Master of Arts in Applied Politics, MAAP

Curriculum

Degree Requirements: 10 courses, 30 credits

Core Requirements (6 courses, 18 credits)

POLS-723	Graduate Internship	3
POLS-724	Politics of Public Policy	3
POLS-747	Seminar in Legislation & Lobbying	3
POLS-755	Seminar Campaigns & Elections	3
POLS-777	Writing for the Policy Professional	3
POLS-778	Global Policy & Data Analysis	3

Electives (4 courses, 12 credits)

Electives may include any graduate course offered by the Political Science & Legal Studies Department. Other Suffolk University graduate courses may be taken as electives with the approval of the program director.

Electives will be chosen to support your field of concentration and choice of internship area.

Learning Goals and Objectives

Learning goals and objectives reflect the educational outcomes achieved by students through the completion of this program.

Learning Goals	Learning Objectives
Students will…	Students will be able to…
Demonstrate broad-based knowledge of their area of concentration and be able to review and synthesize relevant political science literature and theories	- Analyze and critically evaluate competing political science theories developed in the academic literature - Write effectively in a variety of formats, including formulating essential questions - Organize evidence and construct complex written arguments
Demonstrate the ability to connect theory to practice and apply what they learn in the classroom to professional work experiences in the field	- Recognize the importance of academic and theoretical research in the electoral, governing and policy making process
Demonstrate proficiency in interpreting social science data	- Gather and critically evaluate quantitative and qualitative social science research - Organize evidence and social science data to construct complex political science arguments - Identify and gain access to appropriate information and sources
Demonstrate proficiency in writing skills including academic and policy professional writing	- Organize and write a compelling research paper - Write effectively in a variety of formats, including formulating essential questions
Demonstrate a proficiency in oral communication skills	- Orally articulate complex ideas in an organized, persuasive, and rigorous manner

Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's in Applied Politics

Degree Requirements

1. Students admitted to this dual degree program must meet all the requirements of the undergraduate Political Science (BA or BS) or International Relations (BA only) major offered by the department of Political Science & Legal Studies.
2. Students must also meet all requirements for the Master’s degree in Applied Politics (MAAP) or Global Public Policy (MAGPP).
3. Students will take two Political Science graduate courses during their senior year; one during the fall semester and one during the spring semester. The two graduate courses taken during the senior year will count toward BOTH the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Credit hours will be awarded based on the graduate course description.
4. The graduate courses taken during the senior year will be determined by the Political Science graduate program director.
5. Students are subject to the usual standards for academic standing, i.e., undergraduate standards for undergraduate courses and graduate standards for graduate courses.

Upon successful completion of all of the degree requirements, a student will receive a dual Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. The exact degree will be awarded based on the specific undergraduate program the student completes. A student may permanently exit the dual degree program and opt to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree if all the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree have been met. In this case, the graduate courses taken in the senior year will be counted as 4-credit courses applied toward the undergraduate degree requirements.