate Grades and Grade Point Average/Standing: Students must maintain a 3.00 grade point average (GPA) to maintain good standing with the Graduate School. If a student’s GPA falls below a 3.00 GPA, the Graduate School will give the student one semester to increase their GPA to a 3.00 level. If the student fails to do so, the Graduate School will dismiss them from graduate studies at the university; this decision is not made by the Department of Political Science. In graduate studies, generally grades below a “B” are considered failing by the faculty and are frowned upon. These grades can seriously affect your progress and will certainly affect a student’s ability to maintain department-level funding. While the Graduate School uses 3.00 as their minimum threshold, the Political Science Department may terminate a student’s program if s/he receives six or more credits of B- or lower grades, or three credits of C or below grades
2. About Theses: Students are required to write a prospectus (a research plan for the thesis) for their thesis committee, which may accept or reject the prospectus or require revisions to the prospectus. Students should arrange a prospectus meeting in consultation with their committee chairs. This document is crucial for students because it is the plan of research that the committee believes will produce a successful and defensible thesis.
   The thesis must represent original and independent investigation that is a contribution to knowledge. The thesis must demonstrate the student’s ability to select and delimit a topic for analysis, to assemble pertinent empirical data, to ground the analysis in a relevant body of theory and literature, to execute a research design, and to express the findings effectively both in written form and in an oral defense. The oral defense is open to the public and anyone with an interest may attend the defense. Other graduate students are highly encouraged to attend defenses so they may see how this process works. The committee will collectively decide whether the student has passed their oral defense; passage of the defense may be contingent upon revisions to the thesis. Successful completion of the defense and any revisions will allow the student to file a degree completion form with the Graduate School. The form will require all members of the committee to concur with the satisfactory completion of the thesis.
3. About Comprehensive Examinations: Students in the non-thesis track must have three credits of comprehensive examination in their chosen sub-field. We expect MA students to take exams after  the third semester in the M.A. program. M.A. comprehensive exams must be taken in January. In rare cases and with justifiable reasons, a student might request to take the exams in May instead of in January. Such a request must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies before the end of the fall semester. However, approval is not guaranteed.
4. Advising Committees and the Program of Study: Upon admission to the program, the Graduate Committee will assign students to an advisor who works in the area of the student’s research interests. Students should be in contact with that professor to discuss their first semester of classes and other coursework advice.
   At the end of the second semester, students must complete a Program of Study. The Program of Study (POS) is crucial as it represents the plan of study and degree completion. Essentially, the POS is a form of contract with both the department and university— listing all of the courses required to complete degree requirements for an individual student. The POS includes accepted transfer and Graduate Special credits. The student also establishes a committee through the POS, keeping in mind that this committee is not permanent and can change based on the student’s needs and the advice of the committee chair. It is likely that the POS will change over the course of studies, and students must keep this form updated as necessary to reflect changes in their program. All committee members must sign the POS and the Graduate School must review and accept it for compliance with degree requirements.
   The chair of each committee directs class advisement, exam study, and thesis advising. Other committee members serve in an advisory capacity.  They are not the primary advisors, but they are there to offer specific advice about topics related to coursework, exams, and dissertation. Members of the committee should be individuals with whom the student can work, who have some interest in the student’s research, and who can materially aid the student’s development. All of the committee members on the faculty at the university must be designated graduate faculty (professors approved by the Graduate School as qualified to work with graduate students). M.A. Committees consist of three members.  The chair, a second member drawn from the Political Science Department, and a third from another department (The Graduate School Representative).
5. Transfer/Substitution of Credits: Some hours of graduate credit MAY be transferred for credit towards the M.A. degree. These credits may be from another university or from a previous degree program at UNR. 
6. Timeframe: Students have six years to complete all M.A. requirements, a timeframe that begins the date of acceptance into the program. No courses taken in residence (including credits taken as a Graduate Special) in pursuit of the M.A. may be older than 6 years, at the time of graduation from the program.

Undergraduate Prerequisites

• Undergraduate Degree (B.A./B.S)
• Minimum 2.75 overall GPA (B.A./B.S.) or a 3.0 GPA for last two years of B.A./B.S.
• 18 credit-hours of social science courses taken at the undergraduate level