M.S. in Political Science (Online & On-Campus)

Our Online & On-Campus Program

Program Overview | Required Courses | Concentrations | Admissions | Faculty | Tuition & Financial Aid

Program Overview

The MS in Political Science is a 30-credit hour program that can be earned on-campus or online. Some students enter the program with the intention of continuing on with their Ph.D., while others use the program to prepare themselves as practitioners in the fields of education, government, intelligence, law, journalism, non-profit, or lobbying. Most of our students are working professionals, and as part-time students, complete the program in about three years.

The programs offer a broad foundation in Political Science with a high degree of interdisciplinary collaboration if desired. Our program offers the flexibility to incorporate interests in other disciplines such as communications, criminal justice, economics, geography, history, psychology, public administration, social work, sociology, and urban studies. We accept up to 12 units of credit toward your MS in Political Science from outside the department.

Students have the option to incorporate the International Affairs Concentration, American Government Concentration, Intelligence and National Security Certificate, or the Certificate in Government into their Master's program.

Graduate political science courses are taught by tenured/tenure-track faculty who are based on UNO’s campus, are published experts in their field, and own the content of their courses. This allows our department to maintain a high level of rigor and quality for our graduate students.

Graduate students also have a point person for advising, concerns, and to help with other non-course content needs.

Required Courses

Our 30 credit hour degree program offers education in the classics of the discipline and individualized attention to each student's particular area of interest.

All students will be exposed to a broad foundation of Political Science, taking seminars in Research Methods, American Government and Politics, International Relations, Comparative Politics, Constitutional Law, Foreign and Security Policy, Leadership Theory and Application, and Political Theory.

Students will begin in the non-thesis option but may apply for the thesis option after 15 credits.
Students choose elective courses in consultation with the graduate advisor to create a program of study in which students may pursue approved courses in other disciplines.

Notes on Exit Requirements:

All students begin this program as a non-thesis student. Students who would like to complete a thesis may petition to do so after completing 15 credit hours, but at least one term before he/she plans on starting his/her thesis. To petition to change to the thesis track, a student must request an application from, and submit it to, the graduate advisor during the time specified above. The graduate chair will then evaluate whether a thesis track is the best option for the petitioning student. If denied, a student may appeal once in a following term by going through the same process. During a petition, the graduate program committee will review the application.

• Non-Thesis Exit Requirement: Comprehensive Assessment

  • Graduating political science master’s degree students will complete a written comprehensive essay synthesizing their knowledge of at least three political science subfields to answer one prompt. Passing answers must demonstrate proficiency in each of the four MS-PSCI student learning objectives: research methods, writing in the discipline, critical thinking and proficiency of subfields.

  • Students must notify the graduate advisor at the beginning of their graduating term, noting the three subfields to be included in the comprehensive essay. The essay is open book, open note. Students will have 7 days to complete their essay(s) within a designated window of time.

• Thesis Exit Requirement (6 credit hours)

  • PSCI 8990: The first term of thesis includes the forming of the thesis committee and approval of one's thesis proposal. The second three credit hours will focus on writing and defending the thesis.

  • Students must have a minimum of three voting committee members. All committee members must be graduate faculty members with a Ph.D. and employed by UNO. One of the committee members must be from a non-political science field. Distance students may work with a faculty member outside of UNO, however, this member cannot be a voting member on the committee. Please refer to the graduate catalog's thesis guidelines for more detailed information.

  • Students must follow UNO's Graduate College's thesis submission guidelines and ensure that all paperwork has been submitted to the graduate office on time.

Concentrations

We offer three concentrations: American Government and Politics, International Affairs and Quantitative Analysis and Data Science in Political Science.

View concentration courses on the UNO Catalog.

