Education is the best provision for old age.
Aristotle

The Department of Government offers the Master of Arts in Political Science, the Master of Arts in Political Science - Public Administration, and the Master of Arts in Political Science - Security and Diplomacy. The 33-semester hour Political Science program is designed for students interested in international relations, comparative politics, and public policy. Open to all students, the program is affiliated with a consortium formed by the U.S. Navy and several civilian graduate schools. Students may transfer up to 15 credits from one member of the consortium to another.

Included in the 21 credit core are the following courses:

POT 5602 Masters of Political Thought
POS 6001 The Study of Politics
POS 6704 Political Science Research Methods
POS 6045 Seminar in American Government
CPO 6006 Seminar in Comparative Politics
INR 6007 Seminar in International Relations
PAD 6275 Political Economy of Public Administration

M.A. COMPREHENSIVE EXAM OPTION

The non-thesis option is capped with a comprehensive examination, both written and oral.The purpose of the examination is to help the student synthesize knowledge from different courses into a coherent whole. The examination will be administered by a three member committee of department faculty, one of whom will chair or supervise the student’s efforts in preparing for the examination.   Prior to scheduling the comprehensive exam, students must prove that they have fulfilled the requirements for completing the course(s) in which they are currently enrolled.  Please see the Coursework Completion Form and the M.A. Comprehensive Exam Registration Form for more information.

THESIS OPTION

Students choosing to do a thesis will earn up 6 sh that will be credited toward the degree. However, as long as a thesis remains unfinished, the student must be registered for at least 1 sh per semester, even if this exceeds the 6 sh of thesis work and/or the 33 sh required for the degree.

The thesis will include an appropriate theoretical foundation and a scholarly investigation of a significant political problem or question. The thesis may focus on a historical, contemporary, or hypothetical problem, and the research method should be suitable for studying the thesis question. The object is to produce something that, in condensed form, could be presented at a state or regional conference, or be considered for publication in a Political Science journal. There is no minimum or maximum length, although most theses will run between 50 and 125 pages.

The thesis must be done according to the specifications indicated in UWF's Thesis and Dissertation Guide.. Also, the thesis, and all papers assigned in any of the courses, must be done according to The Style Manual for Political Science (Washington, D.C.: The American Political Science Association, 2001).  To order your copy, click here or visit the American Political Science Association Publications Page, at apsanet.org.

More thesis and dissertation information is provided by the Office of Graduate Studies, including a slide show presentation from their recent thesis workshop.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Jocelyn Evans

Graduate Student Advisor

The University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL. 32514
(850) 474-2337

or

Dr. Alfred G. Cuzán , Chairman
Department of Government
The University of West Florida
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL. 32514
(850) 474-2337

Graduate Brochure

Master's Degree (Detailed Description)
Master's Degree Planning Sheet

M.A. Public Administration Planning Sheet

M.A. Security and Diplomacy Planning Sheet

M.A. Comprehensive Examination Standards

M.A. Thesis Standards

Duties of the Graduate Student Advisor

Coursework Completion Form (For Comps)

M.A. Comprehensive Exam Registration Form

Graduate Assistant Application

Distinguished Graduates

Academic Learning Plans (ALPSs)