Master of Arts in Political Science

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The Master of Arts Program focuses on the core scholarly areas of political science. Students specialize in one of four concentrations: U.S. politics and public policy, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. Courses in the M.A. program serve as a foundation for work in a doctoral program or as preparation for careers in government, nonprofit organizations, or the private sector.

Admissions

Admission to the M.A. program is on a rolling basis throughout the academic year, but applicants seeking financial aid must apply by February 1. All applicants for the M.A. ideally should have completed at least nine semester hours of political science, social science, or related fields. Applicants must submit, along with the graduate school application form and application fee, three letters of recommendation—with at least two preferably from faculty at the applicant’s undergraduate institution—official copies of all transcripts, a personal essay, a current resume, a writing sample, and aptitude scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for international students. While GRE and TOEFL test scores are not deterministic, it should be recognized that low verbal and analytical scores adversely affect chances for admission. A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 is expected.

The Deadlines for Fall 2008 admission are:

Apply for the MA online

Degree Requirements

All M.A. students are required to take POL G202 Quantitative Techniques. Students take a minimum of four courses in one of the four areas of concentration (described below). All remaining courses are taken as electives.

Students interested in pursuing doctoral studies at Northeastern or elsewhere may also want to take the doctoral program core courses, POL G200 Perspectives on Social Science Inquiry and POL G201 Methods of Analysis, as electives.

Courses in other programs: With permission, M.A. students may take up to six semester hours relevant to the student’s concentration in other graduate programs at Northeastern University.

Directed studies: M.A. students may take up to six semester hours as “directed study” in specialized areas. All directed studies are subject to the prior approval of the graduate program, and are generally not approved for subjects on which courses are offered.

Internships: M. A. students, with prior approval, can earn academic credit through a supervised internship experience that carries an academic component. M.A. students are limited to three semester hours of internship credit. A petition with appropriate approvals is required for all internships.

M.A. Thesis: M.A. students may pursue, with prior approval, an optional thesis of up to six semester hours of total credit. Thesis proposals must be approved by a thesis committee comprised of two full-time members of the graduate faculty and by the director of graduate programs.

No student may take more than nine semester hours in any combination of directed studies, internships, or thesis.

M.A. Program Concentrations

U.S. Politics and Public Policy

The field of U.S. Politics and Public Policy studies the structure of the American system of governance, its institutions, processes for representation, and the broad dynamics of public policymaking. Students in this field will develop a thorough knowledge of the formal institutions of government, as well as an appreciation for the historical and philosophical foundations of the constitutional system, for the societal factors that have shaped policymaking, and for the normative dimensions of democratic representation and effective government.

Students in this concentration are required to complete at least four courses from among the following courses:

Comparative Politics

Comparative politics focuses upon politics within and across nations. It examines and compares political structures and institutions, political culture development and democratization, as well as many of the challenging issues facing states today. M.A. students develop a solid understanding of how different kinds of political systems function and how to assess their impact on public policy and normative questions. They study the impact of culture and international politics upon political processes within nations; and they study the theory and methods for comparing nations. Students have the opportunity to focus on specific areas of the world as well as to develop a broad understanding of all types of political systems.

Students in this concentration are required to complete at least four Comparative Government courses:

International Relations

The field of International Relations is concerned both with relations that occur across national boundaries, and with the patterns or structures according to which such relations take place. More specifically, International Relations examines the actors, issues, and actions which have impacts beyond national boundaries. As an academic discipline, the field attempts to define these phenomena, explain the historical and present patterns of their occurrence, and illuminate the contexts in which certain patterns are likely to be experienced. As such, International Relations looks not just to the actors and the systems within which their interactions take place, but it also attempts to ascertain how the particular systems evolved, why particular actors at one time or another have somehow dominated international affairs, and how in their interactions various actors have contributed to shaping issues and patterns in international affairs.

No one individual can hope to understand in depth the vast array of issues which the field of International Relations encompasses. Therefore, scholars and practitioners tend to specialize. Some may choose to focus on particular issues in international relations, while others choose to specialize geographically. In the hope of offering students who choose the field of International Relations an understanding of the breadth and complexity of the field, both theoretical courses and courses focused on the foreign policy of individual states are offered.

Students in this concentration are required to complete at least four International Relations courses.

Political Thought

The field of Political Thought encompasses the wide span of historical and intellectual contributions that delineate the nature of man in relation to social, economic, political, and legal institutions as well as psychological and cultural factors. Both the context in which the theories were generated and the applications and consequences of those theories are explored. The student who chooses political thought as a field will be expected to be aware of the differing views of the nature of the field, its scope, limits and methods. Mastery of the literature and techniques of the field should enable the student to deal with the internal complexities of an individual’s thought, or with the history of an idea (or ideas), or with the relationship between ideas and the social and political context.

Students in this concentration are required to complete at least four Political Thought courses:

Program Structure & Administration

The Master of Arts Committee is the chief policy-making body for the program. All decisions regarding curriculum, program direction and development are within the jurisdiction of this committee.

Program Guide

A 2007-2008 Graduate Guide for all graduate students is available on-line or in the Graduate Program Office. This Guide provides information on program requirements, curriculum, financial aid, and other aspects of the graduate programs in the Department of Political Science.

2006-2007 Program Guide

2005-2006 Program Guide

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Northeastern University

Dept of Political Science
Northeastern University
301 Meserve Hall
Boston, MA 02115

Phone: (617) 373-2796
Email: polisci@neu.edu