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.