Mission Statement

The Department of Political Science prepares students for careers in teaching, scholarship, research and public service as well as critical citizenship. Designed to train political scientists, the department's graduate program facilitates advanced study and inquiry of the approaches, philosophical underpinnings, methodologies and practical implications of political science.

The graduate program's offerings are divided into general areas of research methods, American and African-American politics, comparative politics emphasizing Africa, international relations and political philosophy. The department is particularly strong in the field of African-American politics.

Program Objectives

The Department of Political Science offers a graduate program leading to the Master of Arts in Political Science. Students may take the thesis or non-thesis routes to the M.A. degree. The broad objectives of the Master of Arts program are The Department of Political Science offers a bachelor of arts degree in political science with four possible concentrations. Students may choose among curricula related to those concentrations or they can choose the basic curriculum for maximum flexibility.

• To prepare students to successfully pursue graduate work at the doctoral level;
• To develop students' research capacities and skills, which make possible critical analysis of policy and politics;
• To prepare students for and enhance their marketability in the worlds of work--public, private and non-profit sectors;
• To assist primary and secondary schools in teaching the processes and values of critical citizenship.