Political Science, MS

Department of Political Science, College of Arts & Sciences

Vision Statement

The Department of Political Science's vision is to provide quality research, teaching, and service for our students, community, and academic field in order to produce qualified individuals and advanced knowledge to benefit communities regionally, nationally, and internationally.  UNO is recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a doctoral and research institution.  We value diversity among faculty, staff, and students and recognize its essential contribution to campus culture and development of knowledge.  The Master of Science in political science offers a broad foundation in the discipline with a high degree of interdisciplinary collaboration, if desired.  Some students enter the program with the intention of continuing on with their PhD, while others use the program to prepare themselves as practitioners in the fields of education, government, intelligence, law, journalism, non-profit, or lobbying.  Students can earn the degree completely on-line, on-campus, or blended (on-line/on-campus). 

Program Contact Information

Angie S. Tucker, MS, Graduate Advisor
275 Arts & Sciences Hall (ASH)
402.554.4121
astucker@unomaha.edu

Ramazan Kilinc, PhD, Graduate Program Chair (GPC)
275 Arts & Sciences Hall (ASH)
402.554.2683
rkilinc@unomaha.edu

Program Website

Other Program Related Information

Online Delivery

• The Department of Political Science offers a program to earn a master’s degree for which all required courses can be taken online. Many of our students are mid-career professionals seeking a better understanding of the subject matter from fields such as; education, military, and public service.  Others are more traditional students who intend to continue onto a PhD.  Our program has been in place since 1969 and we currently have over 80 active students. There are several advantages to UNO's online MS in political science (PSCI):
  • High-quality curriculum from a distinguished university. UNO is one of 88 institutions of higher education nationally classified as a doctoral/research university, according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching—out of the 4000 academic institutions it categorizes. In addition, UNO received a first-tier regional best ranking in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 edition of America’s Best Colleges.
  • Low tuition from a convenient, accessible location—your computer. Students can select courses that are taught entirely online. It is very rare for our courses to have specific times in which you are required to be online.
• The UNO PSCI master's program affords its students an environment that serves as an incubator for acquiring the skills necessary for students’ desired careers, and for developing a self-understanding that will enable students to succeed both professionally and personally. Students are assured of a high-quality degree program that not only meets but exceeds national standards of education in political science.
• Our Flexibility: our program offers flexibility to tailor an area of specialization. This flexibility encourages students to create an approved program of study that incorporates interests in other disciplines, such as communications, criminal justice, economics, geography, history, psychology, public administration, social work, sociology, teacher education, and urban studies. We accept up to 9 hours of graduate-level transfer credit, graded at a B or above, from another accredited institution that has not been applied towards another degree or completed program.  In addition, students can apply up to 12 approved elective credit hours of UNO-taught courses outside the field of political science.

Fast Track Program

The Department of Political Science has developed a Fast Track program for highly qualified and motivated students providing the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in an accelerated time frame.  With Fast Track, students may count up to 9 graduate hours toward the completion of their undergraduate program as well as the graduate degree program.

Program Specifics:

• This program is available for undergraduate students pursuing BA/BS in Political Science or BA in International Studies desiring to pursue a MS in Political Science.
• Students must have completed no less than 60 undergraduate hours.
• Students must have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.5.
• Students must complete the Fast Track Approval form and obtain all signatures and submit to the Office of Graduate Studies prior to first enrollment in a graduate course.
• Students will work with their undergraduate advisor to register for the graduate courses.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for graduate coursework to remain in good standing.
• Students remain undergraduates until they meet all the requirements for the undergraduate degree and are eligible for all rights and privileges granted undergraduate status including financial aid.
• Near the end of the undergraduate program, formal application to the graduate program is required. The application fee will be waived, the applicant will need to contact the Office of Graduate Studies for a fee waiver code.
  • Admission to Fast Track does NOT guarantee admission to the graduate program. 
  • The admit term must be after the completion term of the undergraduate degree.

Notes:

• 8000-level courses taken at the undergraduate level without having been accepted into the integrated program will not count towards a graduate program.
• Students accepted into the Fast Track program may be denied entry into the graduate program due to, but not limited to poor performance, academic integrity issues, and other violations of the student code of conduct.
• Before starting graduate work, students are expected to complete all PSCI subfield introductory courses (1100, 2000, 2210, 2310, and 2500) and 2-3 (3000/4000) level political science courses.
• Please inquire with the Department of Political Science graduate advisor for more information about this program.

