Political Science (OLMA) - Online
Online M.A. in Political Science
About Our Program
Our graduate study program is designed to provide students with a firm, broadly based grounding in the discipline of political science and a strong foundation in social science research methodologies. The Master of Arts Program covers all subfields of the discipline, and it prepares students for careers in academic life and government such as pursuing a doctoral degree in political science or entering a career in a public agency, non-profit organization or private research organization. Our graduates have taken professional positions in government agencies, and political organizations, and gone on to further study in the ASPECT program and other doctoral programs at Virginia Tech and elsewhere.
Campus:
Virginia Tech Online (Virtual)
Type of Instruction:
Online Courses for Virtual Option
30 hrs
Total Credit Hours
9 hrs
Required Courses
12 hrs
Elective Courses
9 hrs
Thesis and Research
Curriculum
What You'll Study
You will complete 21 hours of coursework and 9 hours of Thesis and Research.
- PSCI 5115-Research Methods I
- PSCI 5116-Research Methods II
- PSCI 5214-Contemporary Political Theory
- PSCI 5994 Thesis and Research
- PSCI 5994 Thesis and Research
- PSCI 5994 Thesis and Research
- Elective Course 1
- Elective Course 2
- Elective Course 3
- Elective Course 4
Why choose this program?
- The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Political Science was established in 1969. Currently the program enrolls approximately 60-70 off-campus in the online Master of Arts in Political Science Program (OLMA/PSCI).
- The department's relatively small scale provides excellent opportunities for close student-faculty interaction in the online M.A. programs of study.
- Our Blacksburg campus offers students the full services of the university, including an extensive library, technology support, and the Graduate Life Center for residential students.
- Participants in the online Master of Arts program complete their coursework over the Internet through asynchronously conducted online graduate courses.
- Department faculty is drawn from outstanding universities around the United States and around the world, and the department has strong expertise in all major subfields of political science.
- As active research scholars, members of the faculty regularly review research grants for major granting bodies in the U.S. and abroad, and serve as editors or on editorial boards of major peer-reviewed journals, including Administration & Society; Capitalism, Nature, Socialism; Critical Policy Studies; Congress and the Presidency; Fast Capitalism; International Political Sociology; the minnesota review; New Political Science; Peace Studies Journal; Presidential Studies Quarterly; Rhetoric & Public Affairs; and Telos.
Admissions and Tuition
Admissions Requirements
- Minimum GPA 3.0 (4 Scale)
- GRE Recommended
- TOEFL/ IELTS score required (if applicable)
Application Deadlines
Domestic and International (Online/Virtual Campus Only) Application Deadlines:
- Spring: January 1
- Summer I: May 1
- Summer II: June 1
- Fall: August 1
Tuition
Funding Opportunities
The Department of Political Science has an extremely limited number of graduate assistantships and fellowships available for highly promising students applying for full-time study on the Blacksburg Campus. Entering students can apply for such funding as part of their admissions application. No separate application required. However, we are only able to accept approximately 30% of all applicants to the program overall, and of that group, only 30% of that pool is offered funding. As one of the few fully-funded MA programs in Political Science, we receive a high volume of applications, and can generally fund only 15% of overall applications
Recent Scholarly Work
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Contact Graduate Programs Coordinator
Sarah Harvey
Graduate Programs Coordinator
531 Major Williams Hall
540-231-6572
saharvey1@vt.edu