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 within political science.

SLU's M.A. in political science and public affairs is open to individuals who have 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 in St. Louis may choose one of four concentration areas—American politics, international affairs, public policy and administration, or political thought. All M.A. students at Saint Louis University-Madrid complete a concentration in international relations and crisis.

Students enrolled at either St. Louis or Madrid may take elective courses at the other location.

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 as well as law school.

Political Thought Concentration

This concentration provides substantive grounding in the history of Western political thought, and the opportunity to explore issues in contemporary political theory and philosophy.

Public Policy and Administration Concentration

This concentration is designed for students interested in 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, nonprofits, and the private sector.

International Affairs Concentration

This concentration provides theoretical and substantive grounding in international relations and comparative politics. Topics covered include the process of democratization, international security, warfare, and economic development.

International Relations and Crisis Concentration (SLU-Madrid)

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.

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, and future graduate study. Possible careers include campaign aide, diplomat, nonprofit manager, and labor relations specialist. Students seeking admission to a Ph.D. program may also bolster their record with an M.A. from Saint Louis University.

Admission Requirements

A bachelor's degree 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, for international students whose bachelor's education was not taught in English, TOEFL or similar scores which indicate advanced level English language abilities.

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: https://gradapply.slu.edu/apply/  
• 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. The total statement of purpose should not exceed 4 double-spaced pages and may be shorter.
• A writing sample which 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 Saint Louis University admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students. International students applying to SLU must also meet the following additional requirements:

• Demonstrate English language proficiency
• Academic records must include an English translation. Unofficial copies may be accepted in some cases for initial admission review, however official copies must be received prior to enrollment. Course-by-course transcript evaluations are accepted. 

Students must submit financial documents to be issued an I-20 for their F-1 visa application. Proof of financial support 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

Review Process

A committee of political science department faculty members reviews applications. 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

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Scholarships, Assistantships and Financial Aid

1. Graduates will be able to explain how political systems operate within the context of their chosen M.A. concentrations.
2. Graduates will be able to critique competing theoretical explanations and produce a comprehensive review of the scholarly literature in their chosen field of study.
3. Graduates will be able to design original research and seminar projects that investigate political processes with appropriate methodologies and contribute to ongoing scholarly debates.
4. Graduates will be able to explain the results of their research in public forums and justify their methodological choices.
5. Graduates will be able to analyze the values that inform political institutions, behavior and policies.
6. Graduates will be able to demonstrate honest and ethical research practices.

Students on SLU's St. Louis campus will choose one of four formal concentrations. 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.

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 in order to receive course credit. Students may substitute up to 3 hours of POLS 5910 Graduate Internship (1-6 cr) for a concentration attributed course, and an additional 3 hours of POLS 5910 Graduate Internship (1-6 cr) for elective courses.

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. 

Non-Course Requirements

• 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.

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 Linguistics, Literatures, and Cultures.

All students are required to select a concentration. Suppose a student wishes to pursue a topic that is not covered by one of the formal concentrations. In that case, 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:

1. A foundational course or courses on the content of the student’s topic of interest
2. A foundational course on methods of inquiry with the Graduate Methods attribute
3. A course with the Graduate Thought Foundations attribute 
4. A range of elective courses constituted as a coherent domain of study

American Politics Concentration 

*

Students who conduct a Thesis (6 credits of POLS 5990 Thesis Research (3 cr)) will use 3 credits of Thesis to replace the POLS 5970 Research Topics in Political Science (1-3 cr) requirement. 

Public Policy and Administration Concentration

*

Students who conduct a Thesis (6 credits of POLS 5990 Thesis Research (3 cr)) will use 3 credits of Thesis to replace the POLS 5970 Research Topics in Political Science (1-3 cr) requirement.

Political Thought Concentration

*

Students who conduct a Thesis (6 credits of POLS 5990 Thesis Research (3 cr)) will use 3 credits of Thesis to replace the POLS 5970 Research Topics in Political Science (1-3 cr) requirement.

International Affairs Concentration

International Relations and Crisis Concentration (SLU-Madrid)

Political Science - American Politics (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Political Science - American Politics Foundation (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Political Science - Comparative Politics (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Political Science - International Relations (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Political Science - Methods (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Political Science - Policy Elective (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Political Science - Policy Foundation (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Political Science - Thought Foundations (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Political Science - Thought Elective (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Political Science - Elective (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Political Science - Skills (Graduate) Attributed Courses

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

SLU-Madrid offers an M.A. in political science and public affairs, with a concentration in international relations and crisis.

Learn More

For additional information, please contact pols-admin@slu.edu or call 314-977-3149 and ask to be directed to the graduate program coordinator.