I. The Department of Political Science offers individually tailored programs leading to the Master of Arts in Political Science. This degree provides a broad foundation in politics and government for those intending further graduate study or careers in education and public service or private enterprise. Both thesis and non-thesis programs are available. Together with the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, the department offers a dual MA/JD program. Also, the study of Political Science may be combined with study in related areas.

Assistantships are available for qualified students in all programs. Applications for assistantships are available on the department website and in Clement Hall, Room 437.

II. The Department of Political Science offers a graduate program leading to the Masters of Arts with a major in Political Science. Special fields of study included in the Master of Arts in Political Science are: American Government & Politics, Political Theory, International Relations, and Comparative Politics, with additional strengths in Public Law and Public Policy.

Program objectives are: (1) development of a broad understanding of the political science field; (2) understanding of the behavioral and humanist approaches to the study of politics; and (3) ability to engage in critical thinking and analysis, use of logic and evidence to construct and defend a position, and communicate argument in written and oral form.

III. MA Degree Program

A. Program Admission

1. Admission to the program will be based on selections from a pool of applicants who meet the University’s Graduate School admission requirements.
2. Significant weight is given to the following factors in determining admissions to the MA program:
1. An undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from an accredited college or university.
2. The strength of official GRE, GMAT, or LSAT scores. Standardized exam scores older than 5 years are not accepted. Students who already have completed an accredited graduate degree in the last 10 years do not need to retake graduate admissions exams. Miller Analogies Test (MAT) scores are not accepted for admission to the program.
3. Two letters of recommendation (at least one academic) from people familiar with the applicant’s academic background or experience, specifying in detail the applicant’s capabilities for graduate study.
4. A statement of approximately 1000 words indicating the applicant’s present interests and career goals, including why the applicant wants the MA degree.

B. Program Requirements

1. Students may choose either a non-thesis option or a thesis option for the MA degree.
2. Students who select the non-thesis option must complete 36 hours of graduate courses. These students are required to take both written and oral examinations in three fields: the Core Theory and Methods (POLS 7401, 7101, and POLS 7100) and any two of the following fields: American Government & Politics, Political Theory, International Relations, or Comparative Politics. Students participating in the dual JD/MA program may have one field in Law.
3. Students who write a thesis must complete 33 hours of graduate courses, including 3-6 hours of credit for POLS 7996, Thesis. Students electing to write a thesis should familiarize themselves with the Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Guide before beginning to write.
4. All students must complete POLS 7100, Seminar in Scope and Methods of Political Science Research, POLS 7101, Political Statistics, and POLS 7401, Seminar in Political Theory, with grades of B or better in each course.
5. At least 27 semester hours of the courses (30 hours for the non-thesis option) must be taken at the 7000 level, at least 21 (24 for the non-thesis option) of which must be in Political Science.
6. With the approval of the Graduate Coordinator, up to 6 graduate credit hours may be taken in a field outside of Political Science. For those in the dual JD/MA degree program, up to 16 credit hours may be taken from the Law School.
7. With the approval of the Graduate Coordinator, up to 6 semester hours of internship courses may be counted toward the 33 or 36 semester hour requirement.
8. Non-thesis students must pass a comprehensive examination and thesis students must pass an oral defense of their thesis. The oral defense of the thesis constitutes a comprehensive examination over all coursework.
9. Comprehensive examinations: Students may take an exam in a field if they have taken at least three courses in that field. Students may combine courses in Comparative and IR into one field or select them as separate examination fields.
1. Comprehensive examinations are given once in the fall semester and once in the spring semester. Students taking the exams must be in their last semester of coursework. The department's Graduate Coordinator schedules the exams. Students must notify the Graduate Coordinator of their intent to take the exams by the fifth week of the semester.
2. A departmental Comprehensive Examination Committee writes and evaluates the comprehensive examination. The Committee includes one expert reviewer per subject area.
3. Students may receive “Pass with Distinction,” “Pass,” or “Fail.” A favorable vote by a majority of the Committee is needed for the student to pass the examination. If the student fails any portion of the written exam, the student will have one opportunity to retake that exam field the following semester. A student must pass all written exams prior to taking the oral exam.
4. The Graduate Coordinator selects the student's Oral Examination Committee based upon the questions chosen and answered. The Oral Examination Committee includes at least one representative for each examination field.

IV. Dual MA-JD Program

Admission to the dual program will require separate application to each program. Students are admitted into each program separately; completion of one degree is not contingent upon completion of both.

B. Program Requirements

1. Dual Credit
   Students may earn up to a maximum of sixteen hours of dual credit for law courses taken at the law school. The remaining hours toward the MA in Political Science must be taken in Political Science. The following courses will qualify for both the JD and MA in Political Science:
1. Law Courses Required at Law School:
   Constitutional Law 4 hours, Criminal Law 3 hours, Criminal Procedure I 3 hours
2. Law School Electives:
   Administrative Law 3 hours, Criminal Procedure II 2 hours, Federal Courts A 2 hours, Federal Courts B 2 hours, Civil Rights 3 hours, Constitutional Law Seminar 2 hours, Tennessee Constitutional Law 2 hours, Jurisprudence 2 hours, International Law 3 hours, Comparative Law 3 hours, Immigration Law 3 hours, Environmental Law 3 hours
2. Other Requirements
1. For students in the dual program, their first year of law school must include only classes that are part of the JD program.
2. With the above exceptions, all the normal requirements for admission and graduation for a JD and for an MA in Political Science apply.
3. See the Law School's Academic Regulations, pp. 14-16, for current JD requirements.

V. Accelerated BA/MA Program in Political Science

This program allows outstanding undergraduates to begin the coursework for the Master of Arts degree in Political Science during their senior year.

