BA/MA Program

---

The Politics Department offers juniors an opportunity to apply to our BA/MA program. The program allows students who have a very strong record in Politics courses an opportunity to graduate, in four years, with a year's worth of graduate level coursework and a BA/MA degree. Students need to formally apply to enter the program; the application form is available at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Students should note that admission to the program is not automatic; our standards are similar to those applied to an outside MA applicant. Aside from fulfilling the requirements listed below, students are also asked to write a personal statement describing their interests and reasons for seeking entry to the program. Students must also supply two letters of recommendation from Politics Department faculty members. The deadline for applying to the program is April 15.

The minimum requirements are:

1. An overall GPA of 3.33, and a GPA in Politics courses of 3.5
2. Students must have completed at least 6 Politics courses, 5 of which must have been taught by Politics faculty.

In their fourth year of study, students will complete 6 courses beyond the 32 required for the BA. These will not be counted towards completion of the 9-course Politics concentration requirement. The 6 additional courses include:

1. two Politics Graduate Field Seminars
2. two additional upper-level Politics courses taken for credit with the permission of the instructors and the Politics Graduate Director
3. completion of Pol 350a and b, a Master's project, which requires students to write a thesis under the direction of a member of the Politics Department faculty. A completed Master's Thesis will be accepted for undergraduate Honors in Politics.