| Degree: | Master of Arts (M.A.) |
| Department: | Building 50, Room 120 (850) 474-2929 http://uwf.edu/govt/ |
| College: | Arts and Sciences |
The M.A. in Political Science is designed for students interested in international relations, comparative politics, American government, and public policy. The student chooses one of three options: generalist, security and diplomacy, or public administration.
The program consists of 33 semester hours (sh), plus successful completion of a comprehensive examination or a thesis. All new students should be advised initially by the department chairperson. After their first semester, students should select their advisor from a member of the full-time faculty who will chair the examinations committee or direct the thesis.
In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, the department bases decisions for regular admission on a holistic review of credentials in which the following criteria are used to assess the potential success of each applicant:
| 12 sh of which 6 sh may be earned by writing and successfully defending a thesis. Although open to any candidate, this track is primarily for students who wish to obtain a broad view of the discipline, either to satisfy their own curiosity or as a means to pursue careers in the media, education, or the private sector. It they are looking to purse a doctorate, they would be well advised to take the thesis option and another 6 sh of electives (which may be in a related discipline such as history, philosophy, economics or statistics). Non-thesis students take 12 sh of electives, of which 6 sh may be taken outside of the discipline. Non-political science credits require prior approval of the student's advisor or department chair. M.A. candidates may take undergraduate courses for graduate credit, again with prior approval. Also, they may take an independent studies course to explore in greater depth an area of interest in Political Science. Advisor-approved comprehensive examination (0 sh) or, for students taking the thesis option, successful defense of the thesis (6 sh). | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
| PAD 6053 | Public Administration Professional | 3.0 |
| PAD 6227 | Public Budgeting | 3.0 |
| PAD elective with the permission of the Chair or track advisor | 3 | |
| Chair or advisor-approved PAD elective or other elective | 3 | |
| Advisor-approved comprehensive examination | 0 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
| INR 5330 | National Security Policy | 3.0 |
| INR 5365 | Intelligence | 3.0 |
| Choose two: | 6 | |
| American Foreign Policy | ||
INR 5XXX | Spying: Fact and Fiction | |
CPO or INR course approved by the Chair | ||
| Advisor-approved comprehensive examination | 0 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
| CPO 6006 | Seminar in Comparative Politics | 3 |
| INR 6007 | Seminar in International Relations | 3 |
| PAD 6275 | Political Economy of Public Administration | 3 |
| POS 6006 | The Study of Politics | 3 |
| POS 6045 | American Politics | 3 |
| POS 6704 | Political Science Research Methods | 3 |
| POT 5602 | Masters of Political Thought | 3 |
| Total Hours | 21 | |
| Thesis students take 6 sh of electives while non-thesis students take 12 sh of electives or courses applicable to their chosen track, i.e., Security and Diplomacy or Public Administration. Those choosing the Security and Diplomacy or Public Administration option need to complete courses in that field. Consult the relevant degree planning sheet available in the department's website. With the approval of their advisor, candidates selecting the generalist option may take 6 sh in disciplines outside Political Science, including but not limited to History, Economics, and Philosophy. Students may enroll in an upper-division undergraduate course for graduate credit in order to learn the fundamentals of a discipline, or in a directed readings course to explore in greater depth an area of interest in Political Science. | 6-12 | |
| Total Hours | 6-12 | |
| Students may choose to complete a thesis in lieu of completing 6 sh of electives | 0-6 | |
| Thesis | ||
| Total Hours | 0-6 | |