Working with the undergraduate and graduate academic coordinators, undergraduates selected into this program begin a carefully tailored course of study which will allow them to complete their BA degree while they also begin the coursework toward their MA.

Students may begin the program the first semester of their senior year. To apply, students must have a 3.25 grade point average, and must submit two reference letters and a copy of their transcript to the political science department. Each applicant will complete an interview with the graduate academic coordinator in political science.

Students must also apply to the Graduate School for “combination senior,” allowing them to take graduate courses in political science. To continue in the program past the BA, students must make formal application to Graduate Admissions (see section III.A. Program Admission above).

6101. Political Statistics. (3). (Same as PADM 6101). Introduction to analysis of quantitative data used to test, statistically, hypotheses in fields of political science and public and health administration.

6200. Environmental Law, Policy, and Regulation. (3). Survey of the principal federal laws, policies, and regulations concerning environmental use and protection.

6211. Constitutional Law—National Powers. (3). An analysis of the relationships and controls of the three branches and the nature of the division of power between the nation and the states, with emphasis on the role of the Supreme Court as the arbiter in the constitutional system.

6212. Constitutional Law: Origins and Evolution of Civil Liberties in US. (3). Background, role, and legitimate extent of civil rights and liberties in US.

6222. Urban Politics. (3). Roles and processes of politics and governance in urban America in context of global, social, and economic influences on cities and suburbs.

6223. Issues in Urban Politics. (3). Selected issues in contemporary urban politics and policy.

6224. Urban Problems. (3). (Same as PADM 6224). A study of selected problems in urban administration, politics, and policies.

†6230. Legislative Internship. (3-12). Supervised internship working with the Tennessee General Assembly or other legislative bodies on current legislative programs. Seminar sessions are held to discuss and analyze the problems with which the interns are working. May be repeated for a total of 12 credits. PREREQUISITE: Permission of department.

6315. Revolution and Political Violence. (3). Comparative analysis of the forms and causes of political violence within nations, including revolutions, ethnic conflict and secessionist movements, and terrorism.

6317. Transitions to Democracy. (3). Comparison of the transition from authoritarian rule to democracy in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe, including consideration of the institutional design of democracy and the impact of culture on democratic transition and consolidation.

6405. Origin and Development of American Political Thought. (3). Origin and development of political thought in the United States from the colonial to the present time, with emphasis placed on the relation between political thought and political institutions and practices.

6504. International Law. (3). An analysis of the nature, scope, duties, rights, and evolutionary trends of international law.

6508. Theories and Concepts in International Relations. (3). Theoretical approaches to study of international politics. Consideration of various schools of thought, methods, and substantive literatures.

6510. Politics of the Global Economy. (3). Consideration of manner in which political processes affect and are affected by economic processes at global level.

6511. International Conflict. (3). Sources of conflict between nations, including characteristics of the international system, national attributes, and decision making.

6710-19. Special Topics in Political Science. (1-3). Topics of current significance in public issues. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours with permission of the chair or graduate coordinator.

7100. Seminar in Scope and Methods of Political Science Research. (3). Survey of major theoretical approaches to study of politics with emphasis on both analytic and empirical aspects of political inquiry.

7101. Political Statistics. (3). Introduction to descriptive and inferential analysis of quantitative political science data.

7201-8201. Seminar in American Politics. (3). Selected topics in American government and politics. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

7202. Seminar in Government of the United States. (2-3). Analysis of the principal institutions of the federal government of the United States, including Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court.

7302-8302. Seminar in Comparative Politics. (3). Selected topics in comparative politics. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

7303. Seminar in Political Development. (3). Comparative study of the process of political change in the nations of the third world.

7304. Seminar in Human Rights in World Politics. (3). Focuses on improving government respect for human rights through an understanding of national and international institutions, interactions, norms, and actors; emphasizes conceptualizations and measurements of government respect for particular human rights used by this general research program.

7401. Seminar in Political Theory. (3). Contribution of political philosophy to full understanding of politics is illustrated through selected topics. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours.

7501-8501. Seminar in International Relations. (3). Selected topics in international politics and foreign policy. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

7502. Seminar in International Conflict and Security. (3). Comparative and theoretical examination of how national and international actors conceptualize, identify, perceive, and address threats to their security; includes technological and social change, capabilities and limitations of defense decision makers and bureaucracies, and role of international institutions.

†7503. Reading for Comprehensives. (3). Arranged on an individual basis for graduate students in political science, public administration, or health administration only. PREREQUISITE: Completion of degree requirements or in the last two semesters of program.

7504. Seminar in Government of Western Europe. (2-3). Politics and policies of Western Europe, with emphasis on the nations of Britain, France, and Germany and integration processes occurring within the European Community.

7505. Seminar in Latin American Politics. (2-3). Developmental challenges that confront Latin American nations, configurations of political institutions with which those nations address those challenges, and changing patterns of state-society relationships that result from the politics of development in Latin America.

7506. Seminar in Foreign Policy. (3). Analysis of the conduct and formulation of foreign policy.

7508. Seminar in International Relations Theory. (3). A survey of the main theoretical approaches within the field of international relations.

7510. Seminar in the Politics of the Global Economy. (3). Analysis of the interactive relationship between global political and economic processes.

‡7702-8702. Independent Study. (1-3). May be repeated for a maximum of six hours. Independent investigation of research problems or directed readings in selected area of political science. PREREQUISITE: Permission of instructor.

7710-19–8710-19. Special Topics in Political Science. (1-3). Intensive study of selected topics in political science. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours.

†7996. Thesis. (1-6). The student must write and defend satisfactorily a thesis on a subject approved by the major professor.

†Grades of S, U, or IP will be given.
‡Grades of A-F, or IP will be given.