Political Science
Stroud Hall 570-422-3286 www.esu.edu/pols/index.html
Graduate Faculty
Graduate Coordinator: Merlyn Clarke, M.A.
Patricia A. Crotty, Ph.D. Kenneth Mash, Ph.D. Samuel Quainoo, Ph.D.
The graduate faculty in Political Science offers three degree programs in political science: the Master of Arts, the Master of Education, and a Master of Science Degree in Management and Leadership. In the Master of Arts program all students must complete a thesis. In the Master of Education program, the student may elect to do a thesis program or a non-thesis program. The Master of Management and Leadership does not require a thesis; however, an internship experience is required. The MML degree is a cross-disciplinary program that requires some core courses be taken with the Department of Business Management. A complete description of the MML degree, along with degree objectives and requirements, can be found under the listing for Management and Leadership.
Program Objectives
When a student graduates from ESU with a master’s degree in Political Science, he or she will be able to demonstrate competence in analytical thinking, theoretical conceptualization, and professional writing, by:
· Demonstrating a knowledge of the basic research methodologies commonly used in the discipline;
· Demonstrating an ability to develop a research problem which is theoretically and conceptually sound and relevant to the discipline;
· Executing an acceptable Masters Thesis or Special Project.
General Program Requirements
Students must:
· Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in all class work;
· Successfully complete the research methods course;
· Satisfactorily pass the comprehensive exam;
· Satisfactorily defend their thesis or special project in an oral exam.
Entrance Requirements
Students may be admitted under three conditional categories:
· Unconditional admission, based on adequate undergraduate preparation and a GPA of 2.5 or above;
· Conditional admission, which requires the student to make up undergraduate deficiencies by taking additional courses under the direction of the graduate coordinator, or to show satisfactory performance at the graduate level for students whose undergraduate GPA is slightly below 2.5; or
· Permission to take courses, but not eligible to be admitted. These students may be admitted after they have demonstrated satisfactory ability to perform at the graduate level.
We do not currently require GRE scores.
Specific Program Requirements
Candidates must complete degree programs in accordance with one of the outlines shown below. Individual programs and specific course selections are made under the supervision and with the approval of an adviser from among the graduate faculty in the major field.
Master of Arts
30 Semester Hours
Required: 3 semester hours
POLS 570 Introduction to Research: Scope and Method
Political Science Elective (minimum) 15–21 semester hours
Students must elect at least one course from each group:
Group A American Politics and Public Administration
Group B International Relations
Group C Comparative Government and Regional Studies
Group D Political Theory
Related Electives
Students may select up to 6 semester hours from related areas: history, economics, sociology-anthropology, geography, or other course(s) by permission of the graduate coordinator of the degree faculty.
Thesis Requirements: 6 semester hours
POLS 572 Thesis I
POLS 573 Thesis II
Master of Education
Thesis Program–30 Semester Hours
Required: 3 semester hours
POLS 570 Introduction to Research: Scope and Method
Political Science Electives: 12–18 semester hours
Students must elect at least one course from each of the four disciplinary groups.
Related Electives:
Students may select up to 6 semester hours from related areas by permission of the graduate coordinator of the degree faculty.
Professional and Secondary Education: 6 semester hours
Students must take 6 semester hours from the School of Professional and Secondary Education.
Thesis Requirement: 3 semester hours
POLS 572 Thesis I
Master of Education
Non-Thesis Program–34 Semester Hours
Required: 3 semester hours
POLS 570 Introduction to Research: Scope and Method
Political Science Electives: 12–21 semester hours
Students must elect at least one course from each of the four disciplinary groups.
Related Electives:
Students may select up to 9 semester hours from related areas by permission of the graduate coordinator of the degree faculty.
Professional and Secondary Education: 9 semester hours
Students take 9 semester hours from the School of Professional and Secondary Education.
POLS 571 Independent Research Problem, 1 semester hour
Course List by Disciplinary Group
American Politics and Public Administration
POLS 514 Seminar on Local Government
POLS 516 Administrative Law
POLS 532 Seminar in Parties and Politics
POLS 533 The Presidency
POLS 534 Seminar: Presidential Elections and Politics
POLS 535 Intergovernmental Relations
POLS 536 Seminar: Readings in Civil Liberties
POLS 537 Problems in Public Administration
POLS 554 The Legislative Process
POLS 566 Public Budgeting and Finance
POLS 567 Public Personnel Administration
POLS 586 Field Experience and Internship
International Relations
POLS 538 United States Foreign Policy
POLS 541 Seminar on War and Peace
POLS 543 The United Nations
POLS 545 International Law and Organization
Comparative Government and Regional Studies
POLS 520 Area Studies
POLS 522 Seminar: Foreign Travel and Study
POLS 525 Seminar: The Middle East
POLS 540 Comparative Politics
POLS 548 The Politics of Developing Nations
Political Theory
POLS 528 Comparative Policy Analysis
POLS 531 Contemporary Political Thought
POLS 544 Theory of International Relations
POLS 547 Seminar in American Political Thought
POLS 562 Political Behavior
Research and Cognate
POLS 570 Introduction to Research: Scope and Method
POLS 571 Independent Research Problem
POLS 572 Thesis I
POLS 573 Thesis II
POLS 577 Independent Study in Political Science
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate assistantships may be applied for through the Graduate School. The actual assistantship site may or may not be with the Political Science Department.
Member of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education
East Stroudsburg University, 200 Prospect Street, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301-2999 Phone: 570-422-3211
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