Five Year B.A.–M.A.The Political Science Department offers a five year B.A.–M.A. in political science and International Affairs. If you are admitted to this program, you may count some graduate courses taken during your senior year toward both your B.A. and an M.A.. This will enable you to complete both a B.A. and an M.A. in five years instead of the six that would normally be required.
The Department’s M.A. programs in Political Science offer courses that can take you far beyond the undergraduate level. Those who have completed our M.A. have gone on to some of the finest graduate schools, launched careers in a variety of government agencies, and gained employment in various settings in the private sector.
Graduate courses in our program offer students the possibility to pursue topics of interest to them in more depth than they are able to in undergraduate classes. These courses couple smaller class sized and more opportunities for participation with an emphasis on the refinement of student research skills.
The B.A.–M.A. program is open to both Political Science and International Affairs majors. Students applying to this program should be juniors, or in special circumstances, first semester seniors, must have completed three upper division courses in political science, and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better in their political science courses.
Applicants must submit a graduate school application form, three letters of recommendation, and transcripts to the director of Graduate Studies in the Political Science Department. Applicants to the five year B.A.–M.A. are not required to submit GRE scores or pay application fees.
If you are admitted to the Five Year B.A.–M.A. program, you will receive a letter that will guaranty your admission to our graduate program immediately upon completion of your B.A. You will, however, remain an undergraduate until that time, and thus will continue to have access to undergraduate financial aid.
Once in the program, any graduate seminars that you complete will count toward fulfillment of both undergraduate and graduate requirements.
The department recommends that students in the Five Year B.A.–M.A. program complete at least 9 credits that can be counted toward their M.A. during their senior year. During their first semester as a graduate student they may complete 12 hours of credits. During their second semester as a graduate student, they will want to take fewer credits, probably 9, in order to leave time to prepare for their comprehensive exams.
If you are interested in this program, please see the Director of Graduate Studies in the Political Science Department, Dr. Lowell Barrington. His office is in WW478. Dr. Barrington can be reached at lowell.barrington@marquette.edu or (414) 288-5234.
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