Programs by Campus
Bloomington
Political Science
College of Arts and Sciences
Departmental E-mail: iupolsci@indiana.edu
Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/~iupolsci/
(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)
Curriculum
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts, Master of Arts for Teachers, and Doctor of Philosophy
Special Departmental Requirements
(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)
Admission Requirements
Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (verbal and quantitative sections); satisfactory previous academic record; three letters of recommendation; writing sample. International students must complete the TOFEL with a satisfactory score. Applicants holding no academic degree higher than the bachelor’s degree may be admitted as Ph.D. students.
Master of Arts Degree
Course Requirements
A total of 30 credit hours, including Y570. At least 15 of the 30 credit hours must be in graduate courses (500 level or higher). Each graduate student must complete five graduate seminars in political science, averaging at least a grade of B (3.0) in all seminars, to qualify for the M.A. degree. (For students entering with previous graduate work, the director of graduate studies, with the recommendation of the student’s M.A. committee, can reduce the number of required seminars based on the prior graduate training.)
Essay
Required. The essay may be based on a research paper prepared in a departmental seminar. If a new paper is written and presented as a thesis, it may receive no more than 4 hours of credit. The essay must be presented to all members of the examining committee, prior to the examination, for approval.
Foreign Language/Research-Skill Requirement
The student must demonstrate reading proficiency in one foreign language or proficiency in an approved research skill. Students specializing in public policy must use an approved research skill, not a foreign language, to meet this requirement.
Other Provision
Work taken to meet the requirements of such programs as the area certificate of the Russian and East European Institute may be applied toward the M.A. degree.
Final Examination
An oral examination for the M.A. degree may be conducted by a faculty committee and will cover both the student’s course of study and required essay.
Master of Arts for Teachers Degree
Information regarding this degree program may be obtained from the School of Education.
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Course Requirements
A total of 90 credit hours, including dissertation. Y570 Introduction to the Study of Politics is to be taken in the first year of residence. Students who select a field with an approaches-and-issues seminar should take the seminar during the first two years of residence. Each graduate student must complete 10 graduate seminars numbered 500 and above in political science (excluding directed reading and directed research courses), averaging at least a B (3.0) in all seminars, prior to nomination to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. (For students entering with previous graduate work, the director of graduate studies, with the recommendation of the student’s advisory committee, can reduce the number of required seminars based on the prior graduate training.) A substantial research paper is required at the end of a student’s second year. This paper should represent original research performed by the student. The advisory committee will evaluate whether the student’s paper is adequate for purposes of this requirement.
Fields of Study
The student will select two fields in political science from the following: American politics; international relations; comparative politics; public policy; political philosophy; theory and methodology.
In exceptional cases, with the written approval of the director of graduate studies, the student may offer as one of the fields a course of study that cuts across two of the established fields.
Minors
The outside minor requirement is typically satisfied by completing four courses in one or more related departments or in an interdepartmental program, embracing either substantive material or methodology. Some departments or other programs have specific requirements for a Ph.D. minor; students should check with the relevant unit for details. Students selecting an “eclectic” minor must have the proposed set of courses approved by the advisory committee, the director of graduate studies, and the graduate school.
Advisory Committee
Each student will be assigned an advisory committee, which will include two faculty members from each of the student’s two fields in political science and a representative of the outside minor. (Students choosing an eclectic minor need not have a representative of that minor.) The chairperson of the committee serves as the student’s principal advisor. The committee will supervise the student’s course of study. Early in the student’s residence, but in no case later than the third semester of study, the advisory committee will provide the student with a formal review of progress toward the degree.
Foreign Language/Research-Skill Requirement
The student must demonstrate proficiency in any two of the following: a foreign language, mathematics, logic, statistics, or computer science. With the approval of the advisory committee, the student may qualify in a single language or research skill at an advanced level, rather than in two. To qualify in a language at the advanced level, the student must satisfy the in-depth proficiency requirement. For rules regarding qualification in a research skill at the advanced level, consult the director of graduate studies. The student is expected to make satisfactory progress in meeting the requirements for the degree; in particular, the student must satisfy the first language or research-skill requirement during the first year of study and the second requirement no later than the second year.
Qualifying Examination
Students must take qualifying examinations in each of their two fields of study in political science. The qualifying field examination is intended to evaluate the student’s substantive knowledge and analytical ability in both of the student’s fields of study. The written qualifying examination is administered two times a year: in the fall and spring.
Research Committee
Upon completion of the qualifying examination and presentation of a satisfactory dissertation proposal, the student will be nominated to candidacy for the Ph.D. The University Graduate School, on the recommendation of the department, will appoint a research committee to supervise the dissertation.
Final Examination
Covers the field of study related to the dissertation and defense of the dissertation.