Applications, Admissions, Transfer Credit, Termination

Applications are reviewed by the Graduate Chair and Admissions Committee in the Political Science Department in conformity with the requirements established by Temple University's Graduate School and as described in the Graduate School’s online Policies and Procedures at http://www.temple.edu/grad/policies/gradpolicies.htm The Graduate Chair and Admissions Committee uses the following standards and goals in its decision making process:

Admissions Standards:

Ideally, students entering the M.A. and Ph.D. programs must meet the following standards:

· scored at least 550 on the verbal portion and 600 on the quantitative portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

· an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 overall and 3.5 in their major, or higher.

· a GPA in graduate courses taken elsewhere of 3.6 or higher.

· Favorable letters of recommendation (at least two, preferably from instructors with whom the applicant has taken courses).

· Submission of a research paper or other writing sample.

· A personal statement discussing the applicant’s reasons for wanting to study Political Science.

The Graduate program provides opportunities for a select number of applicants who are exempted from the standard requirements because they are evaluated as possessing the potential to complete the graduate program to which they are applying successfully.

Applicants to the M.A. program are expected to have earned a four‑year undergraduate degree with a major in Political Science or a closely related Social Science field, or to have achieved an extraordinary record in another major. Applicants to the Ph.D. program generally are expected to have completed and distinguished themselves in an M.A. or M.P.A. program in Political Science or in a closely related Social Science that included significant work in Political Science.

Ph.D. transfer students must successfully complete the Ph.D. Qualifying Exams within four terms of beginning their Ph.D. studies at Temple.

Students should begin the application process well in advance of the anticipated matriculation date. Applicants should complete their applications by January 15th (including arrival at Temple of report of GRE scores) prior to the fall semester in which they would enroll. Students who fail to meet the January 15th deadline will generally not be considered for financial aid. Normally it takes a few weeks to obtain transcripts and recommendations. GRE scores are not received at Temple until about six weeks after the exam dates.

The admissions committee generally reviews applications and makes decisions within six weeks of receiving all the necessary documents. Department financial aid decisions are typically made by April 15. Applicants can check with the Graduate Secretary to ascertain whether their files are complete.

International Students

For international students, a month or two extra are required to evaluate non­ U.S. transcripts. It is helpful for applicants to send in a completed application package, including sealed transcripts and recommendations. The department strongly recommends that international applicants have their academic credentials evaluated by a professional credentialing service listed on the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website (www.naces.org/members.htm). The Graduate School does not require additional in-house evaluation of credentials that have been evaluated by the credentialing services listed on the NACES website. International applicants should consult the graduate school website (http://www.temple.edu/grad/admissions/international.htm) for more information about the docummendtation required by the Graduate School.

Non-Matriculated Students:

Prior to applying for admission, students sometimes seek to take courses as non-matriculated students. Students who wish to do so must apply for admission at the School of Continuing Education and must get the approval of the Graduate Chair in the Political Science Department before enrolling in courses. Students will be asked to submit grade transcripts from where they received their undergraduate degree and wherever they might have attended graduate school in the past. Students will not be permitted to enroll unless the Graudate Chair determines that they would stand a reasonable chance for admission to the MA or PhD programs.

Transfer Credits:

For students starting the Temple M.A. program who have taken graduate course work in Political Science elsewhere, a maximum of 6 semester hours toward the M.A. degree may be transferred from outside the university, provided that the credits were obtained no more than five years prior to the student's matriculation at Temple and the grades are B or better.

For students entering the Ph.D. program who have received an M.A. degree elsewhere, up to 30 semester hours may be transferred, provided they are relevant to the department's required courses and our two required M.A. fields. These credits must have been obtained no more than five years prior to the student’s matriculation at Temple and the grades must be "B" or better. Students transferring into the Ph.D. program should note that it is advisable to take at least one or two courses from Temple faculty in each of our two required fields before taking the Ph.D. qualifying exams in those two fields.

