Graduate
Admissions
Political Science
Five Year BA/MA
Eligible and interested students must apply for admission to the BA/MA program no later than April 1 of their junior year, submitting a personal statement of goals, abilities and reasons for pursuing the MA degree; a sample of academic writing (a term paper from a political science course is preferred); and three letters of recommendation, of which at least two must be written by full-time members of the political science faculty. Applications will be reviewed by the departmental graduate admissions committee.
During their senior year, students whose eligibility has been confirmed must:
- Take the GRE, and for final admission to the MA program must achieve scores on the revised GRE General Test of 150 or better in each of the verbal and quantitative elements, and 4.5 or better in the analytical writing element.
- Complete and pass POLS Y490: Senior Seminar the first time they enroll in the class with a grade of at least a B. This may then be double counted as an elective in the MA program.
- Complete and pass POLS Y570: Introduction to the Study of Politics and POLS Y580: Research Methods in Political Science with a grade of at least B-. These may then be double counted as electives in the political science undergraduate major.
Upon meeting these three requirements, and upon completing all the requirements for their BA, students on the BA/MA track must apply for formal admission to the MA through the Graduate Admissions Office; they should do this no later than April 1 of their senior year. The establishment of eligibility for, and participation in, the BA/MA program does not automatically guarantee acceptance into the graduate program. BA/MA students admitted to the MA will take their remaining four graduate courses in their fifth year, as well as completing their thesis. The double counting of nine hours of undergraduate and graduate credit means that BA/MA students will only be required to take a total of 146 semester hours of coursework for their BA and their MA, rather than 155 (122 + 33).
When taking graduate courses in their senior year, students will be charged undergraduate tuition rates. After earning the BA degree, students formally admitted to the Graduate School will be charged graduate tuition rates for their coursework.
Contact Information
Please direct all inquires about the political science graduate program to:
Dr. John McCormick
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Political Science
425 University Blvd
IUPUI
Indianapolis IN 46202
Tel: 317-274-4066
Admission to the MA Program
Applications for admission to the program (without financial support) will be reviewed throughout the year, but it is recommended that applications for fall be submitted no later than the end of June, and for spring no later than the end of November.
Completed applications for IUPUI Fellowships must be submitted by February 1. Priority for other forms of financial aid (internships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships) will be given to those applying by May 1.
Minimum admissions requirements are a BA from an accredited institution, a GPA of 3.0, and scores on the revised GRE General Test of 145 in each of the verbal and quantitative elements, and 4.5 in the analytical writing element. (For GREs taken before July 31, 2011, we look for an average of 500 or better with at least one score of 550 or better.) You can sign up to take the GRE at http://www.gre.org/. It is recommended that you sign up at least two weeks in advance of the date on which you want to take the exam to ensure that you obtain a reservation for that day.
For full details on the admissions process, please visit the Graduate Office web site, where you can file an online application. The application includes a personal statement and three letters of recommendation. In addition, you will need to submit your undergraduate transcript and GRE scores, and be interviewed in person by the departmental Director of Graduate Admissions.
Conditional admittance. Students whose admission package is incomplete or whose GPA and/or GRE scores do not quite meet our expectations may be conditionally admitted to the program. Also, students who apply late or before they have taken their GRE may be admitted as graduate non-degree students. Either way, courses taken before formal admittance will count toward the MA once students are formally admitted (provided the grade expectation described above is met).