|
Unlike
undergraduate studies, graduate programs require a significant amount of
individual initiative for successful completion. M.A. and doctoral students,
in consultation with the faculty advisor and the Graduate Coordinator, must
design a program of coursework and a study plan to ensure successful
completion of exams. Doctoral students must also be prepared to undertake
independent research and to ensure their progress toward a successful
dissertation defense. While the department provides guidance, graduate
students are ultimately responsible for ensuring that they meet degree
requirements. (Students should carefully follow the School of Graduate
Studies guidelines for submitting forms at different stages in the program.
This information is available at
http://www.case.edu/provost/gradstudies/index.htm.)
Within two
weeks of the beginning of the first semester, each graduate student should
meet with the Graduate Coordinator, who will assist the student in
identifying a faculty advisor. Graduate students should meet with their
faculty advisors at least twice a year, keeping them apprised of their
progress.
For both the
M.A. and the Ph.D., a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a scale where a grade of A
equals 4.0) must be maintained throughout the Political Science program.
Failure to maintain a GPA of 3.0 in the M.A. or Ph.D. programs will result
in the student being placed on academic probation for one semester. If the
GPA is not returned to the 3.0 minimum by the end of the probationary
semester, the student will be separated from further study in the
department.
A graduate
student in good standing must register for at least three hours of study
each fall and spring semester, unless granted a leave of absence by the Dean
of Graduate Studies. Requests for leaves of absence require the student's
written explanation for the request and written support of the student's
faculty advisor. Leaves of absence do not extend the time limit for
completion of the degree. Students on leave may not avail themselves of
university facilities or aid from faculty members. A student who fails to
maintain enrollment or to obtain a leave of absence will be required to make
formal application for re-admission in order to resume study.
In addition
to the information below, please consult the Case General Bulletin,
available at
http://www.Case.edu/bulletin/, for details about university graduate
study requirements.
M.A.
Program Requirements: Within
five years of Case matriculation, each M.A. student must complete 30
semester hours of graduate-level courses (300-level courses approved
by the Graduate Coordinator and courses level 400 or higher) under Plan B
(non-thesis plan) of University regulations. At least 18 hours must be
completed in level 400 or higher courses. A maximum of 9 hours may
be taken outside the Department of Political Science, with prior approval of
the Graduate Coordinator. These courses may include research methods or
specialized work related to the M.A. in Political Science for which no
Political Science course is appropriate. Also, a maximum of 9 hours of
independent study (POSC 601) may count toward the M.A. in Political
Science. (See Course Description on the department web site for details
about POSC 601.)
M.A.
students are expected to acquire and exhibit general knowledge of the
discipline; therefore, the 30 hours of M.A. course work must include:
3 hours in the area of American
Politics & Government.
3 hours in the area of
Comparative Politics.
3 hours in the area of
International Relations.
3 hours in POSC 449 Research
Methods.
(Students who matriculated prior
to January 2004 may take a research methods course outside of the department
instead of POSC 449, if desired.)
Among the
remaining 18 hours of electives, the student may take general courses
covering the four areas listed above, may specialize in one of these areas,
or may specialize in some other area approved by the Graduate Coordinator.
Students should plan their course of study to help them prepare for the M.A
examination.
M.A. Examination:
For the
M.A. examination, students should be able to explain, critique, integrate,
and apply the arguments of the leading works in American Politics &
Government, Comparative Politics, and International Relations.
Required upon completion of no less than 30 hours or no more than 42 hours
of courses, the examination is a written test of six hours'duration, with
two hours for each of the three subfields. The examination is administered in a
controlled, closed-book setting. The department maintains, on its web site,
M.A. Reading Lists of major scholarly works covering the three broad
areas listed above, and test questions will be based upon an expectation
that the student has thoroughly studied―whether in or outside of classes―the
works designated on the
M.A. Reading Lists. Faculty members in the
appropriate subfields write the test questions, which are then assembled by
the Graduate Coordinator, who is responsible for scheduling the exam. The
student must notify the faculty advisor and the Graduate Coordinator of
intent to take the exam at least 6 weeks before he or she wishes to take
it. To assist in preparation for the exam, students may opt to design a
relevant course of study and register for POSC 601. (See
Suggestions for
Preparing for the M.A. and the Ph.D. Examinations, for further
guidance.)