The Ph.D. qualifying exams insure that students holding an M.A. from other institutions have as broad a training in our two required M.A. fields as do Temple M.A.s who successfully advance into our Ph.D. program and that they are capable of teaching at the university level in both these fields (a substantial advantage for those applying for jobs at liberal arts colleges). Transfers into our Ph.D. program with strong backgrounds in the fields in which they plan to take their two exams (American politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics or Political Theory) may be able to pass these qualifying exams before beginning their second year in the Ph.D. program.

Transfer credit is not automatically granted. After completing 12 semester hours, students must file a written request for transfer credit. This request is then reviewed by both the Political Science Department and the Graduate School.

An applicant who has taken Political Science courses as a non‑matriculated student at Temple University can apply up to 9 semester hours toward the M.A. or Ph.D. course requirements, as long as the courses taken satisfy the degree requirements. Students considering applying to the M.A. or Ph.D. program while taking courses as a non-­matriculated student should discuss their plans with the Graduate Chair. Students should apply for transfer credit no later than having completed 6 semester hours as a non‑matriculated student.

University rules restrict double counting of course credits for two degrees. The prohibition against double counting also affects students seeking dual majors, for example M.A. degrees simultaneously in Political Science and Journalism. Even if some courses satisfy degree requirements in both programs, such courses cannot be double counted towards both M.A. degrees.

English Language Proficiency:

Most classes require extensive readings and verbal participation, and the Ph.D. program requires oral examinations. The department requires students to have adequate language skills for effective professional communication. International students must submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores unless they are from English-speaking countries (see Graduate School website for foreign nationals exempted from the TOEFL requirement.) Students must score at least 575 on the paper version or 230 on the computer-based version to be admitted. An applicant admitted with marginal TOEFL scores (below 599 paper or 250 computer-based), is required to do one of the following as a condition for matriculation: 1) pass the SPEAK test administerd at Temple University; 2) score at least 45 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) in the past two years; or 3) enroll in an approved remedial English at Temple in the first semester.

Grades of Incomplete

Instructors can file an “I” grade (Incomplete) only if the student has completed the majority of the work of the course at a passing level, and only for reasons beyond the student’s control. The student must file an agreement with the instructor regarding the nature of the work to be completed, the means by which the final grade will be determined and the date by which the work must be completed. The completion date may be no later than one year from the end of the semester in which the studen took the course. When instructors report a grade of “I” they must also file a report of the default grade. If the instructior does not change the grade of “I” by the end of the one year from the time the grade of “I” was awarded, the “I” grade will be automatically changed to the default grade.

Termination from the Program:

Each spring the department conducts a review of all graduate students in order to monitor student progress and initiate action deemed necessary to improve a student's performance and progress. The review is based primarily on course grades, end‑of‑semester evaluations of all graduate students in their courses, and, where applicable, progress toward completion of the dissertation.

Students may be dismissed from the program because of failure to maintain reasonable academic progress. This includes (but is not limited to) these conditions:

Failure to make any progress towards a degree during a two year period. This includes failure to take courses, to take exams, to submit an approved dissertation proposal, and to submit approved chapters in a dissertation draft.

Failure to maintain a Graduate GPA of 3.3 or higher or two grades of B‑ or less.

For a transfer student into the Ph.D. program, failure to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exams in American Politics/Comparative Politics/International Relations/or Political Theory within five semesters of entering the program. (Students may only attempt the exams twice and the first attempt must be within the first four semesters of entering the Ph.D. program.)

Extended leaves of absence. The department will not endorse requests for more than six semesters of leave of absence.

Academic dishonesty, e.g. plagiarism (see the CLA statement on Academic Honesty for further details).

Access to Student Records: Student grades and evaluations are kept on file by the graduate secretary. Students are only permitted to review those documents that do not contain evaluations and recommendations for which individuals have been given assurances of confidentiality, such as letters of recommendation included in applications to the graduate program .

Students Appeals/Grievances: All students have the right to appeal or grieve a course grade or action by a department member which they believe adversely affects their standing or progress in the department. Students wishing to initiate a formal grievance should contact the Graduate or Department Chair.