Political Science, MA
American Politics, Comparative Government, Global Affairs, International Relations, Political Science, government, history, politics
Craft a program that meets your individual interests within subfields of the discipline. You'll enjoy a low student-to-faculty ratio as you receive a rigorous introduction to graduate study in political science.
The Master of Arts program in political science offers a variety of areas of specialization within and between the four main subfields of political science --- American politics, comparative politics, international relations and political theory --- with particular strengths in ethnoreligious dynamics, women and politics, political violence, human rights, political psychology, political economy and Latino politics.*
Faculty are also active in collaborative interdisciplinary research at ASU and with scholars at other universities; many have won major grants and awards. The school is host to the Future Security Initiative, the Center for Latina/os and American Politics Research, and an experimental lab. Faculty are also affiliated with other centers at ASU, such as the Leadership, Diplomacy and National Security Lab; the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict; the Melikian Center for Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies; and the Center for the Study of Economic Liberty.
The program may be taken as a terminal program or as a step toward eventual fulfillment of the requirements for the doctorate. Students who plan to obtain the doctorate at ASU should apply directly to the doctoral program.
*Students interested in a political theory specialization should consult with the academic unit before applying.
- College/school:
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Location: Tempe
- STEM-OPT extension eligible: No
Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
30 credit hours and a portfolio, or
30 credit hours and a thesis
Required Core Course (3 credit hours)
POS 503 Empirical Political Inquiry (3)
Other Requirements (6 credit hours)
focus area course (3)
POS 603 Polimetrics I or second focus area course for political theory (3)
Electives (15 or 21 credit hours)
Culminating Experience (0 or 6 credit hours)
POS 599 Thesis (6) or
portfolio (0)
Additional Curriculum Information
Students who select the thesis option must submit a written thesis and hold an oral defense. Students who select the portfolio option must submit a written paper and hold an oral defense.
The course POS 603 Polimetrics I may be substituted with permission of both the director of graduate studies and the faculty advisor. Students in the political theory focus area take a second focus area course instead of POS 603.
General university admission requirements:
All students are required to meet general
university admission requirements.
U.S. applicants | International applicants | English proficiency
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in any field from a regionally accredited institution.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
All applicants must submit:
- graduate admission application and application fee
- official transcripts
- personal statement
- writing sample
- three letters of recommendation
- list of political science courses taken
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
The personal statement should be one to three pages and describe the areas of political science the applicant wishes to study, postgraduation goals, and why the School of Politics and Global Studies is the best fit. Applicants may also mention any faculty members with whom they are interested in working and explain why, and provide context for any discrepancies in their educational background.
The writing sample is typically a research paper or other similar paper that demonstrates the applicant's critical thinking and writing skills in political science or a related field. There is no length requirement for the writing sample, but it should be a sufficient length for the admission committee to evaluate the applicant's knowledge and skills.
To assist in evaluating all candidates, the applicant should list titles and related information for all previous undergraduate and graduate courses or coursework in political science or related fields. The list must be saved as a .pdf, .doc, .rtf or .txt file and uploaded with the online graduate admission application. The information should be in a table with the following column headings: Course Title, Undergrad Credit Hours, Graduate Credit Hours, Grade, Institution, Year.
Undergraduate coursework in political science is not a prerequisite for admission. However, master's degree students should have a basic understanding of elementary statistics and the undergraduate content of the political science fields of concentration that they wish to study. Students should allow sufficient time to acquire such a background.
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 04/01 | Final |
Graduates are prepared for research or applied careers in political science in government, nonprofits and the private sector. Career examples include:
- campaign consultant
- campaign strategist
- data analyst
- lobbyist
- research specialist
School of Politics and Global Studies
|
COOR 6801
spgs@asu.edu
480-965-8563
3 year programs
These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
