THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Program Requirements Archive
Students must complete sixteen courses for quality grades by the end of the 6th quarter (end of the second year). Twelve of the sixteen courses must be courses taught by Department faculty, which includes visiting and associate members. Up to two reading and thesis supervision courses can count toward the sixteen required courses. In the first year, students should plan on completing a total of nine courses for quality grades. In the second year, students should plan on completing at least seven courses for quality grades. PLSC 50000 Dissertation Proposal Seminar (offered in the Winter Quarter) is required of third year students and does not count as one of the sixteen required courses.
The Department strongly recommends that all graduate students acquire the skill set necessary for successful progress as producers of research within the first two years of coursework. The notion of a skill set will vary by the specific research interests of the students. Students are expected to discuss with their advisors the skill set they will need, and together they will agree on a program of study. The DGS will confirm that these conversations have taken place. The normal expectation for first-year quantitatively-oriented graduate students will include courses on matrix algebra, linear models, and causal identification. For those students who intend to pursue political theory and qualitative research, the skill set is less established but may entail language training, ethnography training, interpretive methods, archival research, or other methodological courses.
Grading: Quality grades in the Department of Political Science are on an A, B, C scale with both +'s and -'s allowed. When considering whether students should be "passed on" to the PhD phase of the program (see below), the faculty normally expects a student to have at least half A or A- grades. However, our evaluation is not mechanical and involves a consideration of all aspects of a student's performance, especially research potential as shown in written papers. We also are aware that different grading scales are used elsewhere in the University; we consider those differences in our deliberations.
The Department currently offers comprehensive exams in six fields, including:
- Theory
- American Politics
- Comparative Politics
- International Relations
- Quantitative Methods
- Formal Theory
At the end of the Autumn Quarter of the second year, students need to declare two chosen fields for examination. Course prerequisites for comprehensive exams typically include either a field seminar that is offered no less than once every other year or a sequence or collection of courses that are offered over two years. All fields provide the materials students should master in order to be considered "certified" in that area. Each field decides, in advance, the nature and grading of the exam. A student who fails an exam is entitled to one re-test, but failure to pass an exam after two attempts may be grounds for not allowing a student to continue in the program.
The Department offers exams during the month of June each year. Re-takes are scheduled for September. Some students—such as those entering the program with prior graduate work in political science or who complete the necessary prerequisites for an exam in their first year of study—may take one comprehensive exam after the first year and the second exam at the end of the second year. All other students will take both exams at the end of the second year. Some students may have extenuating circumstances that make this fixed schedule excessively burdensome; consideration for an exception to this schedule must be submitted in writing to the DGS.
The MA thesis offers an early opportunity for students to undertake a substantial work of independent research, and which advances a number of worthwhile objectives, some substantive, others more procedural. The MA thesis can offer an opportunity to launch dissertation research, to test the viability of an idea or topic that might possibly lead to a dissertation, and to conduct work in an area students know will not be part of the dissertation but that they would like to investigate more deeply than is possible in coursework. The MA thesis gives students the experience of independent research at a manageable scale, before developing a full-fledged dissertation topic. The thesis also can help students to gain a sense of how the germ of an idea becomes an article-length piece of writing (through literature review, the IRB process, operationalization of a question, elaboration of a distinctive argument in relation to existing literature, etc.).
Students are encouraged to begin thinking about their MA thesis in the context of their courses, and to consider seminar papers as bases for an MA thesis. Students also may choose to enroll in PLSC 40100 Thesis Preparation with their main thesis advisor. Students may take up to two units of Thesis Preparation to count toward the sixteen required courses. Two faculty members must agree to serve as advisors for the MA thesis. The designated first advisor must be a Department member.
The maximum length of the MA thesis is 8,000 words (including footnotes). The final draft of the MA paper is due no later than November 15 of the third year, though in consultation with advisors students may choose to submit the MA well in advance of this deadline. The two advisors must submit their evaluation and approval of the MA thesis by December 1.
Students who have prior graduate work may use as many as five graduate courses completed at other universities to count towards fulfillment of the department’s course requirement. Students seeking this reduction in the number of required courses should petition in writing to the DGS. Graduate courses previously completed within our department will count on a one-to-one basis towards the fulfilment of the department’s course requirement. Students may not use an MA thesis written elsewhere as a substitute for the MA thesis here. The only exception is that MA theses written at the University of Chicago, where one of the faculty advisors is in the Department, are acceptable, if so certified by a second advisor from the Department. Students may use a prior MA thesis as the basis for the MA thesis with the consent of faculty advisors, following the above deadlines. The final MA thesis must meet regular Department requirements and standards. (Do not assume that because the MA thesis was accepted elsewhere that it will be accepted here. Most students find that substantial work is required to have the prior MA thesis meet Department standards; many find it easier to simply pick a new topic on which to write the MA thesis.)
