The MA in Political Science program of the Department of Political Science at Cal State L.A. was established in the 1950s.  It has a long tradition of graduating students who have gone on for the Ph.D. and teaching/research careers in Political Science. The program is designed to provide a broad, but thorough grounding in three main areas of Political Science: American Politics, Political Theory, and Global Politics. We pride ourselves on providing a rigorous, but highly accessible program. All graduate seminars are offered in the evenings and meet once a week, while "elective" courses are offered at convenient times during the day and evening.

Our students comes from a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds. Recent classes have included graduates of UCLA, Penn State University, UC Berkeley, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, the University of Southern California, Pepperdine University, San Francisco State University, the University of Hawaii, CSU Northridge, Hawaii Pacific University, University of Maryland, Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), Rikkyo University (Japan), Waseda University (Japan), and Pusan National University (Korea). Our program also generally has a strong international flavor, with students coming from Japan, Korea, Greece, Russia, Thailand, Switzerland, Malaysia, Indonesia, Peru, Colombia, Turkey, Italy, Egypt, Estonia, Taiwan, Iran, and other countries.

The program requires all students to successfully completed 45 quarter units, including:

• A core of six graduate courses (24 units)

• A concentration chosen from Political Theory, American politics, or Global Politics (16 units, 4 courses)

• Either a comprehensive examination OR a thesis:

• The comprehensive examination requirement consists of the examination along with 5 units of graduate research directed by a faculty member OR 5 units for a practicum where the student interns in a political office, non-profit organization, campaign management firm, survey research center, or a comparable placement. Both the directed study and practicum options require students to complete a major paper.  

• The thesis requirement involves five units of thesis credit (POLS 599) and the production of a thesis involving an original case study, analysis of data, or theoretical treatment of a topic approved by a faculty committee, the MA Director, and the Department chair.  

More Information (including application forms)

Click here for a general description of the Department of Political Science and its academic programs, including the MA in Political Science 

For new and prospective students, the department has prepared a basic guide to the MA program in Political Science at Cal State Los Angeles. The guide is meant to address and answer many frequently asked questions and concerns about the program. The guide covers basic program requirements (including admission requirements), procedures, expectations, and student responsibilities. Click here to read the online version of the guide (a PDF version is also available to download).

Click here to download the department's application form.

Click here to download the MA Program Form.

Any questions? Please contact Professor Lim (click here for current office hours)