Political Science and Public Affairs, M.A.
Saint Louis University's Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Affairs program allows academically talented students to advance their knowledge and analytical skills by focusing on an interdisciplinary problem-oriented area of interest within political science.
SLU's M.A. in political science and public affairs is open to individuals who have previously earned a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in political science or a related social science discipline from an accredited university and demonstrate outstanding potential.
Curriculum Overview
The M.A. in Political Science and Public Affairs requires 30 credits.
M.A. students on the St. Louis campus may choose one of three formal concentration areas—American politics, international affairs or public policy and administration. Alternatively, they may design an individual plan of study in consultation with a faculty mentor and the coordinator of graduate studies. All M.A. students on SLU's Madrid Campus complete a concentration in international relations and crisis.
Students enrolled on either the St. Louis or the Madrid campus may take elective courses on the other campus.
American Politics Concentration
This concentration provides a substantive grounding in the academic study of American politics, strong methodological skills, and options to focus on particular areas of interest, such as public law. This concentration is appropriate for students with a variety of interests and goals, including additional graduate study in political science and related fields or law school.
International Affairs Concentration
This concentration provides theoretical and substantive grounding in international relations and comparative politics. Some of the topics covered are the process of democratization, international security, warfare, and economic development.
International Relations and Crisis Concentration (Madrid Campus)
This concentration familiarizes students with the key theoretical, political, and social dimensions of the global governance of insecurity, and the emergence, management and consequences of crises today.
Public Policy and Administration Concentration
This concentration is designed for students interested in gaining a practical understanding of how political and social policies are developed and administered. Like a Master of Public Administration, it prepares students to work in local and national government, non-profits and the private sector.
Careers
An M.A. in political science and public affairs prepares students for careers in government, foreign service, national or international business, nonprofit organizations and NGOs, as well as future graduate study. Possible careers include campaign aide, diplomat, nonprofit manager and labor relations specialist.
Admission Requirements
A B.A. or B.S. with at least 18 credits of undergraduate courses in political science or a related social science field is strongly encouraged.
Successful applicants usually possess a GPA of 3.40 (overall and in political science courses) and a sufficient TOEFL score (for international applicants).
Applicants are not required to submit GRE scores but may do so if they wish to have them considered as part of their application.
Application Requirements
- Online application and fee.
- Two letters of recommendation written by people who can speak to your academic and/or professional skills. These letters should come from someone in a supervisory position, for example a professor, academic advisor or workplace supervisor.
- Transcript(s). Provisional offers of acceptance can be made based on unofficial transcripts. Admitted students will need to submit an official transcript upon enrollment.
- A statement of purpose in which you detail why you wish to pursue a Master’s degree, how your background prepares you for this academic program, and how you plan to use the skills or knowledge you learn in the program to achieve your future goals. Please also include a brief note if you wish to be considered for departmental need- or merit-based funding. The total statement of purpose should not exceed 4 double-spaced pages and may be shorter.
- A writing sample that demonstrates your academic writing abilities. This may be a term paper you wrote for a course, an honors thesis or other independent research or a policy brief. If you do not have a suitable writing sample, please choose a policy area or research topic in which you are interested and write a research memo in which you introduce the topic, identify a compelling research question or questions, explain how you might go about conducting research on the topic and identify implications of studying this topic. Writing samples should be at least 5 double-spaced pages and may be longer.
- Curriculum vitae or résumé.
Requirements for International Students
All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students. International students must also meet the following additional requirements:
- Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
- Financial documents are required to complete an application for admission and be reviewed for admission and merit scholarships.
- Proof of financial support that must include:
- A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the student's time at Saint Louis University
- A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of the student's study at the University
- Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include:
- Courses taken and/or lectures attended
- Practical laboratory work
- The maximum and minimum grades attainable
- The grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations
- Any honors or degrees received.
WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.
