General Political Science

Methods Sequence

Students may choose between a regular and an advanced methods track.

Additional Graduate Courses (21 Hours)

Seven additional graduate Political Science courses (21 hours) for students on the regular methods track. Five additional graduate Political Science courses (15 hours) for students on the advanced methods track. Students should take one course in three of the five major areas of study. These areas include American government and politics, comparative politics, international politics, political theory and public law. Two of the courses may be taken outside the department or may be taken as experiential learning hours with the advance approval of the departmental Director of Graduate Studies.

Thesis Option

• A minimum of six hours of POLS 8999 - Thesis Research .
• A thesis, written following successful defense of proposal before three-member faculty committee. The chair and at least one member of this committee must come from the department’s graduate faculty, but the third member may come from the graduate faculty of another department at Georgia State University or from among the department’s permanent non-graduate faculty. Subject to the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, additional members beyond the required three may also come from outside the university, normally among members of the political science graduate faculty at an MA or PhD granting institution.
• A thesis defense.

Non-Thesis Option

(Students wishing to pursue a doctoral degree should not choose this option.):

• Six additional hours of graduate courses in political science.
• A research paper completed according to departmental guidelines. First readers on this paper should be chosen from among the department’s graduate faculty, but second readers may also be chosen from among the department’s permanent non-graduate faculty or from among the graduate faculty of other departments at Georgia State University, subject to the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.