Political Science

Master's Degree Program

Opportunities for graduate studies

The Department of Political Science at the University of North Texas offers programs of study leading to the master of arts, master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees.

Courses and research focus on American government and public law, comparative government and politics, international politics, political theory, methodology, and public administration. You may pursue individual study with faculty members to explore unique topics of interest. Political science faculty members regularly receive university and external teaching awards.

Since 2003, the department has housed the International Studies Quarterly, which is one of the world's top international studies journals. This partnership reflects the academic strength of the UNT programs and also creates research and internship possibilities.

A degree in political science prepares you for a variety of careers. In addition to teaching and research positions in academic settings, political science degree holders are prepared for careers at all levels of government as well as journalism, international business, international risk analysis and political campaign organization. You also may develop special expertise in survey research and statistical analysis. These skills are in high demand in the public and private sectors.

The department has helped place graduates in academic positions at colleges and universities; in federal, state and local government; and in private-sector jobs. Recent Ph.D. graduates have been placed in tenure-track faculty positions at Florida Atlantic University, Mississippi State University, Missouri State University, St. Mary's University and the University of Mississippi.

Admission requirements

No single criterion determines whether you are admitted to the master's or doctoral program. You must complete all admission requirements of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. In addition, you must meet the following program requirements:

• a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
• a minimum of 24 hours of undergraduate or graduate work in political science
• acceptable GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate or graduate study
• acceptable GRE scores
• three letters of recommendation from individuals qualified to evaluate your academic potential (Letters from professors are expected, but letters from employers or others may be submitted if faculty references are not available.)
• a 500-word statement of purpose stating your primary area of interest within political science and your career objectives
• an academic writing sample

Degree requirements

M.A. and M.S. degrees

The master's degrees with a major in political science require a minimum of 30 semester hours. At least 24 of the hours must be within the Department of Political Science. Completion of a thesis and oral exam are required. A minor outside the department is optional.

Required courses

PSCI 5340 Seminar in Political Science Scope and Methods

PSCI 5950 Master's Thesis (3 or 6 semester hours)

PSCI 6320 Quantitative Political Research Methods

Candidates for the M.A. degree must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language. Candidates for the M.S. degree must show they have achieved competence in a non-language research tool. Additional information on the program is available at www.psci.unt.edu.

Ph.D. degree

The doctoral degree requires a minimum of 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree or 60 semester hours beyond the master's degree. You will choose three areas of study in political science and take qualifying examinations in two. The three areas include a major area and two supporting areas.

Required courses

PSCI 5340 Seminar in Political Science Scope and Methods

PSCI 6320 Quantitative Political Research Methods

PSCI 6950 Doctoral Dissertation (3, 6 or 9 semester hours)

You will plan a program of study with an advisory committee, which includes a major professor. The committee advises you on the program, assists in administering the departmental examinations, approves the dissertation topic and judges the completed dissertation.

You must present evidence that you have a reading knowledge of a foreign language or a non-language research tool. Additional information on the doctoral program is available at www.psci.unt.edu.

Research opportunities

The department has engaged in high-profile research regarding school choice, political campaigns and elections, American public law, democratization in the Third World, and international peace. Faculty members also have won numerous research awards and grants.

The development of student research begins at an early stage of your graduate career through close student-faculty research collaboration. You may participate in grant-funded research possibly as a paid assistant and collaborate with the faculty on publications. Faculty members will work with you, academically involve you in research and provide advice and counseling.

As a result of these efforts, graduate students in the department have built an impressive publication record both on their own and collaborating with faculty members in some of the discipline's leading academic journals. Recently, articles by UNT graduate student have been published in The Journal of Peace Research, American Review of Politics, Social Science Quarterly, Asian Survey, International Interactions and The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Faculty members encourage graduate students to attend and present research papers at national and regional political science conferences. The department has funding available for students giving papers at these conferences.

UNT belongs to the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research and maintains its own extensive data archive. The department also provides financial support for students who qualify to attend the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research political methodology summer school.

Computer resources are available for a wide range of instruction and research. In addition to wireless Internet access in many areas on campus, you will also have access through 14 computer labs. UNT has licenses for software packages used in social science research.

UNT's library system contains printed books, periodicals, electronic databases, maps, documents, microforms and audiovisual materials, as well as a large and growing number of electronic journals and books. The library catalogue is completely online. Catalogs for other major research libraries throughout the world can be searched electronically and documents ordered through UNT's interlibrary loan department.

Financial assistance

Texas and out-of-state students will find UNT more affordable than many other state-supported or private universities. Teaching fellowships and assistantships are awarded competitively. The application deadline is Jan. 31 each year. Students receiving these awards can normally expect to pay in-state tuition rates. Research assistantships are available for students to work with faculty holding research grants. University-wide competitive scholarships also are offered.