Accelerated BA/MA in Political Science
Department website: https://www.isu.edu/polisci/graduate-programs/
Accelerated BA/BS in Political Science to MPA Program
Students accepted into an accelerated undergraduate program may take departmentally approved graduate coursework as part of their undergraduate curriculum. These credits will count towards both their bachelor's and master's degrees and can fulfill major requirements, upper-division requirements, and/or free electives. For details on accelerated programs at Idaho State University, please see (Degree Requirements).
Once accepted into the accelerated BA/BS degree program enroute to the MPA program, students should communicate with both their undergraduate advisor and advisors in the MPA program. It is important that the courses that you choose to take for graduate credit be either MPA core or specialized courses. Also realize that acceptance into the accelerated program during the bachelor's degree program is the first step in the admissions process. A separate application to the Graduate School is necessary for all accelerated programs. For more information regarding application and admission to the Graduate School at Idaho State University, please see the Graduate Admissions section of the graduate catalog.
Students in the accelerated BA/BS to MPA may select up to 12 credits (four courses) from the following: POLS 5505 Introduction to Public Administration, POLS 5509 Community and Regional Planning, POLS 5551 Public Organizational Theory. POLS 5552 Public Budgeting and Finance, POLS 5553 Public Policy Analysis, POLS 5554 Public Personnel Management, and POLS 5558 Public Administration Ethics. Students should understand that 9 credits can be used to fulfill their free POLS undergraduate electives. If they chose to do another 3 credits at the 5000 level, those three credits can count as upper division credits for their undergraduate degree.
This accelerated program gives outstanding bachelor's degree students in a "fast-track" option to pursue graduate-level coursework towards the Master in Arts degree during the last two semesters of undergraduate coursework and count up to 12 credits of that coursework towards completion of the bachelor's degree.
Program Admissions Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Completion of the following courses, (or their equivalents) with at least a C grade in each. | ||
| POLS 1101 | American National Government | 3 |
| POLS 1102 | Introduction to Politics Critical Thinking and Analysis | 3 |
General Education
The listing below includes program requirements that also fulfill General Education requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Objective 1 | 6 | |
| Objective 2 | 3 | |
| Objective 3 | 3 | |
| Objective 4 | 6 | |
| Objective 5 | 7 | |
| Objective 6 - POLS 1101 | 6 | |
| Students must fulfill Objective 7 or Objective 8 | 3 | |
Objective 7- POLS 1102 | ||
Objective 8 | ||
| Objective 9 - POLS 2231 | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 37 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 1101 | American National Government (Partially Fulfills Objective 6) | 3 |
| POLS 1102 | Introduction to Politics Critical Thinking and Analysis (Fulfills Objective 7) | 3 |
| POLS 2213 | Introduction to Political Philosophy | 3 |
| POLS 2221 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| POLS 2231 | Introduction to Comparative Politics (Fulfills Objective 9) | 3 |
| POLS 3319 | Political Science Research Design | 3 |
| POLS 4460 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Upper division Political Science Electives | 18 | |
| One course in American Politics | ||
| Special Topics in American Government | ||
| Special Topics in American Government | ||
| Political Parties and Groups | ||
| The Presidency | ||
| The Legislative Process | ||
| Introduction to Public Administration | ||
| Intergovernmental Relations | ||
| Voting and Public Opinion | ||
| Women and Politics | ||
| Constitutional Law | ||
| Civil Rights and Liberties | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| One course in International Politics | ||
| Special Topics in Comparative Politics | ||
| Special Topics in International Relations | ||
| Special Topics in Comparative Politics | ||
| Special Topics in International Relations | ||
| Comparative Politics Change and Political Order | ||
| Politics of Developing Nations | ||
| Terrorism and Political Violence | ||
| International Sustainable Development | ||
| One course in Political Theory | ||
| Special Topics in Political Theory | ||
| American Political Theory | ||
| Special Topics in Political Theory | ||
| Contemporary Political Theory | ||
| Democratic Political Thoughts | ||
| Jurisprudence | ||
| Three more upper division Political Science courses, excluding POLS 4459 | ||
| Introduction to Public Administration | ||
| Community and Regional Planning | ||
| Public Organizational Theory | ||
| Public Budgeting and Finance | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
| Public Personnel Management | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Students who desire to complete a pre-law emphasis should consult with a pre-law advisor in the Department of Political Science. | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Degree Totals
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Program Admission Requirements (w/o General Education) | 0 | |
| General Education | 37 | |
| Major Requirements (w/o General Education) | 30 | |
| Upper Division Free Electives | 12 | |
| Free Electives | 41 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |