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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 four formal concentration areas—American politics, international affairs, public policy and administration, or political thought. 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.

Political Thought Concentration

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

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, nonprofits and the private sector.

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 (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, as well as 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 prospects with an M.A. from Saint Louis University.

Admission Requirements

Bachelors 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 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: 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. 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 which demonstrates your academic writing abilities. This may be a term paper your 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
  • 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.
  • In order to be issued an I-20 for your F-1 visa application, students must submit financial documents. 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

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

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

Tuition Cost Per Credit
Graduate Tuition $1,370

Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:

Net Price Calculator

Information on Tuition and Fees

Miscellaneous Fees

Information on Summer Tuition

Scholarships, Assistantships and Financial Aid

The Department of Political Science offers partial funding in the form of tuition-hours scholarships. Tuition hours provide recipients with free tuition for one or more courses in the semester they are awarded.
 
The department awards tuition hours based on merit and/or need. New applicants to the program who wish to be considered for funding should submit their application for admission by the listed priority deadline and mention in their professional goals statement that they wish to be considered for funding. There is no separate process for applying for funding. Funding decisions will be made at the same time as admissions decisions, and it is not possible to guarantee funding before an offer of admission has been made. 
 
The University has additional sources of funding for graduate students. Information on these sources, as well as instructions for applying, is available from the Office of Graduate Education
 
Information on need-based financial aid is available from the Office of Student Financial Services.
  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 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:
 

  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 

American Politics Foundation attributed course3
American Politics attributed courses9
POLS 5020Advanced Topics in Research Methods3
POLS 5750American Political Thought: Meanings of Citizenship3
POLS 5970Research Topics3
Skills attributed course3
Political Science Elective Courses6
Six credits may be an internship or MA thesis *
Total Credits30
*

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 (1-3 cr) requirement. 

Public Policy and Administration Concentration

Policy Foundation attributed course3
Policy Elective attributed course9
POLS 5020Advanced Topics in Research Methods (linkurl^#skills^Skills attributed course)3
Skills attributed course3
POLS 5970Research Topics3
Political Thought Foundation course3
Political Science Electives6
Six credits may be an internship or M.A. thesis *
Total Credits30
*

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 (1-3 cr) requirement.

Political Thought Concentration

Thought Foundation attributed courses6
Thought Elective attributed courses6
POLS 5020Advanced Topics in Research Methods3
Skills attributed course3
POLS 5970Research Topics3
Political Science Elective Courses9
Six credits may be an internship or M.A. Thesis *
Total Credits30
*

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 (1-3 cr) requirement.

International Affairs Concentration

International Relations Classes6
Comparative Politics Classes6
POLS 5020Advanced Topics in Research Methods3
Skills attributed course3
POLS 5970Research Topics3
Political Thought Foundation3
Political Science Electives6
Six credits may be an internship or M.A. thesis *
Total Credits30

POLS 5840 Global Health Politics & Policy (3-6 cr) can count as a Comparative Politics course or an International Relations course, but it cannot count as both.

 
 
*

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 (1-3 cr) requirement. 

International Relations and Crisis Concentration (SLU-Madrid)

Required Courses
POLS 5590Crisis of Leadership 3
POLS 5610International Relations: Theory & Practice 3
POLS 5630The European Union: Politics and Political Economy 3
POLS 5662International Contemporary Challenges 3
POLS 5663Key Contemporary Crises 3
POLS 5910Graduate Internship *3
Students must complete a 3 credit graduate internship with a national or international, governmental or non-governmental body.
Research Methods
POLS 5020Advanced Topics in Research Methods *3
Political Science Electives9
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 Credits30

Madrid campus only

St. Louis campus only

*

Offered on both St. Louis and Madrid campuses

Political Science - American Politics (Graduate) Attributed Courses

POLS 5140Political Parties3
POLS 5150Gender and American Politics3
POLS 5170Electoral Politics3
POLS 5171Law, Policy, Society3
POLS 5310Issues in U.S. Public Administration3

