Mission

The M.A. program in political science seeks to train the next generation of international policy professionals by directly engaging students in comparative politics, international politics, and public policy analysis.

Learning Objectives

When students complete the Master of Arts in Political Science program, they should have:

• Comprehensive knowledge of the relevant subfields of political science that pertain to their area of concentration in the program.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the processes that shape politics and policies and the complex interrelationships of political, economic, cultural and ideological interests that influence them in their concentration area.
• Expertise in contemporary policy issues in political science in their concentration area including international security, immigration, human rights, environmental protection, welfare provision, health and human services, and information technology and their underlying political philosophies.
• Analytic and language skills, the ability to express themselves in written and verbal form, the ability to formulate and execute a final in-depth project or apply their learning and skills in a practical situation, and broad intercultural competence.

European Union Policy Studies Concentration

This concentration involves an intellectually rigorous program with an applied, practitioner orientation. It provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the political science literature on the European Union in general (its historical development, current institutions, and practices and future prospects). The European Union policy studies concentration also places particular emphasis on public policy in two domains: economic & social policy and foreign policy & internal security. Students will focus their studies on one of these policy areas. The concentration is designed as a ten-month residential program based in Florence, Italy. This concentration is intended: to improve understanding of the European Union as a system of governance and as a multinational actor; to promote awareness and understanding of the growing importance and expanding scope of the transatlantic partnership between the European Union and the United States; and to train students to be effective future participants in this partnership – and in politics and policymaking more broadly.