Online Master of Arts in Political Science

The stackable structure of the MA in Political Science is ideal for those who want to teach dual-credit courses and who need to meet Higher Learning Commission dual-credit qualification standards. These standards require teachers wanting to teach dual-credit courses in political science to hold either a master's degree in political science or a master's degree in another discipline (such as education), plus at least 18 credit hours of discipline-specific graduate coursework. 

If you need both discipline-specific coursework and a master's degree, the MA in Political Science meets HLC standards. 

If you already hold a master's degree in a discipline other than political science, you can meet HLC standards by completing the Graduate Certificate in Political Science

To earn the MA in Political Science, you must complete a total of 30 credit hours. Requirements are broken down as follows: 

  • Core courses (18 credit hours) 
  • Track courses (12 credit hours) 

Students are required to complete one of the following 12-credit tracks: 

  • World politics 
  • American politics 

Admissions

To be accepted to this program, you must have: 

  • Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution 
  • 3.0 minimum undergraduate GPA 

To apply to this program, complete an online application that includes: 

  • Official transcripts from each undergraduate institution 
  • 250-word personal statement explaining background and reasons for entering the program