Requirements for Graduation

• Non-Thesis Option - 33 semester hours of approved coursework.
• Thesis Option - 24 semester hours of approved coursework and 6 hours of thesis (Political Science 5599: Research and Thesis). Students must gain permission to write a thesis. An oral defense of the thesis is required. Those who anticipate further graduate work toward the doctorate are advised to write a thesis.

No more than nine credit hours of 300- or 400-level coursework taken for graduate credit will count toward the M.A. in political science. No course taken for undergraduate credit at UMKC may be repeated for graduate credit. In either the 30-hour thesis option or the 33-hour non-thesis option, no more than six hours of readings, independent study or directed studies credit (other than thesis hours) may be counted toward the requirements for the M.A.

No more than six hours of approved credit may be transferred from another recognized graduate school, and no more than six hours of pre-approved graduate coursework in other UMKC departments will be accepted toward the degree.

Students should consult the principal master’s adviser in selecting approved courses to assure progress toward completion of the degree and to meet their needs and interests in graduate study.