Accelerated BA/MA in Political Science
Department website: https://www.isu.edu/polisci/graduate-programs/
The Department of Political Science offers an accelerated BA/MA program for its most talented undergraduates in the Political Science BA program. Graduates will receive separate BA and MA degrees, as noted on their transcripts. The program is designed to be completed in five years of full-time study, with students taking some 5000-level graduate courses in their fourth year along with their undergraduate coursework, and taking mostly 6000-level courses, with some 5000 courses, in their fifth and final year.
Admission Requirements
Declared Political Science majors may apply to the program after having successfully completed 75 credits at the undergraduate level. Applications for admission must be made to the Political Science Graduate Program, and students must meet the following minimum requirements in order to be considered for admission:
- Undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or better;
- Writing sample of 10 pages; and,
- 1-page statement of purpose detailing the applicant's professional goals and interest in the program.
Suggested Preparatory Courses
Applicants to the combined BA/MA should plan on having completed or be enrolled in the following courses before applying: POLS 1101, POLS 2213, POLS 2221, POLS 2231, POLS 3319 (Research Design).
General Requirements
The Master of Arts in Political Science requires a minimum of 36 semester credits in courses approved by the Political Science Department. Students must take at least 15 of these credits in courses at the 6000 level or higher.
For the BA/MA program, students will fulfill these credit requirements through the following options:
- Thesis Option: Requirements include a total of 36 credits in graduate-level courses approved by the Department of Political Science and the Graduate School. Internship credits are not counted as part of the 36 total credit requirement. Required courses are POLS 5519 and POLS 5519L (Political Research Methods, 4 credits) and POLS 6650 (Thesis, 6 credits). Students must also complete coursework in two sub-fields. Other requirements include a minimum of 15 credits (other than POLS 6650) taken at the 6000 level; a maximum of 9 credits of directed reading courses; a comprehensive oral examination that covers the student's graduate course work and the literature in two sub-fields; and the M.A. thesis. The thesis may be defended a second time if the first defense is not satisfactory and further revisions are required.
- Non-Thesis Option: POLS 5519 Political Research Methods and POLS 5519L are required. Other requirements include a total of 36 credits in graduate-level courses approved by the Department of Political Science and the Graduate School; a minimum of 15 credits taken at the 6000-level; a maximum of 9 credits of directed reading courses; a comprehensive written examination that covers the student's graduate course work and the literature in two sub-fields; and a final oral examination, which, like the final written examination, may be taken no more than twice. Internship credits are not counted as part of the 36 total credit requirement.
All students must maintain a satisfactory record of scholarship upon reaching classified graduate student status. Three grades below B- during the student's graduate work (i.e., in courses at the 5000 level and above) will automatically disqualify a student from continuing in the MA portion of the program.
Required Graduate Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 5519 | Political Research Methods | 3 |
| 6000-Level courses in primary subfield | 6 | |
| 6000-Level courses in a second subfield. | 6 | |
| Graduate Level Electives | 3 | |
| POLS 6650 | Thesis | 3-6 |
These will typically occur in a student's fifth and final year of full-time study in the program, but all students in the BA/MA should discuss their curriculum with the Director of Graduate Studies upon admission.
List of eligible courses is available in the Graduate Catalog, Master of Arts in Political Science curriculum.
Credit Totals
- 108 undergraduate credits
- 12 graduate credits that will also count toward undergraduate requirements in the Political Science major and toward the BA
- 30 total graduate credits (9 at the 6000 level, excluding thesis credits)