Political Science - American Politics Foundation (Graduate) Attributed Courses

POLS 5100Seminar in American Politics3

Political Science - Comparative Politics (Graduate) Attributed Courses

POLS 5500Russian Political Culture3
POLS 5510Democratization3
POLS 5520Political Change3
POLS 5530Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power3
POLS 5550Politics of Economic Development3
POLS 5590Crisis of Leadership3
POLS 5840Global Health Politics & Policy3-6

Political Science - International Relations (Graduate) Attributed Courses

POLS 5610International Relations: Theory & Practice3
POLS 5630The European Union: Politics and Political Economy3
POLS 5650War, Peace, and Politics3
POLS 5661Shifting Trends in Regional and Interregional Politics3
POLS 5662International Contemporary Challenges3
POLS 5663Key Contemporary Crises3
POLS 5664International Political Economy in Times of Crisis3
POLS 5665Historical Perspectives on Crisis: The 30 Years' European Crisis3
POLS 5670Politics of International Trade and Finance3
POLS 5690Theories of World Politics3
POLS 5840Global Health Politics & Policy3-6

Political Science - Methods (Graduate) Attributed Courses

POLS 5020Advanced Topics in Research Methods3

Political Science - Policy Elective (Graduate) Attributed Courses

POLS 5300Law and Regulatory Policy3
POLS 5310Issues in U.S. Public Administration3
POLS 5320Environmental Politics and Policy-Making3
POLS 5325Public Sector Budgeting3
POLS 5330Public Sector Economics3
POLS 5350Issues in Public Policy3
POLS 5360Urban Economic Development3
POLS 5850Policy Evaluation and Assessment3
POLS 6310Policy Process3
POLS 6320Organization Theory & Behavior3
POLS 6330Public Finance Theory3
SOC 5010Organizational Theory and Administration3

Political Science - Policy Foundation (Graduate) Attributed Courses

POLS 5310Issues in U.S. Public Administration3
POLS 5350Issues in Public Policy3
POLS 6310Policy Process3

Political Science - Thought Foundations (Graduate) Attributed Courses

POLS 5730Contemporary Political Ideologies3
POLS 5740Marx's Capital3
POLS 5750American Political Thought: Meanings of Citizenship3
POLS 5760XFeminist Theories3

Political Science - Thought Elective (Graduate) Attributed Courses

POLS 5700Historical Western Political Thought3
POLS 5710Citizenship and Social Difference3
POLS 5730Contemporary Political Ideologies3
POLS 5740Marx's Capital3
POLS 5750American Political Thought: Meanings of Citizenship3
POLS 5760XFeminist Theories3
POLS 5770XFeminist Epistemologies3

