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, 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 and law school. 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 who would like to develop in-depth research expertise in a specialized area; and
- Degree Plan Non-Thesis Option requires 36 credit hours, including a final paper project, and is designed for students who would like to develop broad knowledge in Political Science.
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.
- Applicants whose degrees are from non-English speaking institutions 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 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 | |