M.A. in Political Science
UTEP's location at the intersection of political systems, nationalities, and cultures provides many fascinating and unique opportunities to study American Politics, Border Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Relations. Our master's degree is useful for many different career paths. UTEP graduates have gone on to jobs in government service, teaching, business, and non-profit organizations. Some of our MA graduates have subsequently completed doctoral programs. We offer two degree plans in the MA program:
- Degree Plan Thesis Option consists of 30 credit hours, including six (6) thesis credit hours, and is designed for students planning to pursue a doctoral degree or otherwise would like to develop an area of research expertise; and
- Degree Plan Non-Thesis Option requires 36 credit hours, including a final paper project.
Students in our MA program can apply for teaching and research assistantships. The early deadline to apply for funding assistantship consideration is March 31 for Fall admission, and November 15 for Spring admission.
Admission Requirements
Admission is based on the entire record of the applicant and not a single criterion.
- Completed application (available online) for the Graduate School.
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the U.S. or proof of equivalent education at a foreign institution in Political Science, or a related area. Transcripts are required from the bachelor's degree and any other graduate or professional degree programs, including law school.
- Two letters of recommendation, preferably from former professors in either the bachelor's degree program or previous graduate programs.
- A statement of purpose outlining one's interest in the program and career objectives. If the applicant's undergraduate GPA is below 3.0, any extenuating circumstances must be explained.
- The following applicants to the MA in Political Science program are not required to submit GRE scores:
- Applicants holding a UTEP degree in political science or related fields, obtained in the last six years
- Applicants currently enrolled in a UTEP undergraduate program that participates in the MA Political Science Fast Track program
- Applicants from countries where English is not the first language are required to demonstrate English proficiency. Please consult the graduate school website for required scores.
- Other evidence of background and experience that might be available.
Additional Policies
- Independent studies are limited to three (3) hours of graduate coursework, taken with the permission of the instructor and the Director of Graduate Studies and justified with a proposal from the student outlining the objectives of the project by the end of the drop/add period.
- No more than six (6) credit hours of upper-division undergraduate classes can count toward the graduate degree. To use an undergraduate course for graduate credit, the following additional work is required: reading of original scholarly books and articles above and beyond textbooks; and additional written work, such as research on specific theories, literature reviews, or identification of issues in specific areas. Undergraduate courses can count for graduate credit only with the permission of the instructor and the Director of Graduate Studies.
- No student can register for a graduate course in the Department of Political Science without the advice and approval of the Director of Graduate studies. This applies to the initial registration, and also to all subsequent enrollments.
- Satisfactory performance in the MA program is defined as maintaining a 3.0 GPA. A grade of B or better must be earned in all the mandatory courses required in both degree plans, including:
Course List Code Title Hours POLS 5300 Sem In Quant Rsrch Methods I 3 POLS 5301 Sem in Qual Resrch Methods 3 POLS 5302 Sem Quant Research Methods II 3
Degree Plan
Thesis Option
Required Credits: 30
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MA in Political Science (All courses require a grade of C or better) | ||
