MA/MS Program Handbook : The Department of Political Science

Introduction
Directory
Faculty Biographical Sketches
Academic Programs
Student Body & Computer Facilities

Introduction
The Department of Political Science is located on the second floor of Holmstedt Hall in the North end of the building. The Department and faculty offices are located there, along with the Department's computer laboratory. The Department office is open from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. All faculty members maintain office hours, which are posted. You may call for an appointment if you can not make the office hours.

The faculty is composed of eleven persons, each of whom hold a doctoral degree. All are involved in research as well as teaching. All teach introductory as well as advanced courses.

Directory

Offices & Phone Extensions:
HH = Holmstedt Hall
EH = Ericson Hall
 

Faculty Biographical Sketches

Academic Programs
The Department of Political Science offers two Master's degree programs; one a Master of Arts (MA) degree and other a Master of Science (MS) degree. The basic difference between the two programs involves the thesis requirement. The MA program requires students to conduct major research in the preparation of a Master's Thesis. A formal presentation and defense of the thesis before a faculty examining committee is the culminating experience of the program. The MS does not require a thesis. Instead, it offers students two options regarding the culminating experience of their programs; the preparation of a Master's Paper which is then presented to a faculty examining committee or a comprehensive examination covering three major sub-fields of the Political Science discipline. Students who are planning to continue their education in doctoral programs are strongly advised to pursue the MA program.

Student Body & Computer Facilities

Student Body:
Normally there are about 15-25 students involved in the MA/MS programs. This group is extremely diverse, drawing its members not only from all sectors and regions of the United States, but also from abroad. International students have come from such countries as the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Kenya, Zaire, and Trinidad.

Computer Facilities:
The Department maintains a computer laboratory in 304 Holmstedt Hall. It is available during office hours and often in the evenings. A rather wide variety of programs useful to Political Science students (e.g., word processing, spreadsheets, statistical analysis packages, graphics packages, etc.) are provided. Also, there are practice programs for the GRE and LSAT examinations. Check the directories on the computers for specifics.

All the machines in the department's computer laboratory have Windows software installed. Likewise, they are connected to all the various networks within the University as well as to the Internet via the World Wide Web.

The University provides access to a wide range of student computing services available through Academic Computing and Networking Services. The services are accessed through an extensive computing network. The CORAL Student Server provides personal accounts (at no access cost whatsoever) on the network for all enrolled students. A wide variety of standard and specialized software packages are available on the network, for both DOS/Windows and Macintosh computers. You can also access the Library card catalog (LUIS) and CD-ROM data bases, mainframe computers, electronic mail, and the Internet through the World Wide Web facilities.

There are sixteen micro labs with over 300 computers, IBM-compatible and Macintosh, located in various buildings throughout the University. These are available to individual students and classes. The hours vary, but the Student Computing Complex is open 24 hours. The Complex is located in the center of campus near Holmstedt Hall.

CORAL also can be accessed through your own computer via connections in your residence hall room. Students living off campus can access the system through a modem using software which can be purchased from Academic Computing and Networking Services.

For complete information on Academic Computing and Network Services, pick up a Student Computing Handbook at the Student Computing Complex (it's free). Help is available for specific problems from the "Help Desk". Call 237-2910 between 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday.

Information about the Department and Political Science can be accessed through the Department's Homepage on the World Wide Web. Such material as Political Science program information, department course schedules and syllabi, catalog copy, career planning resources (e.g., information to assist in planning further graduate education or finding a job), and this Handbook are available. Also, a rather extensive menu of links to Internet search engines and various servers dealing with political affairs has been developed to assist students in carrying out research projects or just surfing the Internet.
 
The ISU Political Science Department's WWW Homepage can be accessed directly or through the larger Indiana State University Homepage (which is a very useful resource providing comprehensive information about the University as well as various services to assist ISU students). The addresses for both homepages are as follows:

Department Homepage: http://www.indstate.edu/polisci

University Homepage: http://www.indstate.edu/

Back to MA/MS Program: Handbook & Other Details

The Catalog of Indiana State University is the document of authority for all students. The requirements given in the catalog supersede information issued by any academic department, program, college, or school. The University reserves the right to change the requirements at any time.

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