Admissions

General Application Requirements and Admission Criteria

Program-Specific Requirements

Application Deadlines (Spring 2024, Summer 2024, and Fall 2024)

• Fall: June 15  (February 15 if interested in scholarship or graduate assistantship, contact the academic program coordinator for details)
• Spring: October 15 (September 15 if interested in scholarship or graduate assistantship, contact the academic graduate program chair for details)
• Summer: March 15

Other Requirements

• Baccalaureate degree or previous master's degree with a minimum of 3.0 GPA.
• Fifteen credit hours in political science-related courses is preferred.  The selection committee looks for previous coursework in American government, political theory, international relations, comparative politics, and social science (quantitative) methodology. Applicants without the above undergraduate background in political science may be admitted on a provisional basis and be required to take prerequisite courses before starting graduate work. A grade of B or above is required in each of these courses.

• English-Language Proficiency: Applicants are required to have a command of oral and written English. Those who do not hold a baccalaureate or other advanced degree from the U.S., OR a baccalaureate or other advanced degree from a pre-determined country on the waiver list, must meet the minimum language proficiency score requirement in order to be considered for admission. 

  • Internet-based TOEFL: 80 with no sub-score under 15, IELTS: 6.5, PTE: 53, Duolingo: 110

    • Passing with a minimum score does not guarantee admission into the program.

• Statement of Purpose: A personal statement (1-2 pages) explaining why the applicant is seeking admission into this program, how his/her academic/professional experiences can contribute to his/her success in this program, and how this program will contribute to his/her future academic/professional ambitions.  
• Writing Sample: Submission of an academic, research-based writing sample. The sample must be written in English, include citations, and be a minimum of five pages in length. This writing sample can be a previous assignment. If no such paper exists, the applicant should contact the academic program coordinator for an alternative assignment.
• Resume: Submit a professional resume
• Letters of Recommendation: Submit two letters of recommendation from a former professor (preferred), supervisor, or individual that can speak to one's academic potential in a graduate program. If applicants have recently graduated from UNO, it is expected that one of the letters will be from a UNO political science faculty member. It is preferred that applicants use their references' institutional (.edu) or professional email.
• GRE scores are not required for admission, however, applicants are welcome to submit them. 

Degree Requirements

Notes on Courses:

• Courses may not be available every term or may only be offered on-campus or online for said term. 
• Students must successfully complete PSCI 8000 within the first 15 credit hours/five courses of their program.
• A student who does not have sufficient background in one or more subfields may be required to take a provisional undergraduate course before taking its equivalent graduate seminar.
• Electives may be taken outside of the political science department with approval from the graduate chair. The course must be related to political science. 
• Students who were undergraduate students at UNO cannot take a dual-listed course at the graduate level if they have already taken the course at the undergraduate level. For example, if they completed PSCI 4270/ENVN 4270 Global Environmental Politics as an undergraduate student, they cannot take PSCI 8276 Global Environmental Politics as part of their MS degree. 
• Students may not count more than six credit hours of courses ending in 8-5 (for example, 8265) towards the completion of their degree.
• Any concentration or certificate a student would like to add-on to his/her MS-PSCI program must be officially added within the first 15 credit hours.

Notes on Exit Requirements

All students begin this program as a non-thesis student. Students who would like to complete a thesis may petition to do so after completing 15 credit hours, but at least one term before he/she plans on starting his/her thesis. To petition to change to the thesis track, a student must request an application from, and submit it to the academic program coordinator during the time specified above. The graduate chair will then evaluate whether a thesis track is the best option for the petitioning student. If denied, a student may appeal once in a following term by going through the same process. During a petition, the graduate program committee will review the application.

Non-Thesis Exit Requirement: Comprehensive Exam

Graduating political science master’s degree students will complete a written comprehensive essay synthesizing their knowledge of at least three political science subfields to answer one prompt. Passing answers must demonstrate proficiency in each of the four MS-PSCI student learning objectives: research methods, writing in the discipline, critical thinking and proficiency of subfields.

Students must notify the APC at the beginning of their graduating term, noting the three subfields to be included in the comprehensive essay.  The essay is open book, open note. Students will have 72 hours to complete their essay(s) within a designated window of time.