Assistantship Application Deadline
For full consideration for a University-wide fellowship or assistantship, applicants should submit their application by Jan. 10. For consideration for a Department of Political Science graduate assistantship or tuition hours, applicants should submit their application by March 1 (for enrollment beginning in August).
Review Process
Applications are reviewed by a committee of political science department faculty members. Complete applications received by March 1 (for enrollment beginning in August) or November 1 (for enrollment beginning in January) will receive full consideration. We will continue reviewing applications after these deadlines if space allows. If applying after the priority deadline, you are welcome to contact the graduate program coordinator to see whether applications are still being considered.
Tuition
Tuition/Fee | Cost Per Credit |
---|---|
Graduate Tuition | $1,310 |
Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:
Information on Tuition and Fees
Scholarships, Assistantships and Financial Aid
- Graduates will be able to explain how political systems operate within the context of their chosen M.A. concentrations.
- Graduates will be able to critique competing theoretical explanations and produce a comprehensive review of the scholarly literature in their chosen field of study.
- Graduates will be able to design original research and seminar projects that investigate political processes with appropriate methodologies and contribute to ongoing scholarly debates.
- Graduates will be able to explain the results of their research in public forums and justify their methodological choices.
- Graduates will be able to analyze the values that inform political institutions, behavior and policies.
- Graduates will be able to demonstrate honest and ethical research practices.
Students on SLU's St. Louis campus will choose one of the three formal concentrations, or they may choose a general M.A. designed around an individualized plan of study. All students on SLU's Madrid campus complete the concentration in international relations and crisis.
All students will complete a total of 30 credits for the M.A. degree. All students are required to pass a field exam on their formal concentration or individual topic of interest administered at the beginning of the student’s final semester of coursework.
No more than 12 credits of the M.A. may be taken outside political science, and no more than 6 credits may be independent study classes or internships. Some classes have prerequisites. Depending on their undergraduate preparation, students may be required to take specific undergraduate classes prior to enrolling in post-baccalaureate classes. Exceptions will be allowed only with the approval of the coordinator of graduate studies for the department.
Individualized Concentration in Political Science and Public Affairs
Students are encouraged to explore courses outside the department related to their field of study, for example, courses in Women's and Gender Studies, Geographic Information Systems, and regional studies courses offered by the Department of Languages, Literatures
and Culture.
All students are required to select a concentration. If a student wishes to pursue a topic that is not covered by one of the formal concentrations, they may propose an individualized course of study that can be formalized through a "contract" concentration. All contract concentrations must be approved in advance by the student's advisor and the graduate program coordinator. Students wishing to consider a contract concentration should work with their advisor and/or the program coordinator as early as possible. All contract concentrations cover 30 credit hours and must include the following components:
- A foundational course or courses on the content of the student’s topic of interest
- A foundational course on methods of inquiry with the Graduate Methods attribute
- A course with the Graduate Thought Foundations attribute
- A range of elective courses constituted as a coherent domain of study
American Politics Concentration
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Core Courses | ||
POLS 5100 | Seminar in American Politics | 3 |
POLS 5750 | American Political Thought: Meanings of Citizenship | 3 |
Research Methods | ||
POLS 5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3 |
Other Required Courses | 9 | |
Three more American or Policy Foundation courses | ||
Political Science Elective Courses | 12 | |
Six credits may be an internship or MA thesis | ||
Total Credits | 30 |
International Affairs Concentration
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Comparative Politics Classes | 6 | |
International Relations Classes | 6 | |
Choose an additional course in either Comparative Politics or International Relations † | 3 | |
Research Methods | ||
POLS 5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3 |
Political Thought Foundation | 3 | |
Political Science Electives | 9 | |
Six credits may be an internship or M.A. thesis | ||
Total Credits | 30 |
- †
POLS 5840 can count as a Comparative Politics course or an International Relations course, but it cannot count as both.
