Full Description

The Ph.D. degree in Political Science prepares students for research and teaching careers in higher education and for research-based careers in fields that are focused on political, economic and social issues. The degree program is broadly focused on the dynamics surrounding representation, equity, conflict, human rights, development and conflict resolution. Students develop their own research questions in an interdisciplinary and theoretically sophisticated way. Students work with faculty mentors throughout their degree program and often develop and present their own research at regional or national conferences.

The Political Science major comprises the following concentrations, from which students select two:

• American Politics and Policy
• Conflict Analysis and Management
• Transnational and Comparative Politics

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 3.000 GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Résumé or curriculum vitae with cover letter
• Goal statement
• Writing sample
• Three letters of recommendation
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:¹
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score

¹

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Priority deadline: February 15
    Applications submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Understand the theoretical underpinnings of political science and be able to address real world issues and problems.
2. Attain research and methodological skills that will further their research and make them attractive to future employers.
3. Effectively communicate research findings and implications to a range of audiences including scholars, practitioners and citizens.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

Dissertation is required. Doctoral students must complete additional approved electives, including research, to reach a minimum of 30 credit hours post-master's (or equivalent advanced degree) or a minimum of 60 credit hours post-bachelor's prior to enrolling in POL 81199. Upon completion of course requirements and candidacy exams, doctoral students must register for POL 81199 for two semesters for a total of 30 credit hours, and thereafter POL 81299, until all requirements for the degree have been met.

²

Students select two concentrations. For the first concentration, students complete one Proseminar or Status of the Field course and three elective courses (12 credit hours). For the second concentration, students complete one Proseminar or Status of the Field course and two elective courses (9 credit hours).

American Politics and Policy Concentration Requirements

Conflict Analysis and Management Concentration Requirements

Transnational and Comparative Politics Concentration Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Passage of one field paper in the first area of concentration
• Written and oral defense of both a dissertation prospectus and dissertation

Residency Requirement

• Students must spend two consecutive semesters pursuing doctoral studies.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Full Description

The Master of Arts degree in Political Science focuses broadly on the dynamics surrounding representation, equity, conflict, human rights, development and conflict resolution. Students delve into the scholarship on these dynamics (among others) in an interdisciplinary and theoretically sophisticated way, thinking about how the political process and government policy-making affect the lives of citizens, and how citizens influence those processes.

The Political Science major comprises the following concentrations:

• American Politics and Policy
• Conflict Analysis and Management
• Transnational and Comparative Politics

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements 

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Résumé or curriculum vitae with cover letter
• Goal statement
• Writing sample
• Three letters of recommendation
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:¹
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score

¹

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores may be considered for conditional admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Priority deadline: February 15
    Applications submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Understand the theoretical underpinnings of political science and be able to address real world issues and problems.
2. Attain research and methodological skills that will further their research and make them attractive to future employers.
3. Effectively communicate research findings and implications to a range of audiences including scholars, practitioners and citizens.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

Students intending to pursue a Ph.D. degree are advised to choose the thesis option

American Politics and Policy Concentration Requirements

Conflict Analysis and Management Concentration Requirements

Transnational and Comparative Politics Concentration Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Minimum 30 credit hours required for graduation

• No more than one-half of a graduate student’s coursework may be taken in 50000-level courses.
• Grades below C are not counted toward completion of requirements for the degree.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Full Description

The Pre-Law minor provides a background for the study of law through challenging coursework that reinforces and extends the liberal arts foundation gained through the Kent Core. It prepares students for advanced analytical and writing dexterity, and introduces them to the social and governmental structures that underlie the law.

No specific course of study is required for admission to law school. Most law schools require a bachelor’s degree for admission. The bachelor’s degree may be from any discipline or college. Kent State University also has a number of 3+3 agreements with law schools in Ohio. Interested students should consult with the Pre-Law Center. 

Law schools and alternative legal employment emphasize the value of reading comprehension, analytical skills, oral advocacy and a good command of written English. While these skills can be obtained in various ways, a general liberal arts background is recommended. Courses in English literature, American history and government are considered essential. Many pre-law students choose a major in political science, history, sociology, psychology, economics or English. A Bachelor of Integrative Studies degree is suitable if carefully planned.

Students considering law as a career should seek individual advising from the Pre-Law Center or in their major department. A list of pre-law advisors is available in the college office. Consultation with a pre-law advisor is urged, regardless of the student's major, minor or college. The Pre-Law Center can also supply information on LSAT registration, pre-law planning guides, information on law school admissions and financial aid information. The center sponsors an inter-collegiate competitive Moot Court team; a Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity; a pre-law club; and a Pre-Law Service, Citizenship and Justice living learning community, as well as law-related scholarships and legal internships.

Admission Requirements

Admission to a minor is open to students declared in a bachelor’s degree, the A.A.B. or A.A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree (not Individualized Program major). Students declared only in the A.A. or A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree in Individualized Program may not declare a minor. Students may not pursue a minor and a major in the same discipline.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Develop reading comprehension, analytical (critical thinking), oral advocacy and writing skills.
2. Formulate legal and public policy arguments and apply them to legal practice and alternative non-legal workspaces.
3. Organize, compare and apply legal and non-legal strategies that aid in negotiation and reaching settlements or desirable outcomes in contested adversarial disputes in legal and non-legal employment settings.
4. Evaluate the operation of the judicial process and the American legal profession within the American political system and global context.
5. Interpret the nature of law and politics in the context of adversarial justice.

Program Requirements

Minor Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Maximum three courses applied toward a student's major may also be applied toward the Pre-Law minor.

• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be upper-division coursework (30000 and 40000 level).
• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be outside of the course requirements for any major or other minor the student is pursuing.
• Minimum 50 percent of the total credit hours for the minor must be taken at Kent State (in residence).

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus
  • Stark Campus