Students may receive the MA degree after at least one year of residence, the completion of nine courses for quality grades, and the completion of a satisfactory MA thesis. Students may apply for the degree through the UChicago portal by the end of the first week of the quarter in which they wish to receive the degree.
First year students will meet with the DGS in the Spring Quarter for their First Year Review. In addition, first and second year students will meet with an assigned faculty advisor no less than once a quarter. At the end of the second year, students must submit a ranked list of three faculty whom they would most like to have assigned as their Dissertation Proposal Advisor. The DGS will then make assignments based on these rankings and additional consultation with faculty. The Proposal Advisor will facilitate the transition from coursework and MA thesis to launching dissertation research. In addition, in November of the third year, students will meet with a faculty review panel for Third Year Review.
The faculty will meet annually in December to assess the progress of third, fifth, and eighth year graduate students. For third year students, the assessment will focus on passage to the PhD phase of the program (see below); for fifth year students, the discussion will focus on dissertation progress; and for remaining eighth year students, a strategy for completing the degree and exiting the program must be identified.
Students in their 7th year of funding may apply for an 8th year of funding that can be granted under exceptional circumstances. Prior to application, all interested students must meet with the Director of Graduate Studies. Applications must be submitted by December 15 and will be evaluated by that academic year's Graduate Affairs Committee. Applications must include the following materials: (1) a month-by-month timeline with deliverables for the dissertation, signed-off by all of the student’s committee members, (2) a letter of support from the dissertation chair, and (3) a cover letter by the student justifying the additional funding. Students who need a decision before the start of the academic year may petition the DGS to submit an early application, which would then be due by September 15 and evaluated by a committee of the DGS, Department Chair, and department Associate Chair. Only applications completed by the above dates can be considered.
At the end of Autumn Quarter of the third year, the Department will inform students if they have been "passed on" to the PhD phase of the program (i.e., allowed to continue). In making its decision, the Department will consider course grades, the quality of the MA thesis, and future scholarly potential.
Students should consult at least three members of the faculty who will constitute a dissertation committee. Three of the members must be University faculty, and two, including the chair, must be members of the Department.
Dissertation Proposal. Students should develop a dissertation proposal of no more than 3,500 words that outlines the research question, significance, argument, hypotheses, and methodology of the dissertation. Students should also develop a timeline for dissertation completion to be included with the dissertation proposal.
All students are expected to take PLSC 50000, The Dissertation Proposal Seminar, during the Winter Quarter of the third year. This weekly seminar is devoted solely to the presentation and collective discussion of several drafts of each student's dissertation proposal. During the Spring Quarter of each year, the department then will host a “Proposal Day” when all third-year graduate students present their proposals to the faculty. On this day, every member of the cohort will present their proposal to the department.
A student’s three advisors will decide when a proposal is ready for submission to the Department for its comment and approval. The student, then, will schedule a proposal hearing. In advance of the hearing, the student will furnish a copy of the proposal and a one- or two-page abstract to the Department for distribution to the Department's faculty. When the Department approves the dissertation proposal (and the student has completed all of the other requirements), the student is formally admitted to candidacy (ABD status).
Students are expected to hold the proposal hearing by June 1 of the third year. Please contact the Student Services Administrator if you will not be able to make this deadline. There will be more severe consequences if you don't keep in contact with the Graduate Office, but as long as you're keeping in contact with us, we're very happy to work with you.
Oral Defense. When the dissertation has received final approval from the committee, the student arranges for a formal defense and submits an abstract of the dissertation to the Department. The examination session will be chaired by the first advisor, publicly announced, and open to all who wish to attend. The candidate will lead with a presentation not to exceed 30 minutes in length. The examiners, normally the dissertation committee, will interrogate the candidate in proceedings that should not exceed two hours in length. Immediately after the examination, the committee will inform the candidate whether he or she has passed.
Convocation. Students need to apply for convocation by the end of the first week of the quarter in which they wish to receive the PhD degree. Students must submit the final version of the dissertation according to the requirements of the University's Dissertation Office and by its published deadline. It is essential that the student contact the Dissertation Office early on for instructions on preparing the final version.
The University will administratively withdraw students who have not completed their PhD after eight years. In order to graduate past year eight, students must demonstrate current knowledge of the discipline. In each case of this kind, the Chair of the Department will determine what constitutes the appropriate demonstration of current knowledge. By the choice of the Chair, such a demonstration will consist of either a re-taken successful PhD comprehensive exam, a successful oral exam, or the certification of the student's dissertation committee.
