Online M.A. in Political Science
Online M.A. in Political Science (OLMA)
Virginia Tech's online M.A. program ranks as one of the best online master’s degrees in political science.
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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 TechOnline (Virtual)
Type of Instruction:
Online Courses for Virtual Option
Department of Political Science
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 complete21 hours of coursework and 9 hours of Thesis and Research.
1. Required Coursework (9 Credits)
- PSCI 5115-Research Methods I
- PSCI5116-Research Methods II
- PSCI5214-Contemporary Political Theory
2. Required Thesis and Research (9 Credits)
- PSCI5994Thesis and Research
- PSCI5994Thesis and Research
- PSCI5994Thesis and Research
3. Elective Coursework (12 Credits)
- 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)
Learn more about admissions requirements
Application Deadlines
Domestic and International (Online/Virtual Campus Only) ApplicationDeadlines:
- 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 ofgraduate assistantships and fellowshipsavailable 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
Graduate Certificates
Environmental Politics and Policy Certificate
Information, Policy, and Society Certificate
Foundations of Political Analysis Certificate
Security Studies Certificate
Recent Scholarly Work
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Nineteenth Century America in the Society of States , article
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Shards and Specters of the New World Order , article
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The Palgrave Handbook of Environmental Politics and Theory , article
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Race, Popular Culture, and Far-right Extremism in the United States , article
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Citizenship After Trump | Democracy versus Authoritarianism in a Post-Pandemic Era , article
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The Travails of Trumpification , article
Contact Graduate Programs Coordinator
Sarah Harvey
Graduate Programs Coordinator
531 Major Williams Hall
540-231-6572
saharvey1@vt.edu