Summary of Programs of Study
The M.A. and Ph.D. programs offer study in four broadly defined fields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory. The M.A. program is structured to give students a broad training in Political Science in order to give them a well-rounded education in the disipline, provide a foundation for more specialized Ph.D. work and for preparation in academic careers that frequently demand teaching in more than a single field. The Ph.D. program seeks primarily to develop the research skills and substantive knowledge necessary for successful completion of a dissertation.
Fields of Study: Our particular strengths in American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations and Political Theory are reflected in the brief biographical statements of our graduate faculty members' research and teaching interests contained in this handbook. In American Politics, faculty teach and conduct research on political behavior, political institutions, public policy, urban politics, and political economy. In Comparative Politics, faculty focus on the issues of democratization, public policymaking, the role of the state in the economy, and identity politics in European and post-communist states, Latin America, China and other developing nations. In International Relations, faculty emphasize the various theoretical approaches to the study of world politics, and the testing of such theories in the areas of international security, international political economy, and the study of international organizations. In Political Theory our strengths cluster around the research areas of late modernity; democratic and normative political theories, especially those pertaining to political questions of social and economic inequality, globalization, identity politics, and social movements; and the relationship between politics and religion.
Masters Program: Graduate work for the M.A. typically begins with the relevant required core seminars which survey the scope of the scholarly literature in American Politics, Comparative Politics International Relations and International Relations. M.A. students also take required seminars in political statistics and research design. Most students in the M.A. program intend to pursue a Ph.D. either at Temple or elsewhere, immediately after graduation or after a few years of employment. Some M.A. students use the degree to establish or strengthen credentials in teaching or for private/public sector positions; a few M.A. students want to strengthen their backgrounds for applications to other professional degree programs.
Ph.D Program: Ph.D. course work advances a student's background and sophistication in his or her major field of inquiry, in which s/he will eventually write a Ph.D. dissertation. Ph.D. students also take required seminars in (Symposium in Political Science and Political Statistics II or Qualitative Research Mehtods or both) to deepen their understanding of politics and become trained as researchers. Course work for the Ph.D. may include work in appropriate cognate disciplines since interdisciplinary connections to the study of politics are important.
Most courses are given in a seminar format and require vigorous student participation in presentation and discussion of material. It is the Department's policy to offer core and required courses at least once within any given two-year period. All courses carry 3 semester hours of credit unless otherwise noted.
Upon successful completion of the Ph.D. required course work, the Ph.D. candidate will take a one semester directed three-credit seminar to prepare the Ph.D. prospectus. Successful defense of this Ph.D. prospectus is required for pursuing work on the dissertation. Students receive a grade of "pass" in the course after they have successfully defended their prospectus.
In recent years between fifty and sixty students have been enrolled in our M.A. and Ph.D. programs combined.