MA/MS Program Handbook: After Graduation
Most MA students are interested in gaining admission to doctoral programs where they can attain a Ph.D. The department's graduates have been quite successful in such endeavors. Examples of such placements are the University of Tennessee, the University of California at Riverside, the Pennsylvania State University, Colorado State University, the University of South Carolina, St. Louis University Law School, and Washington State University. Other students have pursued careers in government service at various levels. Several graduates, for instance, have entered the U.S. State Department's Foreign Service and now hold diplomatic assignments abroad. Private sector placements with corporations heavily involved in international business are likely to become more common in upcoming years. For more detailed information about placements of our graduates in Ph.D. programs or jobs, see the listing provided on the department's Worldwide Web homepage.
GRADUATE STUDY
Many of our majors decide to go on for further graduate study. A Ph.D. degree in Political Science, Public Administration, or a more specialized degree such as Master of International Management can make you more "marketable" in a variety of positions in government, trade associations, business, junior college teaching, etc.
If you want to teach Political Science in a university or have a research career, you will need a Ph.D. That degree generally takes three to four years to complete after you earn the Master's degree.
Whatever may be your
post-graduation plans (but especially if you wish to pursue further graduate
education), you should consult with your graduate advisor. There are certain
"tricks of the trade" with which you must be familiar when applying to
doctoral or other graduate programs or for jobs. Also, in some cases,
members of the departmental faculty may have experience or personal contacts
which could be useful in assisting your efforts. Your graduate advisor is
the key resource person to consult on such matters; to do so will almost
certainly save you a lot of time, help you to avoid possible frustration,
and enhance significantly your chances to succeed in your post-graduation
efforts. The key to this whole process is to consult with your advisor as
early as possible!! Do not wait until the last minute, for at that point it
may be very difficult, if not totally unrealistic, to be able to provide you
with any truly effective assistance.
If you plan to attend graduate school and have not already taken the
Graduate Record Exam (GRE), you should do so in the spring or summer of your
first year. The exams are generally given in October, December, April, and
June. Taking the GRE exam in the latter part of your first year will allow
time to take it again (early in your second year) if you wish to do so.
Generally there is significant improvement in your scores each time you take
the exam. Thus your plans should be flexible enough to allow for taking the
exam more than once. Even those who took the exams prior to entering their
ISU graduate program might want to consider taking them again. In any case,
the last time that you could take the exam and still be seriously
competitive for admission/financial aid would be in October of your second
year. Any test taken later may not be particularly useful since the scores
may not be available in time to meet various application deadlines.
At the beginning of the Spring semester of your first year, you should get
the application materials from the ISU Graduate School office.
The Graduate Record Exam has three general sections: verbal, quantitative,
and analytical. You would also take the Political Science subject test. It
has questions dealing with American government, comparative political
systems, political theory, international relations, and methodology.
The ISU bookstore has a booklet for sale which is designed to prepare you
for the Graduate Record Exam. The Department of Political Science has
computer software available which you can use in practicing for the exam.
In order to enhance your chances for admission and financial assistance, you
should apply to several graduate schools. In addition to the Graduate Record
Exam, you will need letters of recommendation from several of your
professors. You should pay special attention to the preparation of your
personal statement, which is required by most graduate schools. This
statement is centered around your interest in Political Science, your
personal background, the reasons you are applying to that particular
graduate program, and your career and personal objectives. A well-written
personal statement should enhance your chances of admission.
Finally, your prospects for admission/financial aid will be greatly enhanced
if you have been able to demonstrate your capabilities by engaging in
various professional activities, the most common being: involvement in a
major research project; preparing and presenting a paper at an academic
conference; and/or publishing a piece in a journal or a book. Such
activities are usually undertaken in collaboration with and under the
supervision of a member of the departmental faculty. Thus you should
familiarize yourself with the professional activities of the department
faculty to see if there may be some opportunity for such collaboration.
The following is a list of some universities that are considered to have
very high-quality doctoral programs in Political Science and/or
International Affairs:
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The following is a list of some universities that are considered to have very high-quality doctoral programs in Public Administration and/or Public Policy:
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