Admissions

Application Deadlines

• Fall: July 15 (February 15 if interested in scholarship or graduate assistantship, contact the academic program coordinator for details)
• Spring: October 15 (September 15 if interested in scholarship or graduate assistantship, contact the academic graduate program chair for details)
• Summer: March 15

1. Application and Fee: Go to UNO application website and apply for the program. Pay the fee and add the following materials.
2. Statement of Purpose: A personal statement (1-2 pages) explaining why the applicant is seeking admission into this program, how his/her academic/professional experiences can contribute to his/her success in this program, and how this program will contribute to his/her future academic/professional ambitions.
3. Writing Sample: Submission of an academic, research-based writing sample. The sample must be written in English, include citations, and be a minimum of five pages in length. This writing sample can be a previous assignment. If no such paper exists, the applicant should contact the graduate advisor for an alternative assignment.
4. Resume: Submit a professional resume
5. Letters of Recommendation: Submit two letters of recommendation from a former professor (preferred), supervisor, or individual that can speak to one's academic potential in a graduate program. If applicants have recently graduated from UNO, it is expected that one of the letters will be from a UNO political science faculty member. It is preferred that applicants use their references' institutional (.edu) or professional email.

1. GPA: Baccalaureate degree or previous master's degree with a minimum of 3.0 GPA. Depending on the candidate's other strengths, the committee may consider lower GPAs.
2. Political Science Course Work: Fifteen credit hours in political science-related courses is preferred. The selection committee looks for previous coursework in American government, political theory, international relations, comparative politics, and social science (quantitative) methodology. Applicants without the above undergraduate background in political science may be admitted on a provisional basis and be required to take prerequisite courses before starting graduate work. A grade of B or above is required in each of these courses.
3. Transcripts: Official transcripts from all attended institutions.
4. English-Language Proficiency: Applicants are required to have a command of oral and written English. Those who do not hold a baccalaureate or other advanced degree from the U.S., OR a baccalaureate or other advanced degree from a pre-determined country on the waiver list, must meet the minimum language proficiency score requirement in order to be considered for admission. Paper-based TOEFL: 550, Internet-based TOEFL: 80 with no sub-score under 15, IELTS: 6.5, PTE: 53, Duolingo: 105

World-Class Faculty

Our faculty have received some of the highest honors for teaching excellence. We are also among the nation’s leaders in our research specializations; our work is published by the best academic presses and top-tier journals in the field.

Selected Awards by Political Science Faculty

Carson Holloway (Political Science) – College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award, Ralph Wardle Diamond Professor of Arts and Sciences

Jody Neathery-Castro (Political Science) - College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Service Award, College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award, Omicron Delta Kappa member, UNO Excellence in Teaching Award, Outstanding Faculty in Service Learning Award

Lana Obradovic (Political Science) - Faculty Excellence in Engagement Award

Tenured/Tenure-Track Graduate Faculty with World-Class Research Productivity

Unlike many other online programs, our graduate faculty are tenured/tenured-track, physically located on the UNO Campus, and are published in their respective areas of expertise.

Sample of recent faculty publications:

Randall E. Adkins (Political Science), The Evolution of Political Parties, Campaigns, and Elections: Landmark Documents (CQ Press, 2009)

Elizabeth Chalecki (Political Science), Environmental Security: A Guide to the Issues. 2013. (Praeger, 2013).

Carson Holloway (Political Science), Hamilton versus Jefferson in the Washington Administration: Completing the Founding or Betraying the Founding? (Cambridge University Press, 2015)

Brett J. Kyle (Political Science), Military Courts, Civil-Military Relations, and the Legal Battle for Democracy: The Politics of Military Justice (Routledge, 2021)

Lana Obradovic (Political Science), Gender Integration in NATO Military Forces: Cross-national Analysis (Ashgate, 2014)

Tuition & Financial Aid

We are proud to offer one of the most competitive tuitions in our region. We offer the lowest tuition among 15 Nebraska higher institutions.

Financial aid is available for students seeking a graduate degree program.

A limited number of Graduate Assistantships are available for full-time, on-campus graduate students. The recipients of graduate assistantships are waived from tuition. Students should also look through UNO's employment page and apply to any graduate assistantships they may qualify for.

Contact Us

Graduate Program Chair
Dr. Brett J. Kyle
Phone: 402.554.2683
Email: bjkyle@unomaha.edu

Graduate Advisor/Recruiter
Tim Kniseley, MEd
Phone: 402.554.4121
Email: tkniseley@unomaha.edu