Students must write their exam during the spring or fall semester of the year in which they graduate.  Students graduating in the summer may write their essay the prior spring if they have 6 or less credit hours remaining to complete in the degree program to be taken over the summer term, AND they have completed at least three subfield seminars.

Thesis Exit Requirement (6 credit hours)

PSCI 8990: The first term of thesis includes the forming of the thesis committee and approval of one's thesis proposal. The second three credit hours will focus on writing and defending the thesis.

Students must have a minimum of three voting committee members. All committee members must be graduate faculty members with a PhD and employed by UNO. One of the committee members must be from a non-political science field. Distance students may work with a faculty member outside of UNO, however, this member cannot be a voting member on the committee. Please refer to the graduate catalog's thesis guidelines for more detailed information.

Students must follow UNO's Graduate College's thesis submission guidelines and ensure that all paperwork has been submitted to the graduate office on time.

Concentrations

American Government and Politics Concentration

The American government and politics concentration is a 15 credit hour/5 course subset of the MS in political science program (MS-PSCI). If students wish to add this concentration onto their program, they must do so within the first 15 credit hours of their MS-PSCI program following the proper change-of-program procedures.

International Affairs Concentration

The international affairs concentration is a 15 credit hour/5 course subset of the MS in political science program. If students wish to add this concentration onto their program, they must do so within the first 15 credit hours of their MS-PSCI program following the proper change of program procedures.

Quantitative Analysis and Data Science in Political Science Concentration

¹

 Offered on-line UNO

²

The basic menu lists classes requiring no or few pre-requisites. For example, BIOS 806** requires the student to have passed a statistics class in the last 5 years. CRCJ 8950* has no pre-requisite. Please refer to the departments’ course listings for more information.

³

 Offered on-line UNMC

⁴

The advanced menu lists classes requiring that the student have passed at least one class in advanced math. For example, BIOS 818** requires the student to have passed differential and integral calculus. Please refer to the departments’ course listings for more information. 

Academic Progress Policy

Students may be dismissed from the program after:

1. Not enrolling and/or successfully completing a course after two consecutive years.
2. Earning three or more W grades.
3. Earning two or more grades of C+ or below.

Under extenuating circumstances, students may apply for a waiver through the GPC. If a waiver is granted, students may be updated to the most recent catalog year.

Students who do not successfully complete a course during their admit term, or allowed deferment time, will be dismissed from the program. 

Students may reapply to the program if dismissed for inactivity.

Incomplete Policy

The Department will comply with the UNO’s Incomplete Policy.

In line with the UNO graduate policy on incomplete grades, the grade “I” is only to be issued due to a student’s illness, military service, hardship, or death in the immediate family after the student has completed a substantial amount of the course. The professor reserves the right to use his/her discretion in determining additional situations where a grade of “I” may apply and what “substantial” means for that course. It is expected that the student discuss this matter with the professor and create a plan of action towards the completion of this course in a timely manner. The professor also reserves the right to decide the consequences for a student who does not finish the course in the time agreed. Consequences may include, but are not limited to, an extended deadline, a permanent incomplete, or a failing grade for the course.

In-progress grades (IP) are only to be issued during the second part of a thesis project when a student is actively working towards its completion.

Standing I/IP Grades

Students with an I/IP can have a maximum number of 9 'active' credit hours.

If a student has 9 credit hours of I/IP grades (total from past terms), he/she may not enroll in new courses. A student may start enrolling in new courses as he/she reduces his/her credit hours of I/IP grades. Any student with an I/IP cannot have more than 9 ‘active’ credit hours at one time (includes current courses as well as I/IP grades).

The graduate program chair reserves the right to waive this policy for a student, based on compelling circumstances.

Academic Dishonesty Policy

Academic dishonesty is a violation of the student code of conduct and is cause for a student to be dismissed from the program. Graduate students are expected to know what counts as academic dishonesty.

Instructors reserve the right to decide how to address issues of academic dishonesty in their courses. Students may be subject to (including, but not limited to): the failure on the specific assignment or failure of the entire course.

Faculty will report all instances of graduate student academic dishonesty to the Graduate Program Chair.

The student has the right to appeal this decision through the appropriate channels. Please see the student code of conduct for further information.