SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES REQUIREMENTS

Degree Verification: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U. S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of a graduate program.

Course Number Acceptability: The Program of Study for a master’s degree must include no more than 9 credit hours at the 5000 level. All additional coursework must be at the 6000 level or above.

Overall Graduate GPA at least 3.0 and no grades of C- or lower: Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3. 0 GPA for degree-program courses. Grades of C- or lower will not be accepted for a graduate degree.

USU Residency Requirement: To maintain USU graduate residency requirements, at least 24 semester-credits for a master’s degree must be from an approved Program of Study from USU.

Matriculation Start Semester: A master’s degree must be completed within six years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies for review.

Coursework Validity: Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated by the School of Graduate Studies.

Thesis Research Credits:

Plan A students:

Plan A requires preparing and defending a thesis. Students must complete six credits of thesis research counting toward the Program of Study. The department expects a Plan A thesis, which typically involves a data-based evaluation of hypotheses, though requirements vary by subfield.

Plan B students:

Plan B requires producing and defending a paper or project in line with committee guidelines and typically does not involve a data-based evaluation of hypotheses. No more than three thesis research credits may count toward the Program of Study.

Academic Forms: Completion of the MA degree requires the approval of the following forms by the School of Graduate Studies:

Plan A

Supervisory Committee
Program of Study
Thesis Proposal Approval
Appointment for Exam
Authorship & Copyright
Format and Style
Title Page
Graduation Application

PLAN B

Supervisory Committee
Program of Study
Thesis Proposal Approval
Appointment for Exam
Plan B Report/Creative Project Submission
Graduation Application

Additionally, all MA degree students must complete Responsible Conduct of Research training prior to forming their supervisory committees.

Language Requirement Status for Master of Arts (if required by department).

MASTER OF ARTS IN POLITCAL SCIENCE REQUIREMENTS

This program requires completion of 30 graduate credits (all courses are three credits unless otherwise designated). The Master of Arts degree requires language proficiency in a second language as determined by the World Languages and Cultures Department. The Master of Science degree requires quantitative competency. Completion of the degree requires a Plan A thesis or a Plan B paper. The department expectation is the completion of a Plan A thesis.

Required for all degrees:
Successful defense and submission of the thesis to the library.

Political Science - MA

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Program Overview

Program Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes