Graduate Studies in Political Science
617.373.4404
gradpolisci@northeastern.edu
CSSH Graduate Programs General Regulations
The Master of Arts program focuses on the core scholarly areas of political science. Students specialize in one of five concentration areas: American government and politics, comparative politics, international relations, public policy, and security studies. Courses in the MA program serve as a foundation for work in a doctoral program or as preparation for careers in government, nonprofit organizations, or related work in the private sector.
To earn the Master of Arts in Political Science degree at Northeastern University, you must successfully complete 32 semester hours (typically eight courses) of credit. Full-time students can expect to complete the degree within two academic years. Coursework consists of 4 semester hours in a required statistics course, 12 semester hours within a chosen concentration, and 16 semester hours of electives (including the experiential education requirement). To see the full breakdown, click the Program Requirements tab above.
Academic Standing/Progress
Satisfactory progress in the MA program includes maintaining a grade-point average of 3.000 overall as well as in the student's concentration area. A final cumulative GPA of at least 3.000 in all coursework is required to qualify for the Master of Arts degree. Any course in which a student earns lower than a C grade cannot be used to fulfill concentration area requirements. A student who fails to make satisfactory progress is placed on academic probation, which is a warning that the student may not be allowed to continue in the graduate program unless the deficiency is addressed.
Experiential Learning Requirement
In addition to in-class coursework, students are required to complete an experiential education component that advances their learning, research, and/or career objectives. Experiential education offers MA students a direct experience with focused reflection relevant to their academic studies. For students with research interests, the experience focuses on related activities, such as primary source analysis and data gathering. For other students, the experience involves engagement with areas of practice and policy, such as an internship. Students register for the relevant course with a minimum of 4 semester hours and maximum of 8 semester hours to satisfy the experiential education requirement.
An optional cooperative education experience can also satisfy the experiential education requirement. Co-op education is central to both the Northeastern experience and to the College of Social Sciences and Humanities Experiential Liberal Arts framework. Northeastern’s signature co-op ecosystem provides qualified master's students with six-month work experiences in businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies in Boston and across the United States. Graduate students take their work from campus learning spaces, apply their knowledge outside of the classroom, and then bring knowledge and skills gained in community learning spaces back to our campus learning spaces during the cocurricular experiential integration course.
- Concentrations and course offerings may vary by campus and/or by program modality. Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for the course availability each term at your campus or within your program modality.
- Certain options within the program may be required at certain campuses or for certain program modalities. Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for requirements at your campus or for your program modality.
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Core Requirement
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 4 |
| Data Mining Techniques | |
| Research Methods in the Social Sciences | |
| Statistical Analysis | |
| Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy | |
Concentrations
Electives
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 12 |
| |
Experiential Learning Component
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 4 |
| Directed Study | |
| Capstone Project | |
| Thesis | |
| Internship | |
Optional Co-op Experience
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 1–2 |
| Co-op Work Experience
and Experiential Integration | |
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
32 total semester hours required (33–34 with optional co-op)
Minimum 3.000 GPA required
American Government and Politics Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| POLS 7205 | Seminar in American Government and Politics | 4 |
| 8 |
| Security and Resilience Policy | |
| Immigration and Urban America | |
| Contemporary Community Development | |
| Land Use and Urban Growth Policy | |
| Health Policy and Politics | |
| Education Policy in the United States | |
| Food Systems and Public Policy | |
| Economic Analysis for Policy and Planning | |
| Public Budgeting and Financial Management | |
| Administrative Ethics and Public Management | |
| Nonprofit Organizations and Social Change | |
| The Nonprofit Sector in Civil Society and Public Affairs | |
Comparative Politics Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| POLS 7206 | Seminar in Comparative Politics | 4 |
| 8 |
| Contemporary Issues in Third World Development | |
| Resilient Cities | |
| Resilient Cities |
| Genocide in a Comparative Perspective | |
| Health Policy and Politics | |
| Urban Theory and Science | |
| International Environmental Policy | |
| Food Systems and Public Policy | |
International Relations Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| POLS 7207 | Seminar in International Relations | 4 |
| 8 |
| Security and Resilience Policy | |
| Counterterrorism | |
| Hard Power, Soft Power, and Smart Power | |
| International Security | |
| Global Governance | |
Public Policy Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| POLS 7204 | Seminar in Public Policy | 4 |
| or PPUA 6506 | Techniques of Policy Analysis |
| 8 |
| Security and Resilience Policy | |
| Health Policy and Politics | |
| Education Policy in the United States | |
| Principles of Public Administration | |
| Techniques of Policy Analysis | |
| Institutional Leadership and the Public Manager | |
| Techniques of Program Evaluation | |
| The Nonprofit Sector in Civil Society and Public Affairs | |
Security Studies Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| POLS 7341 | Security and Resilience Policy | 4 |
| 8 |
| Seminar in International Relations | |
| |
| Genocide in a Comparative Perspective | |
| International Security | |
| Global Governance | |
