MA in Political Science
The MA program is a learning environment in which students may further develop their interests in exploring ideas and their ability to think critically and analytically. The structure of the program encourages scholarly inquiry and intellectual growth across a range of political themes. Upon completing an MA, we anticipate most students entering careers in public service or private organizations while others will continue to the PhD program.
The Department of Political Science offers two MA programs:
- MA Thesis - Students are expected to produce a thesis.
- MA Event - Students supplement their core curriculum with a Culminating Experience; thesis not required.
The department strongly encourages MA students to complete the program in no more than two years. Graduate Division has mandated that students who do not complete the program within seven years be placed on academic probation and risk dismissal from the program. Students should review and adhere to Graduate Division requirements for the Time Allowed for Completion of Degree.
The department seeks to further clarify issues of degree progress through the following policies:
- Progress Reports - Students must demonstrate continued progress towards the degree and submit a progress report at the end of each academic year. These reports are kept on file with the department and help the faculty assess what each student must do to complete the program.
- Leave of Absence - Students must be registered for at least one credit hour every semester (excluding summers) or request an official leave of absence to avoid being dismissed from the program. A student can take no more than one year of leave of absence for personal reasons. A leave of absence is designed to allow students to focus on non-academic issues that may interfere with the degree progress and not for students to do academic work while not enrolled. If students fail to register for courses and do not have a formal leave of absence, they will need to reapply to the program. Re-admission is not guaranteed. Note that all degree candidates must be enrolled during the term in which the degree is awarded.
- Residency Requirement - Two full-time semesters (minimum 8 credits per semester) or equivalent credits are required.
- MA Thesis Completion - After three years, students who have not written and defended their thesis must justify their progress to the Graduate Chair. The Graduate Chair will assess their continued tenure in the program.
- MA Event Completion - After three years, students who have not submitted their culminating presentation must justify their progress to the Graduate Chair. The Graduate Chair will assess their continued tenure in the program.
The following inclusive but not exhaustive list outlines responsibilities in each role:
Graduate Chair
- Assures new students have an Interim Advisor
- Facilitates faculty assessment of student progress in the program (and may impose deadlines)
- Assesses students continuance in the program
- Signs required forms and memos
Interim Advisor *
- Helps students in selecting classes and planning the degree program
- Helps students choose between MA Thesis and MA Event
- When applicable, ensures that the student has a permanent Thesis/Event Advisor before relinquishing their duties
- Performs regular progress checks with their advisees
* The department assigns an Interim Advisor to incoming MA students based on specialization interest. These advisors are not permanent and students can change them at any time (consult with Graduate Chair). The Interim Advisor may eventually become a Thesis/Event Advisor or a member of the student's thesis or event committee.
Thesis or Event Advisor
- Serves as the primary mentor for the student and meets with them each term
- Supervises completion of the thesis or culminating event
- Writes letters of recommendation for the student, when requested
All master's candidates are required to complete a total of 30 credit hours. While there is no foreign language requirement, students may decide that language study is relevant to their work. Students must complete all courses counted toward the degree with a grade of at least a B.
POLS Core Courses (18 credits)
[9 credits] - All master's candidates are required to take three of the following courses:
- POLS 600: Scope and Methods of Political Science
- POLS 610: Political Theory and Analysis
- POLS 620: Introduction to Indigenous Politics
- POLS 630: International Relations
- POLS 640: Comparative Politics
- POLS 650: Public Administrative Theory
- POLS 660: Law and Politics
- POLS 670: Introduction to Public Policy
- POLS 680: Asian and/or Pacific Politics
[3 credits] - All MA candidates are also required to take one graduate seminar (POLS 701-798).
[6 credits] - Additional courses from POLS 600-798 (excluding POLS 699 and 700).
Additional Courses (12 credits)
All master's candidates must complete additional coursework to total 30 credit hours selected from graduate courses (600 and above) from any department. Upper-division courses (300-498) from any department may be included upon petition to the Adviser and the Graduate Chair.
Other Requirements
For MA Thesis Students:
- Must take 6 (minimum) to 12 (maximum) credits of POLS 700: Thesis Research
- May count a maximum of 12 combined credits of POLS 699 and POLS 700 toward the degree
- Must be registered for POLS 700 in the semester in which they graduate
MA Event Students:
- May count a maximum of 9 credits of POLS 699 toward the degree
- Must be registered in the semester in which they graduate
Details for key milestones in the MA Thesis program.
