4+1 Political Science BA to MA

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► Graduate School Policies and Procedures apply to this program.

Introduction

Please click here to see Political Science department information.

Students will follow the undergraduate curriculum for Political Science and work closely with their faculty advisor to begin taking Political Science graduate level coursework as they complete their undergraduate degree. They will complete no more than 15 credits as an undergraduate that will apply to both their undergraduate and graduate degrees. Students may officially declare their intent to complete this program in either their junior or senior year, and may apply to the graduate program during their senior year. Application requirements may differ from the traditional 2 year MA, which is why students need to work closely with faculty advisors and the political science graduate program director for more information and to ensure they are following the best track to complete coursework so that they only have one year after completing the undergraduate degree, to complete the graduate requirements .

Program Delivery

This is an on-campus program.

Declaring This Program

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Application process: Interested students would submit a short application to the Department early on during or after the first semester of their junior year. The application will include:
- A Letter of interest that describes the student’s reasons for applying into the program.
- Undergraduate transcripts.
- The names of at least two faculty members in the CU Denver Political Science Department who can attest to applicant’s advanced levels of reading, writing and analytical skills, and to their outstanding intellectual curiosity and work ethic.
- Following review and admission by the faculty, students would begin their 4+1 curriculum during the second semester of their junior year, or in a subsequent semester.

General Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the three areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

CU Denver General Graduation Requirements
CU Denver Core Curriculum
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Graduation Requirements

Click here for information about Academic Policies

Program Requirements

A minimum of 39 undergraduate hours and 33 graduate hours of Political Science credits hours must be completed to earn both an undergraduate and a graduate degree through this 4+1 program.
A minimum of 21 semester hours must be taken from CU Denver faculty.
Up to 15 graduate level credit hours in Political Science may be taken by Political Science undergraduates accepted to the 4+1 program, and these credits will count both towards completion of the undergraduate degree, and the graduate degree in political science, if the student is later accepted into the graduate program.
Complete all Political Science undergraduate major requirements. Refer to the undergraduate Political Science catalog page.
To secure admission to the Political Science graduate program, submit formal graduate application during the senior year.
Students must earn a minimum grade of C- (1.7) in all undergraduate major courses taken at CU Denver and must achieve a minimum cumulative major GPA of 2.0.
Students must earn a minimum grade of B- (2.7) in any graduate level course for it to later be counted towards graduate degree requirements.
All graded attempts in required and elective courses are calculated in the major GPA. No course taken as pass/fail may be counted.

Program Allowances and Restrictions

In the pathway below no more than 15 undergraduate credit hours may “double-count” for the M.A.. Elective courses must be in accordance with Graduate School Policies . Therefore, meeting with an advisor regularly is recommended. Apply into 4+1 Program any time during or after the first semester of junior year standing as an undergraduate.