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Political Science
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  1. Home
  2. Programs
  3. Graduate
  4. Political Science
  5. Master of Arts

Master of Arts

MA
  • Political Science opens in a new tab
Program Minimum Units
45 Units
University Minimum Units
45 Units
Program Length
2 Years
Interests
Data and Information Sciences, Ethics, Government, Politics & Current Events, International Relations, Studying the Past
Academic Areas
Mathematics & Data Sciences, Social Sciences

Overview

The Political Science department does not offer a terminal MA degree. An MA degree may only be pursued with a doctoral degree from another department within Stanford University or with an advanced degree from one of Stanford University’s professional schools (Schools of Law, Medicine, Business). Students interested in pursuing the MA should discuss the application requirements with the Student Services Manager in Political Science.

The department does not offer a coterminal master’s degree.

Requirements

Program Requirements

Seminar Options

All MA candidates must complete at least two graduate seminars for five units each in two fields and at least one graduate seminar for five units in a third field. These 25 units must be taken in graduate seminars (300 or 400 level) taught by regular Political Science faculty. The Political Science fields that students may choose from are International Relations, Comparative Politics, American Politics, Political Theory, and Political Methodology.

Complete any of the following requirements:
American Politics Seminar Options
Complete any of the following course(s):
POLISCI 320R

The Presidency

5 Units
POLISCI 324L

The Psychology of Communication About Politics in America

4-5 Units
POLISCI 326

Executive Power Under the Constitution

2 Units
POLISCI 351B

Economic Analysis of Political Institutions

4 Units
POLISCI 420A

American Political Institutions

3-5 Units
POLISCI 420B

Topics in American Political Behavior

5 Units
POLISCI 421K

Questionnaire Design for Surveys and Laboratory Experiments: Social and Cognitive Perspectives

4 Units
POLISCI 422F

Seminar on Political Change

3-5 Units
POLISCI 423A

Survey Lab I

1-5 Units
POLISCI 423B

Survey Lab II

1-5 Units
POLISCI 424C

Party Polarization

3-5 Units
POLISCI 426

Identity Politics

3-5 Units
POLISCI 427C

Money in Politics

3-5 Units
POLISCI 460A

Political Economy I

3-5 Units
POLISCI 462

How to Write and Publish a Quantitative Political Science Paper

3-5 Units
or
Comparative Politics Seminar Options
Complete any of the following course(s):
POLISCI 314D

Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law

3-5 Units
POLISCI 341

The Political Economy of China: Policy and Development from Antiquity to Revolution

3-5 Units
POLISCI 344U

Political Culture

3-5 Units
POLISCI 347G

Governance and Poverty

3-5 Units
POLISCI 348

Chinese Politics

5 Units
POLISCI 348D

China in the Global Economy

3-5 Units
POLISCI 348S

Latin American Politics

3-5 Units
POLISCI 440A

Theories in Comparative Politics

3-5 Units
POLISCI 440B

Comparative Political Economy

5 Units
POLISCI 440C

Research Design in Comparative Politics

5 Units
POLISCI 443S

Political Economy of Reform in China

5 Units
POLISCI 444A

Authoritarian Politics

3-5 Units
POLISCI 445C

The Logics of Violence: Rebels, Criminal Groups and the State

3-5 Units
POLISCI 446

Political Development Economics

3 Units
POLISCI 446A

Paths to the Modern World: The West in Comparative Perspective

3-5 Units
POLISCI 447T

Gender and Development

3-5 Units
POLISCI 460A

Political Economy I

3-5 Units
or
International Relations Seminar Options
Complete any of the following course(s):
POLISCI 311N

Nuclear Strategy, Law, and Politics

3-5 Units
POLISCI 314D

Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law

3-5 Units
POLISCI 410A

International Relations Theory, Part I

3-5 Units
POLISCI 410B

International Relations Theory, Part II

3-5 Units
POLISCI 410C

International Relations Theory, Part III

3-5 Units
POLISCI 410D

Research in International Relations

3-5 Units
POLISCI 460A

Political Economy I

3-5 Units
or
Political Methodology Seminar Options
Complete any of the following course(s):
POLISCI 351B

Economic Analysis of Political Institutions

4 Units
POLISCI 354

Strategy: Introduction to Game Theory

4-5 Units
POLISCI 355A

Data Science for Politics

3-5 Units
POLISCI 355B

Machine Learning for Social Scientists

3-5 Units
POLISCI 355C

Causal Inference for Social Science

3-5 Units
POLISCI 356A

Formal Theory I

3-5 Units
POLISCI 356B

Formal Theory II

3-5 Units
POLISCI 450A

Political Methodology I: Regression

3-5 Units
POLISCI 450B

Political Methodology II: Causal Inference

5 Units
POLISCI 450C

Political Methodology III: Model-Based Inference

3-5 Units
POLISCI 450D

Political Methodology IV: Advanced Topics

3-5 Units
POLISCI 451

Directed Readings on Causal Inference with Panel Data

2-3 Units
POLISCI 460A

Political Economy I

3-5 Units
or
Political Theory Seminar Options
Complete any of the following course(s):
POLISCI 330A

Classical Seminar: Origins of Political Thought

3-5 Units
POLISCI 331

High-Stakes Politics: Case Studies in Political Philosophy, Institutions, and Interests

3-5 Units
POLISCI 331M

Smith and Marx Seminar

4 Units
POLISCI 332T

The Dialogue of Democracy

4-5 Units
POLISCI 333M

Research and Methods in Political Theory

3-5 Units
POLISCI 334P

Deliberative Democracy and its Critics

3-5 Units
POLISCI 335

Chinese Political Thought: 1895-2021

3-5 Units
POLISCI 336S

Justice

4-5 Units
POLISCI 337

Philosophy of Law: Protest, Punishment, and Racial Justice

4 Units
POLISCI 337A

Political Philosophy: The Social Contract Tradition

4 Units
POLISCI 338B

Unequal Relationships

2-4 Units
POLISCI 338E

The Problem of Evil in Literature, Film, and Philosophy

3-5 Units
POLISCI 431

Grad seminar: Contemporary Political Theory

4 Units
POLISCI 432R

Selections in Modern Political Thought

3-5 Units
POLISCI 437C

20th Century and Contemporary Political Theory

3-5 Units
POLISCI 438R

Ancient Greek Rationality, Public and Private

3-5 Units

Breadth in Discipline

Additional Units Requirement

The remaining 20 units must come from courses numbered above 100. Of those 20 units, a maximum of 10 units may be taken from classes outside the Political Science department and count towards the master’s degree. Classes taken outside the Political Science department must be highly relevant to the discipline and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies on the MA Course Plan.