International Relations and Crisis Concentration (Madrid Campus)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Required Courses | ||
POLS 5590 | Crisis of Leadership † | 3 |
POLS 5610 | International Relations: Theory & Practice † | 3 |
POLS 5630 | The European Union: Politics and Political Economy † | 3 |
POLS 5662 | International Contemporary Challenges † | 3 |
POLS 5663 | Key Contemporary Crises † | 3 |
POLS 5910 | Graduate Internship * | 3 |
Students must complete a 3 credit graduate internship with a national or international, governmental or non-governmental body. | ||
Research Methods | ||
POLS 5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods * | 3 |
Political Science Electives | 9 | |
Select 9 credits | ||
POLS 5100 | Seminar in American Politics * | |
POLS 5320 | Environmental Politics and Policy-Making * | |
POLS 5510 | Democratization ‡ | |
POLS 5520 | Political Change ‡ | |
POLS 5530 | Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power ‡ | |
POLS 5550 | Politics of Economic Development * | |
POLS 5650 | War, Peace, and Politics ‡ | |
POLS 5661 | Shifting Trends in Regional and Interregional Politics † | |
POLS 5664 | International Political Economy in Times of Crisis † | |
POLS 5665 | Historical Perspectives on Crisis: The 30 Years' European Crisis † | |
POLS 5690 | Theories of World Politics ‡ | |
POLS 5730 | Contemporary Political Ideologies * | |
POLS 5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy ‡ | |
POLS 5990 | Thesis Research * | |
For students conducting a Thesis, 6 credits are required. | ||
Total Credits | 30 |
- †
Madrid campus only
- ‡
St. Louis campus only
- *
Offered on both St. Louis and Madrid campuses
Public Policy and Administration Concentration
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Core Courses | ||
POLS 5100 | Seminar in American Politics | 3 |
Policy Foundation course | 3 | |
Research Methods | ||
POLS 5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3 |
Political Thought Foundation course | 3 | |
Other Required Courses | 6 | |
Select six credits of the following: | ||
ECON 5010 | Economics for Managers | |
POLS 5310 | Issues in U.S. Public Administration | |
POLS 5325 | Public Sector Budgeting | |
POLS 5350 | Issues in Public Policy | |
POLS 5360 | Urban Economic Development | |
POLS 5850 | Policy Evaluation and Assessment | |
POLS 6310 | Policy Process | |
POLS 6320 | Organization Theory & Behavior | |
POLS 6330 | Public Finance Theory | |
Political Science Electives | 12 | |
Six credits may be an internship or M.A. thesis | ||
Total Credits | 30 |
Non-Course Requirements
- Students may complete an internship for up to six credits as part of the M.A. in political science and public affairs. Students will work under the direction of a preceptor at the internship location and a faculty member in the department. The internship should involve 200 hours of work central to the organization students are working with, and students will also need to write a paper related to the work.
- Students who choose to write master's theses will work closely with a faculty director and a committee of two other faculty members chosen with the director's guidance. The M.A. thesis is a two-semester project. Students will complete a thesis proposal in the first semester and the thesis itself during the second semester. Students who are not able to defend their proposal successfully during the first semester will not be allowed to continue to the second semester of thesis work.
- All students in the political science M.A. program must take and pass a field exam during their last semester of coursework. All students must pass the written portion of the exam. An additional oral exam will be required at the discretion of the exam committee.
Continuation Standards
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 in all graduate/professional courses.
