Graduate Studies in Political Science
617.373.4404
gradpolisci@northeastern.edu
CSSH Graduate Programs General Regulations
The Master of Arts program focuses on the core scholarly areas of political science. Students specialize in one of five concentration areas: American government and politics, comparative government and politics, international relations, public policy, and security studies. Courses in the MA program serve as a foundation for work in a doctoral program or as preparation for careers in government, nonprofit organizations, or related work in the private sector.
To earn the Master of Arts in Political Science degree at Northeastern, you must successfully complete 32 semester hours (typically eight courses) of credit. Full-time students can expect to complete the degree within two academic years. Course work consists of 4 semester hours in a required statistics course, 12 semester hours within a chosen concentration, and 16 semester hours of electives (including the experiential education requirement). To see the full breakdown, click the Program Requirements tab above.
Academic Standing/Progress
Satisfactory progress in the MA program includes maintaining a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.000 overall as well as in the student's concentration area. A final cumulative GPA of at least 3.000 in all course work is required to qualify for the Master of Arts degree. Any course in which a student earns lower than a C grade cannot be used to fulfill concentration area requirements. A student who fails to make satisfactory progress is placed on academic probation, which is a warning that the student may not be allowed to continue in the graduate program unless the deficiency is addressed.
Experiential Learning Requirement
In addition to in-class course work, students are required to complete an experiential education component that advances their learning, research, and/or career objectives. Experiential education offers MA students a direct experience with focused reflection relevant to their academic studies. For students with research interests, the experience focuses on related activities, such as primary source analysis and data gathering. For other students, the experience involves engagement with areas of practice and policy, such as an internship. Students register for the relevant course with a minimum of 4 semester hours and maximum of 8 semester hours to satisfy the experiential education requirement.
An optional cooperative education experience (co-op) can also satisfy the experiential education requirement. Cooperative education is central to both the Northeastern experience and to the College of Social Sciences and Humanities Experiential Liberal Arts framework. Northeastern’s signature co-op ecosystem provides qualified master's students with six-month work experiences in businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Boston and across the United States. Graduate students take their work from campus learning spaces, apply their knowledge outside of the classroom, and then bring knowledge and skills gained in community learning spaces back to our campus learning spaces during the cocurricular experiential integration course.
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Core Requirement
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Methods Course | ||
Complete 4 SH from the list below. | 4 | |
Data Mining Techniques | ||
Research Methods in the Social Sciences | ||
Statistical Analysis | ||
Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy |
Concentrations
- American Government and Politics
- Comparative Politics
- International Relations
- Public Policy
- Security Studies
American Government and Politics Concentration
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Seminar | ||
POLS 7205 | Seminar in American Government and Politics | 4 |
American Government Courses | ||
Complete 8 semester hours from the following: | 8 | |
Security and Resilience Policy | ||
Immigration and Urban America | ||
Contemporary Community Development | ||
Land Use and Urban Growth Policy | ||
Health Policy and Politics | ||
Education Policy in the United States | ||
Food Systems and Public Policy | ||
How Healthcare Works: Business and Policy Innovations | ||
Economic Analysis for Policy and Planning | ||
Public Budgeting and Financial Management | ||
Administrative Ethics and Public Management | ||
Nonprofit Organizations and Social Change | ||
The Nonprofit Sector in Civil Society and Public Affairs |
Comparative Politics Concentration
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Seminar | ||
POLS 7206 | Seminar in Comparative Politics | 4 |
Comparative Politics Courses | ||
Complete 8 semester hours from the following: | 8 | |
Contemporary Issues in Third World Development | ||
Resilient Cities | ||
or PPUA 7346 | Resilient Cities | |
Genocide in a Comparative Perspective | ||
Government and Politics of the Middle East | ||
Health Policy and Politics | ||
Urban Theory and Science | ||
International Environmental Policy | ||
Food Systems and Public Policy |
International Relations Concentration
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Seminar | ||
POLS 7207 | Seminar in International Relations | 4 |
International Relations Courses | ||
Complete 8 semester hours from the following: | 8 | |
Security and Resilience Policy | ||
Counterterrorism | ||
Hard Power, Soft Power, and Smart Power | ||
International Security | ||
Global Governance | ||
Cyberconflict |
Public Policy Concentration
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Seminar | ||
POLS 7204 | Seminar in Public Policy | 4 |
or PPUA 6506 | Techniques of Policy Analysis | |
Public Policy Courses | ||
Complete 8 semester hours from the following: | 8 | |
Security and Resilience Policy | ||
Health Policy and Politics | ||
Education Policy in the United States | ||
Principles of Public Administration | ||
Techniques of Policy Analysis | ||
Institutional Leadership and the Public Manager | ||
Techniques of Program Evaluation | ||
The Nonprofit Sector in Civil Society and Public Affairs |
Security Studies Concentration
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Seminar | ||
Security Studies Courses | ||
POLS 7341 | Security and Resilience Policy | 4 |
Complete 8 semester hours from the following: | 8 | |
Seminar in International Relations | ||
Genocide in a Comparative Perspective | ||
International Security | ||
Government and Politics of the Middle East | ||
Global Governance |
Electives
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Complete 12 semester hours in the following range: | 12 | |
Experiential Learning Component1
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Complete 4 semester hours from the following: | 4 | |
Capstone Project | ||
Directed Study | ||
Thesis | ||
Internship |
Optional Co-op Experience
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Complete two consecutive semesters of Co-op Work Experience and Experiential Integration: Each of the following courses must be taken twice. | 2 | |
Co-op Work Experience and Experiential Integration |
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
32 total semester hours required (34 with optional co-op)
Minimum 3.000 GPA required
- 1
Students who decide to fulfill the Experiential Learning Requirement with the optional Co-op, will enroll in one additional elective course and graduate with 34 semester hours instead of 32.