Study Master of Arts in Political Science at University of California, Riverside (Business) in the USA, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

About this course

About this course
- Overview
- Department
Study options
Entry requirements
- International

What will I learn?

The Master of Arts in Political Science follows the first two years of the Ph.D. program. We admit a small number of students to this program under special circumstances. The department does not offer assistantships to students in the MA program. Please contact the Director of Graduate Admissions before applying to the MA program. ou must complete 36 units, of which at least 28 units must be in 200-level political science courses, including POSC 201, POSC 202A, and POSC 203.
In addition, you must complete at least one course from at least three of the five fields below.
Up to eight units of academic work in related fields may be approved by the graduate advisor as part of the 36 units.
A comprehensive examination must be passed in one of the following fields:
Comparative Politics. You must complete the core course, POSC 217, and at least one additional course in the field.
International Relations. You must complete the core course, POSC 216, and at least one additional course in the field.
American Politics. You must complete the core course, POSC 249, and at least one additional course in the field.
Mass Political Behavior. You must complete the core course, either POSC 255, or POSC 256, and at least one additional course in the field.
Political Theory. You must complete the core course, POSC 212, and at least one additional course in the field.

Which department am I in?

College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Study options

Full Time (4 Semesters)

Tuition fees

US$15,066.00 per year

Start date

September 2027

Venue

Main Campus

900 University Avenue,

Riverside,

California,

92521, West, United States

Full Time (4 Semesters)

Tuition fees

US$15,066.00 per year

Start date

September 2026

Venue

Main Campus

900 University Avenue,

Riverside,

California,

92521, West, United States

Entry requirements

For international students

A bachelors degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited institution. This degree must represent the completion of a program equivalent in the distribution of academic subject matter and scholarship achievement comparable to that offered by the University of California.

A minimum 3.20 GPA for the last two years of undergraduate or graduate coursework. Admission may be justified if you have a GPA between 3.0 and 3.19, if you have a high GRE score and/or strong academic letters of recommendation. If your GPA is below 3.0, you are ineligible.

English Language Requirement: TOEFL - The minimum acceptable scores are: 550 for the revised TOEFL paper-delivered test and 80 for the TOEFL iBT; IELTS - The minimum acceptable overall score is 7 with no score less than 6 on any individual component.

Applications are still accepted until September 1 (June 1 for international applicants); however, applications received after the January 5 deadline run the risk of less funding and fewer fellowship options.

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.