Political Science - American (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLS 5140 | Political Parties | 3 |
POLS 5150 | Gender and American Politics | 3 |
POLS 5170 | Electoral Politics | 3 |
POLS 5171 | Law, Policy, Society | 3 |
POLS 5310 | Issues in U.S. Public Administration | 3 |
POLS 5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy | 3-6 |
Political Science - Comparative Politics (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLS 5500 | Russian Political Culture | 3 |
POLS 5510 | Democratization | 3 |
POLS 5520 | Political Change | 3 |
POLS 5530 | Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power | 3 |
POLS 5550 | Politics of Economic Development | 3 |
POLS 5590 | Crisis of Leadership | 3 |
POLS 5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy | 3-6 |
Political Science - International Relations (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLS 5610 | International Relations: Theory & Practice | 3 |
POLS 5630 | The European Union: Politics and Political Economy | 3 |
POLS 5650 | War, Peace, and Politics | 3 |
POLS 5661 | Shifting Trends in Regional and Interregional Politics | 3 |
POLS 5662 | International Contemporary Challenges | 3 |
POLS 5663 | Key Contemporary Crises | 3 |
POLS 5664 | International Political Economy in Times of Crisis | 3 |
POLS 5665 | Historical Perspectives on Crisis: The 30 Years' European Crisis | 3 |
POLS 5670 | Politics of International Trade and Finance | 3 |
POLS 5690 | Theories of World Politics | 3 |
POLS 5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy | 3-6 |
Political Science - Methods (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLS 5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3 |
Political Science - Policy Elective (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLS 5300 | Law and Regulatory Policy | 3 |
POLS 5310 | Issues in U.S. Public Administration | 3 |
POLS 5320 | Environmental Politics and Policy-Making | 3 |
POLS 5325 | Public Sector Budgeting | 3 |
POLS 5330 | Public Sector Economics | 3 |
POLS 5350 | Issues in Public Policy | 3 |
POLS 5360 | Urban Economic Development | 3 |
POLS 5850 | Policy Evaluation and Assessment | 3 |
POLS 6310 | Policy Process | 3 |
POLS 6320 | Organization Theory & Behavior | 3 |
POLS 6330 | Public Finance Theory | 3 |
SOC 5010 | Organizational Theory and Administration | 3 |
Political Science - Policy Foundation (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLS 5310 | Issues in U.S. Public Administration | 3 |
POLS 5350 | Issues in Public Policy | 3 |
POLS 6310 | Policy Process | 3 |
Political Science - Thought Foundations (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLS 5730 | Contemporary Political Ideologies | 3 |
POLS 5740 | Marx's Capital | 3 |
POLS 5750 | American Political Thought: Meanings of Citizenship | 3 |
POLS 5760 | Feminist Theories | 3 |
POLS 5760X | Feminist Theories | 3 |
POLS 5770 | Feminist Epistemologies | 3 |
Political Science - Elective (Graduate) attributed courses
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
POLS 5010 | Cultural Methods: Gender, Politics, and Power | 3 |
POLS 5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3 |
POLS 5100 | Seminar in American Politics | 3 |
POLS 5130 | Race, Class, and Punishment | 3 |
POLS 5131 | Race, Class, and Punishment | 3 |
POLS 5140 | Political Parties | 3 |
POLS 5150 | Gender and American Politics | 3 |
POLS 5170 | Electoral Politics | 3 |
POLS 5171 | Law, Policy, Society | 3 |
POLS 5300 | Law and Regulatory Policy | 3 |
POLS 5310 | Issues in U.S. Public Administration | 3 |
POLS 5320 | Environmental Politics and Policy-Making | 3 |
POLS 5325 | Public Sector Budgeting | 3 |
POLS 5330 | Public Sector Economics | 3 |
POLS 5350 | Issues in Public Policy | 3 |
POLS 5360 | Urban Economic Development | 3 |
POLS 5500 | Russian Political Culture | 3 |
POLS 5510 | Democratization | 3 |
POLS 5520 | Political Change | 3 |
POLS 5530 | Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power | 3 |
POLS 5550 | Politics of Economic Development | 3 |
POLS 5590 | Crisis of Leadership | 3 |