Every student will be required to complete four Mentored Teaching Experiences (MTEs) as part of their graduation requirements. An MTE includes all teaching experiences at the University of Chicago, such as acting as a TA or as an instructor of record. Students are not allowed to teach additional classes outside of these Mentored Teaching experiences. Most students will complete their MTE requirements by TAing for four different classes. If a student wishes to TA for a class outside the Department of Political Science (e.g. in the Core), or if a student wants to TA a second time for the same class, they must obtain permission from the DGS before committing to that TA position.
If given the opportunity prior to completing three MTEs, and if the student wishes, co-teaching a course, serving as a BA preceptor, or acting as an instructor of record can be counted as two MTEs. Otherwise, all teaching experiences will be counted as one MTE.
Students who have completed their MTE requirements, and are ABD in good standing in the program, are eligible to apply for teaching a course as instructor of record, such as via a prize lectureship (i.e. Grodzins). This will count as two additional MTEs, for a total of 6 MTEs. This is an option available to students who wish to expand their teaching portfolio, and is not a requirement.
Students will have the opportunity to declare their “intent to go on the Job Market” at the beginning of an academic year. For this year, the department will subsidize ($200 initially) the fees associated with Interfolio. The department also will provide for one catered practice job talk, though students are encouraged to do more than one. Those students who go on the market for additional years are not eligible for Interfolio support or catered practice job talks. All other forms of department support, though, will remain available. The department encourages students to take full advantage of the services of UChicagoGRAD and the Chicago Center for Teaching as they prepare for both academic and non-academic jobs.
Students are required to complete three courses in three fields to meet the course distribution requirement. Faculty will designate under which field their courses will count. Students must complete the course distribution requirement by the end of the third year. In the first year, students must complete a total of eight courses for quality grades, with at least five of the grades earned in the Autumn and Winter Quarters. PLSC 30501, Introduction to Research Design is required of all first year students. In the second year, students must complete at least four courses for quality grades, with at least two of those grades earned in the Autumn and/or Winter Quarters. Nine of the quality-graded courses must be courses taught by Department faculty, which includes visiting and associate members. Reading and thesis supervision courses do not count toward the twelve courses required above or for course distribution. PLSC 50000 Dissertation Proposal Seminar (offered in the Winter Quarter) is required of third year students.
The Department strongly recommends that all graduate students acquire the skill set necessary for successful progress as producers of research within the first year of coursework prior to beginning research on their MA thesis. The notion of a skill set will vary by the specific research interests of the students. The Department privileges no particular method. Students will discuss with their advisors the skill set they will need and will agree on a program of study. The DGS will confirm that these conversations have taken place. For those students whose research may involve quantitative approaches, the first year should include Research Design, Causal Inference, and Linear Models. The normal expectation for first-year quantitatively-oriented graduate students will be that they follow this quantitative track; however students may opt out of this sequence by proposing an alternative sequence subject to the approval of the student's advisor. For those students who intend to pursue political theory and qualitative research, the skill set is less established but may entail language training, ethnography training, interpretive methods, archival research, or other methodological or substantive courses.
Grading: Quality grades in the Department of Political Science are on an A, B, C scale with both +'s and -'s allowed. When considering whether students should be "passed on" to the PhD phase of the program (see below), the faculty normally expects a student to have at least half A or A- grades. However, our evaluation is not mechanical and involves a consideration of all aspects of a student's performance, especially research potential as shown in written papers. We are also aware that different grading scales are used elsewhere in the University; we consider those differences in our deliberations.
During the first year, students must write a research paper of 25-30 pages as part of the normal writing requirement for a class. The paper should be written in the form of an article and approved no later than two weeks following the end of Spring Quarter.
To help students write the MA paper the Department organizes a writing workshop. The workshop begins in the Spring Quarter of the first year and focuses on how to identify a researchable question and develop a satisfactory proposal around it. During the Autumn and Winter Quarters of the second year, students must present their proposals, drafts, and final drafts. Advanced graduate students will organize the workshop. Participation is mandatory.
The MA paper should be modeled on a journal article and address important debates or bodies of literature in the discipline. The maximum length of the MA paper is 8,000 words (including footnotes).
Students must have an approved topic for the MA paper before the end of Spring Quarter of the first year with two faculty members who agree to serve as advisors. The designated first advisor must be a Department member. A formal proposal hearing with these two advisors is required before the end of the third week of Autumn Quarter of the second year.
