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What does it cost?

Check out our cost calculator or visit student financial services for information on estimated costs.

How long will it take?

The M.A. in Political Sciences (Professional Politics concentration) requires 30 course hours and can generally be completed in 3 to 4 semesters.

Where will I take classes?
Atlanta Campus, Online

All required classes to earn a degree can be completed online.

Application Deadlines View Admissions Requirements

    Fall: Rolling Admissions.  Final Deadline is July 1.
  • Spring: November 15.
  • Summer: Does Not Normally Admit. Contact Program Director to See if Exceptions are Available.

Political Science, M.A. - Concentration in Professional Politics

Political Science

Talk to a faculty member
Louis-Alexandre Berg M.A. Program Director
[email protected]
404-413-6169

The Political Science Department at Georgia State University offers an M.A. concentration in Professional Politics which can be completed fully online, fully in-person, or with a mix of the two.

  • Degree can be completed during six minimesters. Each minimester is seven-weeks long, meaning the program can be completed in just 15 months.
  • All courses are taught by full-time faculty and emphasize interaction among students and professors.

This concentration provides the professional skills needed by those pursuing career paths in public service and politics. It is offered as a terminal degree with a non-thesis option and can be undertaken in a traditional classroom setting, fully online, or hybridized.

Students with an interest in quantitative methods also have the option of choosing an advanced methods track.

Any questions can be directed to the M.A. Program Director, Dr. Charles Hankla, at [email protected].

VIEW CATALOG INFORMATION

Program Highlights

Why should you join us at Georgia State?

  • Location in the heart of Atlanta. Numerous opportunities are available nearby to enrich your studies. Georgia State's downtown campus is within blocks of the Georgia Legislature, every level of state and federal courts in addition to the U.S. Supreme Court, numerous state and federal agencies, and the city is home to the headquarters of international organizations including CARE, Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center.
  • Strong placement record. Our graduates go on to work at places like the Georgia Legislature and the Carter Center while our new Ph.D.s routinely secure tenure-track or high-level analyst positions.
  • Mentorship and professional socialization. Our faculty members are active scholars and researchers who frequently coauthor with students on papers and participate in numerous events and colloquia.
  • Diversity. Our 29 full-time faculty members cover every region of the globe and every subfield in political science.
  • Methodological diversity. Students are trained in a broad mix of methods, from qualitative interviewing to experimental survey designs to hierarchical modeling.
  • Geographically diverse student population. Our students hail from across the U.S. and the globe.

The Political Science Department In The News:

  • Dr. Chipo Dendere, a 2016 Political Science PhD graduate of GSU, has been appointed as an Assistant Professor at Wellesley College. Chipo was also elected… more »
  • Dr. Andrew Wedeman offered his testimony to the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) on Xi Jinping’s battle with corruption… more »
  • GSU Political Science 4+1 alumna, Martha Revelo, was among the team that led to a presidential electoral victory ending almost three decades of two-party rule… more »
  • GSU PhD Candidate in Political Science, Claudio Sandoval, has been appointed as the Ambassador of the Venezuelan Government in exile to Honduras. The appointment was… more »
  • Dr. Jennifer McCoy has been making several recent media appearances on national and international media outlets to analyze the Venezuelan ongoing crisis.… more »
  • Dr. Lakeyta M. Bonnette-Bailey finds a significant positive impact for the exposure to political rap on the agreement with Black feminist attitudes in a… more »
  • Amelia Hawkins, a former Political Science intern and ’16 alum at Georgia State University, has been named as Gov.-elect Brian Kemp’s Director of Executive Operations.… more »
Program Details

Applicants need to have received a B.A./B.S. degree. The Department of Political Science asks applicants to submit the following:

  • Complete Online Graduate Application
  • Two letters of recommendation from persons who can authoritatively comment on your academic abilities
  • Transcripts from all graduate and/or undergraduate institutions attended
  • Statement of your research interests and how Georgia State University's Political Science Department will help you meet your career and educational goals
  • Writing sample

The department seeks applicants with a history of strong academic achievement, clear interests and potential for excellence at the graduate level.

The degree program requires 30 credit hours. To fulfill these, most students will take seven 3-credit-hour courses, 6-credit-hours of experiential learning (which can be an internship, a consulting project, a study abroad opportunity, or something else), and 3-hours of a capstone project.

For their coursework, students can choose to take between one and four methods courses, with the rest in substantive areas. Generally, the degree can be completed in 3 semesters, including summer, and it can be done either fully online or as a mix of online, hybrid, and in-person courses. More details are available here: https://politicalscience.gsu.edu/home/graduate/degree-requirements/m-a-in-professional-politics/.

The goal of this program is to prepare students for careers in politics and government. To that end, the program provides advanced training in American, Comparative, and International Politics, as well as opportunities to build skills in cutting-edge quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

In addition, our extensive relationships across metro Atlanta, the United States, and the world provide students with meaningful experiential learning opportunities.  These can include consulting projects with local governments and NGOs, internships with law firms, the Georgia Legislature, and Carter Center and similar organizations, and study abroad opportunities.

Description

Careers

The professional politics concentration can lead to a wide variety of careers in politics and government.  These include jobs in government relations and lobbying, local, state, and federal administration, journalism and non-governmental organizations.

A list of some of our recent M.A. graduates can be found here: https://politicalscience.gsu.edu/home/graduate/placement-history/recent-m-graduates/

Profiles of some of our B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. graduates are available here:https://politicalscience.gsu.edu/connections/political-science-alumni-success-stories/

Contacts

Online Programs

404-413-4393
[email protected]

VISIT GEORGIA STATE ONLINE

Admissions and Curriculum Inquiries

Louis-Alexandre Berg
M.A. Program Director
[email protected]
404-413-6169

Dr. Michael Fix
Graduate Director
[email protected]
404-413-6190

College of Arts & Sciences Lockup25 Park Pl NE #2500
Atlanta, GA 30303

The information shared here provides an overview of Georgia State’s offerings. For official details on admissions requirements, tuition, courses and more, refer to the university catalogs.