MA Political Science at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Programme overview

The Department of Political Science offers graduate study leading to a Doctorate of Philosophy in Political Science. The department admits students only for the PhD program, but a master's degree may be obtained en route to the PhD. The PhD is earned through a combination of coursework and dissertation and the program is designed to provide students with both general training in political science and the opportunity to specialize in their areas of interest.

Department: Political Science | Duration: 30 credits | Study mode: full-time | Location: Madison, WI, United States

What you will study

The degree requires a minimum of 30 credits. Courses listed in the requirements include POLI SCI 800 Political Science as a Discipline and Profession; POLI SCI 817 Empirical Methods of Political Inquiry; POLI SCI 812 Introduction to Statistical Methods in Political Science.

Career pathways

Department of Political Science PhD students are encouraged to participate in our weekly workshops and colloquia. The workshops and colloquia offered in the department are the American Politics Workshop , Comparative Politics Colloquium , International Relations Colloquium , Political Economy Colloquium , MEAD – Models and Data Workshop , and the Political Theory Workshop .

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Students may not apply directly for the master’s and should instead see the admissions information for the PhD. This master’s program is offered for work done en route to the PhD.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Entry terms (spring, summer or fall) vary by programme and are listed on each programme's Graduate Guide admissions tab. An applicant may have active applications in only one entry term at a time.

Application deadlines vary by programme and are listed on the programme's Graduate Guide admissions tab. Applications are submitted through the Graduate School application portal. The application fee is $75 US, non-refundable, payable by credit card (MasterCard or Visa) or debit/ATM; international applicants pay an extra $6 processing fee. Up to three programmes in the same entry term can be applied to for one application fee.

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