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Head of the Department: Peter F. Nardulli
Director of Graduate Studies: Michael A. Krassa
361 Lincoln Hall
702 South Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-2575
E-mail: m-krassa@uiuc.edu
Graduate Degree Programs
The Department of Political Science offers graduate programs leading
to the degrees of master of arts and doctor of philosophy. Students
are not normally admitted to a terminal master’s degree program.
Admission
The Graduate College admission requirements apply for all programs.
The student should have a minimum of 20 hours of undergraduate work
in political science and cognate disciplines such as economics, psychology,
finance, sociology, or history. All applicants are required to submit
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores and an example of written
work. A minimum paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language
( TOEFL) score of 590 (243 on the computer-based test) is required
of all international applicants whose native language is not English.
Students are not normally admitted in the spring semester.
Graduate Teaching Experience
Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience
in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience
in this program and is essential for students whose career goals include
college teaching.
Master of Arts
Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program can usually earn a Master of
Arts in Political Science within one year. It entails the completion
of 32 graduate hours and the achievement of a 3.0 GPA in all courses
taken. A master’s paper is required.
Doctor of Philosophy
The course of study leading to a Ph.D. in Political Science requires
a minimum of three years of full-time study, culminating in the successful
defense of a doctoral dissertation. A minimum of 96 graduate hours
of academic credit is required, 32 of which may be graduate hours
of dissertation research. At least 64 of the 96 graduate hours must
be taken in residence.
In addition to meeting Graduate College requirements, the Department
of Political Science requires that students complete a "scope
and methods" sequence, acquire proficiency in analytic skills,
and demonstrate expertise in several subfields within the discipline.
The progress of doctoral candidates is monitored at various points
in the program. In addition to an interim evaluation, students must
pass a set of qualifying examinations and present a dissertation proposal.
Once the doctoral dissertation is completed, the candidate must successfully
complete an oral final defense.
Doctoral candidates concentrate in two of three fields of political
study: American government and politics, comparative government and
politics, and international relations. Expertise in a cognate field
and appropriate research methods is demonstrated through advanced
coursework.Financial AidStudents accepted into the department’s
graduate program are eligible to apply for financial aid. Most incoming
students with good credentials and continuing students demonstrating
satisfactory progress will receive some type of financial aid, but
the type and amount will vary. The Department of Political Science
provides, on a competitive basis, aid packages up to $17,000, plus
waivers of tuition and some fees. Financial aid is usually a combination
of fellowship money and assistantships. Limited amounts of aid are
also available for dissertation field research, internships, and the
presentation of papers at professional meetings. The University of
Illinois is also a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation,
which provides predoctoral grants to facilitate research in developing
countries. |
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