Political Science Concentration
About the Program
Politics is about getting the family car on Saturday night--which as you know was as much about how to influence your parents to let you have the car as it was having money to put gas in the tank. Politics is about whether you get a break on your taxes as much as it is about whether you can smoke marijuana legally. Politics is about immigration policy, climate change, and whether you can drink a beer legally at 18 (you cannot at this time). Politics is about your healthcare insurance, the cost of your tuition, and when you get your last unemployment check.
Politics is about activities that serve your interests and the interests of others. It may occur at the local, state, national, and international levels. It might be pursued in the private sector as well as the public. Generally speaking, politics is a story that never ends, never fails to entertain, and always has losers and winners.
The Master of Liberal Studies degree with a concentration in Political Science can help you understand these activities and stories at an advanced level. What decisions does the government make that affect your life? What would happen if the parties involved had more skills and resources to pursue their interests through politics? What if the decisions were made differently? Who wins and who loses? The goal of the MLS Political Science concentration is to help you gain the skills, knowledge, and perspective to better understand the implications and answers to all these questions and many more. Join us to understand how politics impacts your world and how you can impact the world of politics.
Master of Liberal Studies is endorsed by the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs
Program Admissions Requirements
This concentration requires a 2.5 GPA on the last 60 undergraduate credit hours. The personal statement (1-2 pages) should be inspired by the following questions:
- What does it mean to engage in graduate study?
- What are three of the most crucial qualities needed to be a graduate student?
- Describe for us something you're especially proud of having achieved in your life.
One of the two required letters of recommendation should be an academic reference.
The program has a rolling admissions process, and will review completed applications as they are submitted.
Program Curriculum
MLS Core Courses: 10 credit hours (required)
- IDS 801: Introduction to Graduate Liberal Studies
- IDS 802: Ways of Knowing in Comparative Perspective
- IDS 803: Origins and Implications of the Knowledge Society
- IDS 804: Information Literacy
Concentration: 18 credit hours, choose six of the following
- POLS 611G: Policy Analysis
- POLS 612G: The Administrative Process
- POLS 616G: Public Personnel Management
- POLS 620G: Constitutional Law
- POLS 621G: American Civil Liberties
- POLS 631G: American Foreign Policy
- POLS 664G: Political Behavior
- POLS 675G: Any approved seminar
Choose one Culminating Experience: 3 credit hours
- IDS 820: Projects in Liberal or Professional Studies
- Course approved by MLS Coordinator
Total Hours Required: 31 credit hours
Program Contact
Contact Dr. Jian Sun to see if the MLS concentration in Political Science is right for you. Once you have been admitted to this concentration, please follow the MLS Checklist and carefully read the MLS Student Handbook.