Doctoral Program Degree Requirements

A. Coursework Requirements

The Ph.D. program requires that students take a minimum of 39 semester credits in coursework (which usually means at least 13 semester courses). The program has the following general course requirements:

Note: A student’s Guidance Committee may require the student to take additional coursework (in research methodology or a foreign language, for example) if it is necessary for completion of the student’s educational program or dissertation research.

1. Required Core Courses in Research Methods, Political Thought, and Formal Theory

Students are required to take the following five courses:

These five courses will give students an introduction to the fundamental theories and methods of political science research. As such, they are core requirements of the Ph.D. program in Political Science at Michigan State University.

2. Major and Minor Field Designations and Requirements

The Ph.D. curriculum of the Department is divided into seven fields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, Positive Political (Formal) Theory, International Relations, Political Thought, Public Policy and Administration, and Research Methods.

Students can choose one of the following four areas for a major field specialization:

In order to satisfy the major field requirements, students must successfully complete at east four courses in the area— one of which must be the mandatory proseminar in that field.

Students can choose one of the following seven areas for a minor field specialization:

In order to satisfy the minor field requirement, students must successfully complete at least three courses in the area— one of which must be the mandatory proseminar in that field. Students with a Minor Field in Research Methods must take at least two Methods courses (either from inside or outside the Political Science Department) beyond PLS 800, PLS 801, and PLS 802. Students may use summer coursework in quantitative methods at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to fulfill their Methods field requirement.

Minor fields can also be specifically designed by faculty guidance committees to meet the interests and needs of particular students. Any individualized-designed minor fields must be approved by the Department’s Graduate Studies Committee.

Proseminars are specifically designed to give students an introduction to the literature, theoretical problems, and methodological directions of each field. The proseminars within each field are:

Research Methods

• PLS 800 Proseminar in Research Methods
• PLS 801 Quantitative Techniques in Political Science I
• PLS 802 Quantitative Techniques in Political Science II

Political Philosophy

• PLS 870 Proseminar in Political Thought

Formal Theory

• PLS 884 Proseminar in Political Institutions and Public Choice

Public Policy

• PLS 811 Proseminar in Public Policy

American Politics

• PLS 820 Proseminar in American Politics

Comparative Politics

• PLS 850 Proseminar in Comparative Politics

International Relations

• PLS 860 Proseminar in International Relations

Proseminars are open to all Ph.D. students in the department. But, you must take the designated proseminars in your major and minor fields of specialization.

3. Elective Course

The minimum requirements just listed— 15 hours of core courses (PLS 800, 801, 802, 803, and 809), 12 hours of major course credits, and 9 hours of minor course credits— sum to 36 credits. Since the total number of required hours is 39, this leaves a final 3 credits which a student must accumulate (for a minimum program). These final 3 credits can be earned in any of a number of different ways. For example, the 3 credits could be an additional course in research methods, an additional course in a major, an additional course in minor, or an additional course which is none of these. Elective course requirements can be also be taken in appropriate areas outside of the department (subject to the approval of the student’s guidance committee).

B. Guidance Committee and Program of Study

Students are required to form a Guidance Committee by the end of their first year in the program. The Guidance Committee must consist of four faculty members: A Chair who serves as the student’s main academic advisor for program planning, and at least three other faculty members. At least three of the four Guidance Committee Members must be regular members of the political science faculty, and there must be one faculty member representing the student’s major field and one faculty member representing the student’s minor field.

C. Evaluation for Continuation in the Ph.D. Program

Students are admitted to the doctoral program only on a probationary basis. After the Spring semester of every year, the faculty will conduct an evaluation of every first-year student’s overall academic performance. Students must gain the faculty’s approval to continue in the doctoral program beyond the first year.

D. Comprehensive Field Examinations

After completing the required courses and before writing a dissertation, students must pass a Comprehensive Field Examination in both their Major and Minor Fields. Students must successfully pass the Comprehensive Field Examinations by the end of the third year in which they have been enrolled as a full-time graduate student in the Ph.D. program at MSU, including the first (“probationary”) year before formal admission to the Ph.D. program.

E. Dissertation Topic, Advisor, Committee, and Proposal

After passing the Major and Minor Comprehensive Field Examinations, students must establish a doctoral dissertation committee. In order to accomplish this, students must identify a suitable dissertation topic, identify a faculty member to supervise the project and serve as the Chair of the Dissertation Committee, establish a full dissertation committee, write a dissertation proposal, and successfully defend the proposal in an oral defense.

F. Doctoral Dissertation

Once the dissertation proposal is approved, students must conduct the research for the dissertation, write up the findings, present written drafts of the proposal to their committees, and successfully defend the completed project.

G. Job Placement

A complete dossier (including curriculum vita, biosketch, a minimum of three letters of reference, copies of publications, papers, chapters from the dissertation, teaching evaluations, etc.) should be on file with the Graduate Program Secretary. Students should consult frequently with their Dissertation Chair and the Departmental Placement Director about job opportunities and prospects.

Complete information about the Ph.D. Program in Political Science at Michigan State University is contained in the 2005-2006 Graduate Program Handbook.