Political Science - Elective (Graduate) Attributed Courses

POLS 5010Cultural Methods: Gender, Politics, and Power3
POLS 5020Advanced Topics in Research Methods3
POLS 5100Seminar in American Politics3
POLS 5130Race, Class, and Punishment3
POLS 5131Race, Class, and Punishment3
POLS 5140Political Parties3
POLS 5150Gender and American Politics3
POLS 5170Electoral Politics3
POLS 5171Law, Policy, Society3
POLS 5300Law and Regulatory Policy3
POLS 5310Issues in U.S. Public Administration3
POLS 5320Environmental Politics and Policy-Making3
POLS 5325Public Sector Budgeting3
POLS 5330Public Sector Economics3
POLS 5350Issues in Public Policy3
POLS 5360Urban Economic Development3
POLS 5500Russian Political Culture3
POLS 5510Democratization3
POLS 5520Political Change3
POLS 5530Authoritarian Politics: Rigging Elections and Clinging to Power3
POLS 5550Politics of Economic Development3
POLS 5590Crisis of Leadership3
POLS 5610International Relations: Theory & Practice3
POLS 5630The European Union: Politics and Political Economy3
POLS 5650War, Peace, and Politics3
POLS 5661Shifting Trends in Regional and Interregional Politics3
POLS 5662International Contemporary Challenges3
POLS 5663Key Contemporary Crises3
POLS 5664International Political Economy in Times of Crisis3
POLS 5665Historical Perspectives on Crisis: The 30 Years' European Crisis3
POLS 5670Politics of International Trade and Finance3
POLS 5690Theories of World Politics3
POLS 5700Historical Western Political Thought3
POLS 5710Citizenship and Social Difference3
POLS 5730Contemporary Political Ideologies3
POLS 5740Marx's Capital3
POLS 5750American Political Thought: Meanings of Citizenship3
POLS 5760XFeminist Theories3
POLS 5840Global Health Politics & Policy3-6
POLS 5850Policy Evaluation and Assessment3
POLS 5910Graduate Internship1-6
POLS 5911Graduate Capstone Internship3-6
POLS 5913Field Service1-6
POLS 5930Special Topics3
POLS 5960MPA Capstone0-3
POLS 5970Research Topics in Political Science1-3
POLS 5980Graduate Independent Study in Political Science1-3
POLS 5990Thesis Research3
POLS 6310Policy Process3
POLS 6320Organization Theory & Behavior3
POLS 6330Public Finance Theory3
POLS 6930Special Topics1-3
POLS 6980Graduate Independent Study in Political Science1,3
SOC 5010Organizational Theory and Administration3
SOC 5060Qualitative Research Methodology3
SOC 5600Research Methodology3
SOC 5850Policy Evaluation and Assessment3
SOC 6100Regression Analysis & Non-linear Models3
WGST 5010Feminist Theories3
WGST 5020Feminist Epistemologies3
WGST 5050Program Evaluation3

Political Science - Skills (Graduate) Attributed Courses

ABA 5774Measurement & Experimental Design3
BSH 5000Behavioral Science and Public Health3
BST 5020Theory of Biostatistics3
BST 5025Theory of Biostatistics II3
CMM 5340Language, Equity and Inclusion3
CMM 5400Contemporary Issues in Media3
CMM 5600Strategic Communication3
CMM 5802Qualitative Inquiry for Communication and Social Justice3
CSCI 5001Object-Oriented Programming3
CSCI 5002Data Structures3
ENGL 5110Literary Theory3
EPI 5020Epidemiology Methods II3
GIS 5010Introduction to Geographic Information Systems3
GLOH 5200Global Health and Implementation Science3
HDS 5210Programming for Health Data Scientists3
HIST 5000Theory & Practice of History: An Introduction3
PHIL 5300Problems in Ethical Theories3
PHIL 6200Philosophy of Science3
PUBH 5030Methodological Approaches to Understanding Population Health3
PUBH 5040Generating Evidence from Public Health Data3
SOC 5060Qualitative Research Methodology3
SOC 5850Policy Evaluation and Assessment3
SOC 6100Regression Analysis & Non-linear Models3
STAT 5084Time Series3
WGST 5030Feminist Research Design3
WGST 5050Program Evaluation3
Additional Language courses (taught in the foreign language) 4XXX level or higher, with department approval
Some Skills courses have prerequisites

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.

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
FallCredits
Concentration course 3
POLS 5020 Advanced Topics in Research Methods (Methods Requirement) 3
 Credits6
Spring
Concentration course 3
Skills attributed course 3
Elective 3
 Credits9
Year Two
Fall
Concentration course 3
Thought Foundations attributed course (or elective, if Political Thought concentration) 3
POLS 5970 Research Topics in Political Science (independent research paper) 3
 Credits9
Spring
Concentration course 3
Elective 3
Comprehensive Exam  
 Credits6
 Total Credits30

For additional information, please contact:

Matthew Nanes, Ph.D.
Graduate program coordinator

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

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