Graduate Degrees

Degree Requirements

These degrees are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Requirements for Graduation section and the Graduate School section of this catalogue for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.

The departmental Graduate Committee is charged with the supervision of the graduate program. All graduate students are required to maintain regular contact with the graduate coordinator to assure compliance with departmental regulations.

Master of Arts in Political Science

All master's degree students are required to take the seminar course POSC 500 and the core course in at least three of the following five fields of concentration: POSC 510 American Politics and Policy Processes; 520 Comparative Politics; 530 Political Theory; 540 Law and Public Policy; and 512 (International Politics) Linkage Politics.

Students have two options in completing the course work: (1) complete satisfactorily 32 units (eight courses) at the 500 level or above, or (2) complete satisfactorily a minimum of 24 units (six courses) in addition to 594a and 594b Thesis. With either option, students are required to pass the master's exam. It consists of a written and oral examination in one field of concentration chosen from among the five listed above. For students planning to continue graduate work, this examination constitutes the screening procedure for admission to continuation in the Ph.D. program. Written and oral examinations are given in November and April each year.

Second Track in Master of Arts Degree Program for Ph.D. Students in the Political Economy and Public Policy (PEPP) Program

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program in Political Economy and Public Policy may pursue a master's degree in political science via a special track. Students are required to complete 32 units (eight courses) of graduate work and successfully pass a written and oral examination in political economy and public policy. Students must take POSC 600 Seminar in Advanced Research Methods, PEPP 539 Political Economy and Public Policy, and two of the five core courses in political science. The remaining 16 units (four courses) are electives. A master's thesis may be substituted for eight elective units (two courses).

Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science

The Ph.D. degree is evidence of a demonstrated mastery of in-depth knowledge and high competence in research, culminating in a dissertation which makes a contribution to the discipline. Graduate work in political science involves several types of required interrelated activities. First, the student is expected to acquire a knowledge of content in general political science and in the selected areas of specialization by means of courses, seminars and readings. Second, the student is expected to demonstrate competence in the fields of political science as determined by acceptable performance on the Ph.D. qualifying examination. Normally, preparation for the qualifying examination entails a minimum of 60 graduate units (15 courses) of course work beyond the B.A. degree. Third, the student is required to complete the language/research tool requirement of the department. Fourth, the student is expected to engage in research-related activity throughout his graduate career, leading to and culminating in the Ph.D. dissertation. In short, the prospective candidate for the Ph.D. in Political Science must not only demonstrate superior scholarship in course work, but must also acquire and demonstrate the ability to synthesize and integrate knowledge in the several fields of political science.

Screening Examination

All students admitted with an M.A. must take the screening examination before they have completed 24 units of course work at USC (usually in their second or third semester). The written and oral examination (in one of the five fields of concentration) are given in conjunction with the master's examination in November and April of each academic year.

Course Requirements

All doctoral candidates must complete POSC 500, the core courses in the five fields of concentration described above, and POSC 600. The selection of additional courses should be guided by the distributional requirement of the Ph.D. program, which requires that a minimum of five courses or seminars be taken in the student's major field of concentration and three courses or seminars in each of the two minor fields of concentration. The core courses may be included in the distributional requirement.

Foreign Language/Research Tool Requirement

Research competence in either foreign languages, research methods and statistics, or a combination of these is required of each prospective Ph.D. candidate. The several options which may be used to fulfill the language/ research tool requirement are specified in the department's Guidelines for Graduate Study. This requirement must be completed prior to the qualifying examination.

Guidance Committee

Examinations will be conducted by an advisory committee of five members, normally including two members representing the student's major field of concentration, two members representing each of the two minor fields, and in accordance with the rules of the Graduate School, a member from another Ph.D. department in the university. The subject matter of the examination will be determined by the committee members.

Qualifying Examination

The Ph.D. qualifying examination may be taken only after successful completion of all the required courses noted above and after successful completion of the departmental language/research requirement. Students must choose one of the five fields of concentration as their major field for the Ph.D. qualifying examination. Two additional fields will constitute minor fields. Students may choose, however, one minor field of concentration outside the department (e.g., in public administration, economics, sociology, psychology, history, gerontology, philosophy, political economy and public policy, and area studies). These three fields of examination must be approved by the student's Ph.D. guidance committee in accordance with the student's interest.

Students are permitted to submit a publishable research paper in lieu of taking a written examination in their major field, provided that the major field is the same for both the master's screening and Ph.D. qualifying examinations. Written examinations are given in the two minor fields. The oral examination covers all three areas.

Dissertation

Upon passing the qualifying examination, a student is admitted to candidacy and will then concentrate on the dissertation, whose subject is selected in consultation with the dissertation committee and approved by it.

Doctor of Philosophy in Political Economy and Public Policy

The Department of Political Science, the Department of Economics and the School of International Relations jointly offer a program of study leading to the Ph.D. degree and to the M.A. degree in the process of work toward the Ph.D. degree. Applicants must apply to the Graduate School and meet the admission requirements of all three departments.

Required courses include both core requirements and area requirements. Core requirements include courses in economic theory and history of economic theory; history of political thought; scope, methodology and research methods; and political economy and public policy. Area requirements include courses drawn from one of the following three areas of concentration: comparative and developmental political economy; politics, economics and the policy process; and international political economy.

For a detailed description of this program, see the Political Economy and Public Policy section of this catalogue.

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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
Joye Day
day@mizar.usc.edu