Master of Arts in Political Science
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Find Your Path with a Master's Degree in Political Science at TWU!
In just two years and for less than $16,000, you can earn your Master of Arts. We offer multiple pathways to support your goals to become an analyst, scholar, faculty, and more. Interested in dual credit or college teaching? We’ll help you design materials for your own courses. Thinking of graduate or law school? We’ll help you prepare for the rigors of advanced study. Want to work in government? We’ll help you understand our governments and make connections.
Request information about our program
Why get a Master’s in Political Science at TWU?
- A flexible, fully online program with synchronous seminars and meetings
- Preparation that supports your career: assignment pathways that support dual credit faculty, government work, law school, or future graduate studies
- Choose between thesis, professional research paper, or course-only completion
- Work closely with renowned faculty who have expertise in women and politics, international relations, comparative politics, American politics, media and politics, state and local politics, law and courts, and political theory
- Earn a master's degree in as few as four semesters
- Costs are less than $4,000 per semester (nine credit hours for a full-time graduate student)
- Simple application process, with no required entrance examination
- Several avenues for financial aid and graduate support, with scholarships, teaching assistant positions, and research assistants options (as well as health insurance!)
- Aligned opportunities, workshops, and events with the Center for Women in Government at the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership
- Personalized attention, with graduate seminars of 10-12 students
- Finally, if you already hold a graduate degree, 18 hours of graduate coursework from our program will allow you to teach dual-credit students
Career possibilities
• Dual credit and community college faculty
• Local, state and federal government
• Lobbyist
• Lawyer
• Court clerk
• Paralegal
• Civil rights advocate
• Consumer advocate
• Policy analyst
• Political campaign staff
• Researcher
• Grant writer
• Government liaison
• Non-profit groups
• Pursue a PhD
Hear from one of our alumni
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"From the beginning, professors and staff made me feel welcome. The classes were engaging and knowledgeable. I was able to secure a position working as a grad assistant. Due to COVID, I was forced to finish via zoom classes. Professors made sure students had the information we needed, and they took time to acknowledge our wellbeing."
My most memorable moment and class was the History of Rock and Roll taught by Dr. Olsen. It was in this class that I had a political awakening. The material challenged my thoughts and exposed me to history I had not heard before.
In my time in the grad program, I was taught how to network and make connections. I graduated in May 2021. I started my career working in politics and made the switch to law enforcement. I will forever be grateful for my time in the grad program at TWU.
Degree details
Students admitted to our program will select one of the following options with consultation and approval of their graduate committee. The student’s graduate committee may require completion of more than the minimum number of semester credit hours indicated and specify courses to be included in the student’s individual degree. These options include:
- Thesis
- Professional Paper/Project
- Graduate Certificate Program in History
Please visit our Graduate Catalog for more information about degree and course requirements regarding our different degree options.
Admission to the History & Political Science Graduate programs
Program Contact
Christina Bejarano, PhD
940-898-2255
cbejarano@twu.edu
Application Deadlines
No fixed deadlines - Rolling admissions
Admission requirements
Applicant’s overall record should clearly reflect the ability to pursue advanced study, conduct research and write effectively in the field selected.
- Bachelor's degree.
- A minimum GPA of 3.25 on the last 60 semester credit hours of undergraduate work.
- A minimum of 12 semester credit hours of upper-division undergraduate or graduate work in the major field.
- Collect and submit the following documents into the application:
- writing sample (college paper in any subject AND a 1 page personal statement that describes your goals)
- curriculum vita
- email addresses and phone number for three individuals familiar with your academic capabilities, who can provide letters of recommendation to be requested through and submitted into the application.
Applicants who do not meet the above prerequisites at the time of application may, under exceptional circumstances, be recommended for provisional admission by the department.
Graduate Admission
Begin by reviewing your program's website to see if there are additional admission requirements and application deadlines prior to applying.
- Apply online.
Apply to Graduate Programs via the TWU Online Graduate Application Portal following instructions below. - Submit transcripts to TWU.
- Domestic Applicants must submit official transcripts for each college or university attended, both undergraduate and graduate. See the Information on Transcripts website for more details. Original transcripts for each college/university attended must be submitted, even if referred to on another schools transcripts.
- International Applicants are now required to provide an evaluation prepared by a NACES or AICE member evaluation service. International transcripts should not be sent directly to TWU. See the International Admissions website for more details.
- Submit Recommendation Requests
If your program requires you to submit names for recommendations you will need to do it in the application. List of programs-majors. - Pay the application fee.
The $50 fee ($75 fee for International applicants), which applies to all new and returning applicants, can be paid by:- Credit card - Pay Online through the application as the last step before submitting the application. The second portion of the application will not be available until the application fee has been received.
- Fee Waivers - Graduate applicants who are certified McNair Scholars are eligible for a McNair Scholar Application Fee Waiver. TWU Alumni may be eligible for the Alumni Advantage Fee Waiver. Check your eligibility here: https://twu.edu/alumni-advantage/. If eligible submit the request using the Application Fee Waiver Submission
- Following fee payment return to the application dashboard where supplemental application documents can be uploaded. The online application will list which documents are needed to fulfill the program admission requirements. You can also check the program's website.
- Submit Program supplemental documents
- Review the specific requirements for your intended program to identify any supplemental materials needed for your application.
Watch for emails from your new program/department that may come to your TWU email address.
For more information or assistance with the application or graduate admissions, visit the Graduate Admissions website.
Students who wish to apply for a Graduate Assistantship must meet the General Criteria for Appointment of Graduate Assistants.
Contact us
To learn more about the master's of political science, please contact Director of Graduate Studies Wouter van Erve, PhD, at wvanerve@twu.edu or 940-898-2148, or fill out and submit the following form.
Request For Information
Page last updated 10:15 AM, July 31, 2026