Best Practices and the Need for Research on MA Programs in Political Science

• In Event: We Can Do Hard Things: Challenges and Opportunities in PSCI Education

Abstract

When the American Political Science Association launched a Task Force on Graduate Education in 2002, the group identified seven principles of graduate education in political science, but also recognized that “few if any graduate departments can hope to do equal justice to them all.” Although the Task Force offered suggestions for graduate programs, most of these recommendations were oriented toward graduate programs leading to a Ph.D. Despite the fact that most graduate degrees earned in Political Science are Master’s Degrees , the only mention of Master’s Degree programs in the report was in reference to informing potential students about opportunities for study at the graduate level.
To address a gap in our discipline, this research examines terminal Master’s Degree programs in Political Science. Using the NCES website, we identified Master’s Degree granting Political Science Departments in the United States in order to develop a snapshot of MA programs across various dimensions such as: types and locations of institutions, course requirements, time to degree, student learning outcomes, and culminating project types. Using this information, we then designed and administered an online survey, which was sent to the graduate coordinators/directors of these MA programs to gain additional information about the purpose of these programs, whether changes have been made to these programs, faculty participation, and the extent to which these programs emulate graduate study at the Ph.D. program or serve a distinct role in Political Science education. The results of this study suggest that reconceptualization of Master’s Degrees programs is severely needed in the discipline.

Authors

• Alexandra Macias, California State University, Northridge

• Jennifer L. De Maio, California State University, Northridge