POLS 5610 | International Relations: Theory & Practice | 3 |
POLS 5630 | The European Union: Politics and Political Economy | 3 |
POLS 5650 | War, Peace, and Politics | 3 |
POLS 5661 | Shifting Trends in Regional and Interregional Politics | 3 |
POLS 5662 | International Contemporary Challenges | 3 |
POLS 5663 | Key Contemporary Crises | 3 |
POLS 5664 | International Political Economy in Times of Crisis | 3 |
POLS 5665 | Historical Perspectives on Crisis: The 30 Years' European Crisis | 3 |
POLS 5670 | Politics of International Trade and Finance | 3 |
POLS 5690 | Theories of World Politics | 3 |
POLS 5700 | Historical Western Political Thought | 3 |
POLS 5710 | Citizenship and Social Difference | 3 |
POLS 5730 | Contemporary Political Ideologies | 3 |
POLS 5740 | Marx's Capital | 3 |
POLS 5750 | American Political Thought: Meanings of Citizenship | 3 |
POLS 5760 | Feminist Theories | 3 |
POLS 5760X | Feminist Theories | 3 |
POLS 5770 | Feminist Epistemologies | 3 |
POLS 5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy | 3-6 |
POLS 5850 | Policy Evaluation and Assessment | 3 |
POLS 5910 | Graduate Internship | 1-6 |
POLS 5911 | Graduate Capstone Internship | 3-6 |
POLS 5913 | Field Service | 1-6 |
POLS 5930 | Special Topics | 3 |
POLS 5960 | MPA Capstone | 0-3 |
POLS 5970 | Research Topics | 1-3 |
POLS 5980 | Graduate Independent Study | 1-3 |
POLS 5990 | Thesis Research | 3 |
POLS 6310 | Policy Process | 3 |
POLS 6320 | Organization Theory & Behavior | 3 |
POLS 6330 | Public Finance Theory | 3 |
POLS 6930 | Special Topics | 0 |
POLS 6980 | Independent Study | 1,3 |
SOC 5010 | Organizational Theory and Administration | 3 |
SOC 5060 | Qualitative Research Methodology | 3 |
SOC 5600 | Research Methodology | 3 |
SOC 5850 | Policy Evaluation and Assessment | 3 |
SOC 6100 | Regression Analysis & Non-linear Models | 3 |
WGST 5010 | Feminist Theories | 3 |
WGST 5020 | Feminist Epistemologies | 3 |
WGST 5050 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
International Affairs Concentration
Year One | ||
---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | |
POLS 5690 | Theories of World Politics 1 | 3 |
POLS 5020 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods 2 | 3 |
POLS 5550 | Politics of Economic Development 3 | 3 |
Credits | 9 | |
Spring | ||
POLS 5510 | Democratization 1 | 3 |
POLS 5730 | Contemporary Political Ideologies 4 | 3 |
POLS 5840 | Global Health Politics & Policy 3 | 3 |
Credits | 9 | |
Summer | ||
POLS 5910 | Graduate Internship 5 | 3 |
Credits | 3 | |
Year Two | ||
Fall | ||
IA Concentration Field Exam 6 | 0 | |
POLS 5650 | War, Peace, and Politics 3 | 3 |
POLS 5350 | Issues in Public Policy 3 | 3 |
POLS 5530 | Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power 3 | 3 |
Credits | 9 | |
Total Credits | 30 |
- 1
International affairs concentration core requirement; students choose two core courses from a list of comparative politics courses and two courses from a list of international relations courses.
- 2
IA concentration required research methods course.
- 3
Elective.
- 4
IA concentration political theory requirement; students choose one course from a list.
- 5
Elective. (As an alternative, these three elective credits may be taken in a fourth semester.)
- 6
Students take the field exam for their concentration at the beginning of their final semester in the program.
Program Notes
The Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Affairs offers a number of concentrations, including international affairs, public policy and administration and American politics. Each concentration combines core requirements and electives.
The roadmap above is for the international affairs concentration. Core courses (in boldface in the shaded areas above) can be taken in a different order, but students should plan to complete core requirements during the first two semesters in the 30-hour M.A.
For additional information, please contact:
SLU-Madrid offers an M.A. in political science and public affairs, with a concentration in international relations and crisis.