| Required Courses: | ||
| POLS 5300 | Sem In Quant Rsrch Methods I B | 3 |
| Seminar: | ||
| POLS 5301 | Sem in Qual Resrch Methods B | 3 |
| or POLS 5302 | Sem Quant Research Methods II | |
| Political Science Subfields: | ||
| Select one course from three of the four subfields below: | 9 | |
American Institutions and Processes: | ||
| Seminar in Am. Pol. Behavior | ||
| Sem. In Am. Inst. & Proc. | ||
| Seminar In Public Law | ||
| Seminar-Public Policy Analysis | ||
Comparative Politics: | ||
| Seminar-Comparative Pol. Dev. | ||
| Sem. Comp. Pol. Institutions | ||
| Comparative Electoral Systems | ||
| Sem in Pol Econ of Developmt | ||
| Sem in Politics of Latin Amer | ||
| Field Analysis Seminar | ||
International Politics: | ||
| Seminar-International Politics | ||
| Semina-Intn'l Organ/Intn'l Law | ||
| Sem-Foreign Policy Dec Making | ||
| Sem. In Int. Pol. Econ. | ||
| Sem in International Security | ||
| Seminar in Conflict Analysis | ||
| Political Science Electives: | ||
| Select nine hours from the following: | 9 | |
| Sem in Qual Resrch Methods | ||
| Sem Quant Research Methods II | ||
| Seminar in Am. Pol. Behavior | ||
| Sem. In Am. Inst. & Proc. | ||
| Seminar In Public Law | ||
| Seminar-International Politics | ||
| Semina-Intn'l Organ/Intn'l Law | ||
| Sem-Foreign Policy Dec Making | ||
| Seminar-Comparative Pol. Dev. | ||
| Sem. In Int. Pol. Econ. | ||
| Sem. Comp. Pol. Institutions | ||
| Seminar in Border Politics | ||
| Comparative Electoral Systems | ||
| Sem in Pol Econ of Developmt | ||
| Sem in International Security | ||
| Sem in Politics of Latin Amer | ||
| Seminar in Political Thought | ||
| Seminar-Public Policy Analysis | ||
| Seminar in Conflict Analysis | ||
| Field Analysis Seminar | ||
| Selected Problems-Government | ||
| Final Paper Project | ||
| Thesis: | ||
| POLS 5398 & POLS 5399 | Thesis and Thesis | 6 |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
- B
Course requires a grade of B or better.
Non-Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MA in Political Science (All courses require a grade of C or better) | ||
| Required Courses: | ||
| POLS 5300 | Sem In Quant Rsrch Methods I | 3 |
| Seminar | ||
| POLS 5301 | Sem in Qual Resrch Methods | 3 |
| or POLS 5302 | Sem Quant Research Methods II | |
| Political Science Subfields: | ||
| POLS 5393 | Final Paper Project | 3 |
| Select 12 hours, with at least one course each in the categories of American Institutions and Processes, Comparative Politics, or International Politics, from the following: | 12 | |
| American Institutions and Processes: | ||
| Seminar in Am. Pol. Behavior | ||
| Sem. In Am. Inst. & Proc. | ||
| Seminar In Public Law | ||
| Seminar-Public Policy Analysis | ||
| Comparative Politics: | ||
| Seminar-Comparative Pol. Dev. | ||
| Sem. Comp. Pol. Institutions | ||
| Comparative Electoral Systems | ||
| Sem in Pol Econ of Developmt | ||
| Sem in Politics of Latin Amer | ||
| Field Analysis Seminar | ||
| International Politics: | ||
| Seminar-International Politics | ||
| Semina-Intn'l Organ/Intn'l Law | ||
| Sem-Foreign Policy Dec Making | ||
| Sem. In Int. Pol. Econ. | ||
| Sem in International Security | ||
| Seminar in Conflict Analysis | ||
| Political Science Electives: | ||
| Select 15 hours from the following: | 15 | |
| Sem in Qual Resrch Methods | ||
| Sem Quant Research Methods II | ||
| Seminar in Am. Pol. Behavior | ||
| Sem. In Am. Inst. & Proc. | ||
| Seminar In Public Law | ||
| Seminar-International Politics | ||
| Semina-Intn'l Organ/Intn'l Law | ||
| Sem-Foreign Policy Dec Making | ||
| Seminar-Comparative Pol. Dev. | ||
| Sem. In Int. Pol. Econ. | ||
| Sem. Comp. Pol. Institutions | ||
| Seminar in Border Politics | ||
| Comparative Electoral Systems | ||
| Sem in Pol Econ of Developmt | ||
| Sem in International Security | ||
| Sem in Politics of Latin Amer | ||
| Seminar in Political Thought | ||
| Seminar-Public Policy Analysis | ||
| Seminar in Conflict Analysis | ||
| Field Analysis Seminar | ||
| Selected Problems-Government | ||
| Total Hours | 36 | |