Degree Requirements
- Credit Hours: Students are required to complete a minimum of 38 credit hours in POLS at the graduate level. Up to 12 credits can be at the 400 level. The number of credit hours may vary depending on number of semesters in residence.
- Grade Point Average: Students must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in courses applied to the degree.
- Benchmarks: For details, go to the Political Science Degree Progress tab.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CORE COURSES: | 11 | |
| Introduction to Political Research | ||
| Quantitative Political Analysis | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Methods | ||
| Graduate Seminar | ||
| POLITICAL SCIENCE ELECTIVES: * | 27 | |
Any POLS courses at the 400 level or above | ||
| Total Hours | 38 | |
Major Learning Outcomes
M.A. in Political Science
Students earning an M.A. in Political Science will be able to:
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Demonstrate basic substantive knowledge of the institutions, political actors, and relevant processes in state, national, and international political systems.
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Effectively communicate knowledge of major policy issues in state, national, and international affairs and convey the importance of the uncertainties, trade-offs, and institutional/bureaucratic contexts of problems confronting governments.
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Evaluate potential explanations of political phenomena in a way that considers alternative explanatory perspectives across the major theoretical schools of thought in the political science literature.
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Carry out systematic empirical research in political science, including articulating a theoretical question, constructing a rigorous research design, and analyzing data or cases using appropriate methodological approaches.
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Clearly articulate the potential policy implications of research findings in political science and how those findings relate to larger practical, political, and ethical questions faced by West Virginia, the nation, and communities worldwide.
Accelerated Program
Accelerated B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Political Science
Students must fulfill all degree requirements for the B.A. in Political Science and all requirements for the M.A. in Political Science with the exception of the minimum number of credit hours in M.A. in Political Science Electives and the minimum number of credit hour required for the M.A., as described below. Students must also meet all requirements for the A.B.M in Political Science.
Credit Hours: Students are required to complete a minimum of 31 credit hours in POLS at the graduate level. Up to 12 of those credits can be at the 400 level. The number of graduate credit hours may vary depending on number of semesters in residence.
ABM Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Coursework | 106 | |
| Shared B.A./M.A. Coursework | 14 | |
| Graduate Coursework | 24 | |
| Total Hours | 144 | |
Shared Coursework Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 500 | Introduction to Political Research | 3 |
| POLS 501 | Quantitative Political Analysis | 3 |
| POLS 502 | Advanced Quantitative Methods | 3 |
| POLS 596 | Graduate Seminar | 2 |
| Any POLS course at the 400 level or above | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 14 | |
| Third Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| POLS 334 or 360 | 3 | POLS Elective/AoE course 3 | 3 |
| POLS Elective/AoE course 1 | 3 | POLS Elective/AoE course 4 | 3 |
| POLS Elective/AoE course 2 | 3 | POLS 501 | 3 |
| POLS 500 | 3 | POLS 596 | 1 |
| F8 Course 2 | 3 | ARSC 380 (EDG 5) | 3 |
| General Elective | 2 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| POLS Elective/AoE course 5 | 3 | POLS Capstone | 3 |
| POLS 502 | 3 | EDG 6: EDG High Impact Experience | 3 |
| POLS 596 | 1 | POLS 400 level or above | 3 |
| F8 Course 3 | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 2 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 60 | |||