The degree is normally completed in four semesters of full-time study, although it can be compressed into three semesters and a summer under some conditions. In addition to the resources of the university, full-time graduate students are provided with office space and access to the department's computer lab to facilitate their research. Graduate assistantships, which provide students with experience in teaching and research, are awarded on a competitive basis. Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation, transcripts of prior academic work, and scores on the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Exam. Applicants are encouraged to complete all application procedures by March 31 in order to be considered for admission in the following fall semester.
New students can enter the program only in the fall.
The department also offers the M.A. through entirely on-line course work. Details of this program are available at the department's web address given above. The department strongly encourages applications from women and persons of color. The purposes, problems, and strategies of political science research, emphasizing concept and hypothesis formulation, operationalization, research design, data collection techniques, data processing, and multivariate data analysis. Covers appropriate techniques for addressing those issues.