Thesis Proposal
Working with their Advisor, students must write a brief research proposal.
Thesis Committee
Students must create a 3-person committee, which must include at least two members from the department. It is the committee's job to guide the student from the proposal writing stages through the thesis's defense. A Thesis Advisor leads the committee.
Once committee members have agreed to serve, students must submit Master’s Plan A Form 2 – Advance to Candidacy (from Graduate Division) with all members' signatures before registering for POLS 700. Students should submit the form to the Department Secretary.
Thesis
The thesis should be an original contribution to the field. Students are expected to review and adhere to the Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations (from Graduate Division).
Human Subjects
Note that students whose research involves living human subjects are required to secure approval from the Human Studies Program Institutional Review Board (IRB) in the Office of Research Compliance.
Final Oral Defense
Upon the completion of the thesis, students will schedule an oral defense of their work. The defense should include a brief presentation of the project, questions from the committee and audience, and an assessment of the work submitted. Students may pass or fail the defense. If a student passes, they still may be requested to revise their work; however, at this point, revisions should be minimal, cosmetic, and not substantive. If a student fails the defense, the department will dismiss them from the program.
It is department policy that a thesis defense is public and announced. Students are required to submit their thesis title and abstract to the Department of Political Science (email to polisci@hawaii.edu) three weeks prior to the defense date. Students must make themselves aware of graduation timelines to ensure that defenses are scheduled with adequate time to make final thesis revisions and to submit required paperwork. Students should review Final Defense information as provided by Graduate Division.
The following inclusive but not exhaustive list outlines 2-year program milestones. Students must also complete annual progress forms.
Year One (Fall)
- Attend an orientation
- Meet with Graduate Chair to discuss program plans
- Complete Master’s Plan A Form 1 – Pre-Candidacy Progress (from Graduate Division)
- Begin coursework
Year One (Spring)
- Continue coursework
- Identify a thesis topic
- Write a thesis proposal
- Identify a thesis advisor
- Identify 3 thesis committee members
- Secure IRB approval for research involving living human subjects (if applicable)
- Complete Master’s Plan A Form 2 – Advance to Candidacy (from Graduate Division)
Year Two (Fall)
- Continue coursework
- Begin thesis writing
Year Two (Spring)
- Apply to graduate within the first two weeks of the semester
- Continue coursework
- Students must be enrolled in POLS 700 during the semester that they graduate
- Defend thesis
- Reserve room in advance through the Department Secretary
- Complete Master’s Plan A Form 3 – Thesis Evaluation (from Graduate Division)
- Complete Master’s Plan A Form 4 – Thesis Submission (from Graduate Division)
MA Event students have the option to do a research paper or project presentation, internship, and other work (ex. hōʻike, documentary film, community project). Students should familiarize themselves with information on the Master’s Plan B as provided by Graduate Division.
Presentation
Students must form a presentation committee consisting of their Advisor and two other Department of Political Science faculty members. The committee will evaluate the presentation, and members will indicate their final approval to the Graduate Chair.
The presentation date is scheduled in coordination with the department's Colloquium Coordinator and Graduate Chair, and is scheduled and publicized by the Department Secretary. Students are required to submit a presentation title and abstract 3-weeks the presentation date.
Internship
As an option, the department has agreed that a six-credit internship is an appropriate experience for MA students in Alternative Futures Specialization. Students who wish to do an internship as part of their culminating experience should contact the Graduate Chair to develop a strategy.
The following inclusive but not exhaustive list outlines 2-year program milestones. Students must also complete annual progress forms.
Year One (Fall)
- Attend an orientation
- Meet with Graduate Chair to discuss program plans
- Begin coursework
Year One (Spring)
- Continue coursework
- Identify the type of culminating experience to be completed
- Create committee (if applicable)
- Secure IRB approval for research involving living human subjects (if applicable)
Year Two (Fall)
- Continue coursework
- Begin paper, research, internship, or other work
Year Two (Spring)
- Apply to graduate within the first two weeks of the semester
- Continue coursework
- Complete Culminating Experience
