MA-PA students are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.

GRSC 7001 (GradFIRST seminar), POLS 7000 (Graduate Student Seminar), and POLS 7770 (Graduate Teaching Seminar) may not be used to fulfill required coursework hours. Although the bulk of coursework should be taken within SPIA, appropriate classes within other departments may be selected after consultation with the Graduate Program Advisor (GPA) and/or faculty advisor. All incoming graduate students must enroll in GRSC 7001 (GradFIRST seminar) in their first semester of graduate school. All coursework must be completed within six (6) years of a student’s matriculation to the MA-APA program.

In addition to these general requirements, MA-PA students must complete the same methodology core (POLS 7010, INTL/POLS 7012, and INTL/POLS 7014) expected of all MA tracks. MA-APA students must also complete two additional courses that will develop their skills as an analyst in light of their substantive interests and professional goals.  Students should work closely with the GPA when selecting these courses from the following list:

• INTL 7008: Advanced Data Analysis for Human Security Practitioners
• INTL 8200: Experiments in International Relations Research
• POLS 8501 Advanced Quantitative Methods: MLE and Advanced Regression Applications.
• POLS 8515: Survey Research Methods
• POLS 8520: Experimental Methods in Political Science
• POLS 8530: Computational Data Analysis
• POLS 8500: Special Topics in Research Methods: Text as Data
• Another course identified through consultation with the graduate coordinator

Further, MA-PA students must complete graduate-level seminar courses for two of the following fields:

• International Relations (INTL 6200), or
• Comparative Politics (INTL 6300), or
• American Politics (POLS 6100) or any graduate level course in AP), or
• Political Theory (POLS 8000 or any graduate level course in Political Theory).

Students will complete a major practicum under the guidance of a faculty member (INTL/POLS 9101) and a capstone project (INTL/POLS 9200). A remaining elective course on a substantive topic related to the student’s career plans or academic interests will be determined in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and GPA.

A typical MA-PA program of study is outlined below. Individual student programs may vary.

Contact Ashley Tiller ([email protected]) for information about the MA-APA accelerated one-year timeline.

Part I: Apply to the UGA Graduate School

Part II: Apply to the Departmental Graduate Office

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