The Department of Political Science offers the Master of Arts in Political Science degree with a diverse faculty maintaining a broad research agenda. The degree program has a favorable faculty-to-student ratio which permits students to have close contact with faculty. We enroll students from all regions of Mississippi as well as from many other states in the Southeast. Many MA graduates enroll in law school or pursue Ph.D. degrees in political science.
Master of Political Science recent graduates have achieved:
For more information about our alumni, click here.
Admission Requirements
Competitive applicants for the Master of Arts (MA), Political Science program must have completed the last two years of undergraduate work with a grade point average of 3.0; applicants with previous graduate work must have a grade point average of 3.0 on such course work. Moreover, all applicants must submit three letters of recommendation. Applicants with lower grade point averages may be admitted if they have a competitive score on the Miller Analogies Test or on the verbal, quantitative, and writing portion of the GRE. Applicants who fail to meet admission requirements may be admitted on a Provisional basis, but those admitted on a Provisional basis must receive no grade lower than B during the initial nine hours of graduate work.
Application Forms
You can obtain application forms over the web by clicking here. Please complete the application and purpose statement and send to:
Office of Graduate Studies
Box G
Mississippi State, MS 39762-5507.
You need to ask three persons to submit the references for you to the same address. Please give reference forms on the web to three persons who can recommend you as a student in our program. You need to have official transcripts of all your undergraduate and graduate work sent directly to the Office of Graduate Studies as well.
Financial Assistance
Graduate Assistantships are available for full-time study only. Currently, a substantial number of graduate students are funded through the Department or other units on campus. All accepted students are considered for departmental assistantships. Currently, master level students receive a stipend of $6,600 for nine months. In addition, for graduate assistants, tuition for Fall and Spring is waived.
Cost of Living
The cost of living in the Mississippi State/ Starkville area is low to moderate when compared with most of the United States. Living accommodations within a wide price range are available for single and married students. Moderately priced apartments can be found within walking distance of campus. For more information about Starkville, Mississippi, click here.
Master of Political Science Degree Plans
In order to serve the needs of two major categories of students, the department offers the MA under two plans that are explained below. In both plans, up to nine hours of the required hours may be accepted for the appropriate course work from other accredited institutions of higher learning.
Plan One Thesis Option -- 30 hours
The thesis option is designed for students who desire to further their scholarly credentials in preparation for continued study in a doctoral program. Students desiring to write a thesis are asked to submit a 1500 word essay on a relevant political science topic to the MA committee. During their last semester of course work, students must take an oral examination covering their program of study and their thesis.
Required Courses 15 Hours
PS 8803 Seminar in Research Methods
PS 8903 Seminar in Public Policy
At least two Seminars from one group and one seminar from the other group listed below
Group A Seminars
PS 8113 Seminar in State Government and Politics
PS 9103 American Political Institutions
PS 9893 American Political Behavior
Group B Seminars
PS 6990 Comparative Public Policy
PS 8543 Readings in Comparative Government and Politics
PS 8553 Readings in International Relations
Elective Courses 9 Hours
Students who wish to write a thesis should consult with their advisor regarding which of the following courses would assist them: PPA 8993, Research Design and Philosophy of Science; PPA 9803, Multivariate Analysis and Design for Public Affairs
Thesis Research 6 Hours
PS 8006 Thesis Writing and Research
Plan Two Non-Thesis Option -- 33 Hours
The non-thesis option is designed for students who seek a broader educational experience and/or intend to teach social science courses in high school or junior college. During their last semester of course work, students must take a written examination covering their program of study.
Required Courses 15 Hours
The required courses for this plan are the same as for Plan One.
Elective Courses 18 Hours
The department strongly recommends that students in this plan take at least some of the remaining fifteen hours of appropriate courses in other departments (a maximum of two) in such fields as sociology, education, history, economics, or psychology. Social science teachers usually take the two education courses that are required for an AA certificate (EDF 8353 and EDF 8363) and course work in some other social science subject they teach.
Course Formats
There are two formats by which graduate courses in political science are taught, whatever degree plan a student wishes to pursue.
Traditional
The traditional course format is used for the usual campus lecture and seminar courses which meet each week are taken by the regular university students. Four courses a semester is the normal course load, unless a student has an assistantship, in which case it is three. The university catalogue contains a description of all courses offered in this format.
Independent Study
The independent study format allows a student to work alone, either on campus or at home, provided the student can access the material required for the course. Two types of courses are offered by the independent study format- readings courses and Directed Independent Studies. A maximum of nine hours of a program can be completed in independent study courses, with no more than six being Directed Independent Studies.
Writing Style
To obtain our department's Writing Style Guide for Graduate Programs, click here.
Research Facilities
Working closely with the Public Administration program are the Stennis Institute of Government, which is an applied research unit providing technology transfer and technical assistance to local governments, and the Social Science Research Center, which conducts policy research. Library and computer facilities at MSU provide excellent support for the graduate programs. The University library maintains a collection of over 1.1 million volumes and currently subscribes to nearly 7,500 periodicals. Various retrieval search services are available. Computer resources available for graduate students include the MSU mainframe and several microcomputer labs, including a newly renovated lab in the Department. The Department of Political Science also operates a Novell Network.
For further information, contact:
MA Coordinator
For information about this page, contact
Professor Steve Shaffer
(kauai@ps.msstate.edu).
Department of Political Science
Mississippi State University
P.O. Box PC
Mississippi State, MS 39762-6003
e-mail: travis@ps.msstate.edu
For information about Mississippi State University, contact
msuinfo@ur.msstate.edu.
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