The final draft of the MA paper is due before the end of the Winter Quarter of the second year. The two advisors should submit their evaluation and approval of the MA paper by the end of the first week of Spring Quarter.
Students who have prior graduate work may not use an MA paper written elsewhere as a substitute for the MA paper here. The only exception is that MA papers written at the University of Chicago, where one of the faculty advisors is in the Department, are acceptable, if so certified by a second advisor from the Department. Students may use a prior MA paper as the basis for the MA paper with the consent of faculty advisors, following the above deadlines. The final MA paper must meet regular Department requirements and standards. (Do not assume that because the MA paper was accepted elsewhere that it will be accepted here. Most students find that substantial work is required to have the prior MA paper meet Department standards; many find it easier to simply pick a new topic on which to write the MA paper.)
Students will receive the MA degree after at least one year of residence and when the MA paper has been approved. Students need to apply for convocation by the end of the first week of the quarter in which they wish to receive the degree.
Students are required to pass comprehensive examinations in two fields. Students must take the first exam by no later than the Spring Quarter of the second year and the second exam by no later than the beginning of the Autumn Quarter of the third year. At the end of the Autumn Quarter of the second year, students will need to declare the field of the first exam (unless already taken) and by the end of the second year, the second field. Each field will offer at least one core, introductory course no less than every other year and/or provide a current reading list that informs students as to the materials they should master to be considered "certified" in that area.
Exams will be offered during the tenth week of Spring Quarter and during the two weeks prior to the beginning of Autumn Quarter. Each field will decide, in advance, the nature and grading of the exam. A student who fails an exam is entitled to one re-test, but failure to pass an exam after two attempts may be grounds for not allowing a student to continue in the program.
First and second year students will meet with a faculty advisor no less than once a quarter. In addition, first year students, in the Spring Quarter, will meet with the Director of Graduate Studies for First Year Review. In the Spring Quarter of the second year, students will meet with a faculty review panel for Second Year Review.
At the end of the eighth week of Spring Quarter of the second year, the Department will inform students if they have been "passed on" to the PhD phase of the program (i.e., allowed to continue). The Department will consider in making its decision, course grades, quality of the MA paper, and future scholarly potential.
The student should consult three members of the faculty who will constitute the dissertation committee. They must all be members of the University faculty and two, including the chair, must be members of the Department. By the end of the third year, each student must declare her/his dissertation advisor.
Dissertation Proposal. The student should develop a dissertation proposal of no more than 3500 words that outlines the research question, significance, argument, hypotheses, and methodology of the dissertation. PLSC 50000, The Dissertation Proposal Seminar, required in the Winter Quarter of the third year, is a weekly seminar devoted solely to presentation and collective discussion of several drafts of each student's dissertation proposal. Once approved, the three advisors will hold a hearing with the student to decide if the proposal is ready for submission to the Department for its comment and approval. When the committee agrees to put the proposal before the Department, the student furnishes a copy of the proposal and a one or two page abstract to the graduate studies administrator for distribution to the Department's faculty. Students are formally admitted to candidacy once the dissertation proposal has been approved by the Department and all other requirements have been completed. Students must submit their dissertation proposals for approval by the end of the Autumn Quarter of the fourth year.
In order to graduate past year nine, students must demonstrate current knowledge of the discipline. In each case of this kind, the Chair of the Department will determine what constitutes the appropriate demonstration of current knowledge. By the choice of the Chair, such a demonstration will consist of either (1) a re-taken successful PhD comprehensive exam, or (2) a successful oral exam, or (3) the certification of the student's dissertation committee.
Oral Defense. When the dissertation has received final approval from the committee, the student arranges for a formal defense and submits an abstract of the dissertation to the Department. The examination session will be chaired by the first advisor, publicly announced, and open to all who wish to attend. The candidate will lead with a presentation not to exceed 30 minutes in length. The examiners, normally the dissertation committee, but in any case three members of the faculty, examine the candidate in proceedings that should not exceed two hours in length all together. The committee informs the candidate immediately after the examination whether the candidate has passed.
Convocation. Students need to apply for convocation with the Department by the end of the first week of the quarter in which they wish to receive the PhD degree. The final version of the dissertation must be submitted according to the requirements of the University's Dissertation Office and by its published deadline. It is essential that the student contact the Dissertation Office early in the quarter of graduation for instructions on preparing the final version.
The graduate studies administrator will inform students and distribute forms (if necessary) for certifying completion and approval of papers and exams, and other requirements as appropriate. However, it is the responsibility of the student to make certain that approvals are submitted and requirements are met by the deadlines set by the Department.