Grading is
Honors, Pass, or Fail, determined upon completion of the entire exam. If
failed, in part or in whole, the student will have one calendar year in
which to retake the exam. It is expected that the student will require at
least one semester to prepare for retaking the exam. During the interim,
the Political Science faculty may require the student to take additional
courses to aid in alleviating academic deficiencies as reflected by the
failed exam segments. Failure to pass the exam upon the second attempt will
result in the student being separated from further study in the department.
Note that
University regulations require students to be registered for course work,
whether full-time or part-time, during the semester in which the M.A. Exam
is taken. If not enrolled for other courses, students are required to
register for one hour of EXAM 600, "Comprehensive Exam" (noncredit), prior
to taking the exam.
Ph.D.
Program Requirements: Each
Ph.D. student must complete 45 hours of level 400 or higher courses, plus at
least 18 hours of POSC 701 Research. A maximum of 15 hours may be taken
outside the Department of Political Science, with prior approval of the
Graduate Coordinator. These courses may include
research methods or
specialized work related to the student's research interests. A maximum of
9 hours of independent study (POSC 601) may be undertaken. (See Course
Description on the department web site for details about POSC 601.)
University regulations require Ph.D. students to spend at least one academic
year in full-time residence (two consecutive regular semesters with a
minimum of 9 hours' registration each semester).
Doctoral
students are expected to acquire and demonstrate specialized knowledge in
the field; therefore, the 45 hours of doctoral courses, taken prior to
dissertation research, must be distributed as follows:
12 hours in primary subfield (American Politics &
Government, Comparative Politics, or International Relations).
9 hours in secondary subfield (one of the remaining
two fields).
6 hours in the remaining subfield.
6 hours in Research Methods (including 3 hours in POSC 449
Research Methods).
12 hours of electives.
Doctoral
students whose M.A.s in Political Science from other institutions have not
been certified may want to use their electives to complete additional
coursework in the third subfield in order to prepare for the M.A.
examination. Coursework completed at Case prior to the M.A. examination can
count toward the 45 required hours for the doctoral degree.
Doctoral
students whose M.A.s in Political Science from other institutions have been
certified and doctoral students with M.A.s in Political Science from Case
need complete only 18 of the 45 hours of doctoral coursework. The Graduate
Coordinator will set distribution requirements on an individual basis,
reflecting the coursework completed for the M.A.
M.A.
Examination for Doctoral Students: Upon completion of no
less than 30 hours and no more than 36 hours of coursework, doctoral
students whose M.A.s in Political Science from other institutions have not
been certified must pass the M.A. examination. The purpose of this
examination is to ensure that doctoral students have broad knowledge of the
field of Political Science. A student who does not pass this examination
may not continue in the Ph.D. program. See "M.A. Examination" above for
further information about this examination.
Ph.D. Comprehensive Examinations:
The Ph.D.
comprehensive examination requires student to explain, critique, integrate,
and apply the arguments of the leading works in the subfield of focus, to
fully describe the evolution of the subfield, and to propose new directions
for research in that subfield. The purpose of this
examination is to ensure that doctoral students have specialized knowledge
in the field of Political Science. Upon completion of 45 hours of course
work, the student must pass the Ph.D. comprehensive examinations in his or
her primary and secondary subfields. In preparation, the student shall
design reading lists for each examination. The student's reading lists
should draw on suggestions from department faculty, course syllabi, and the
M.A. Reading Lists, available on the department's web site. The
student's advisor, in conjunction with faculty in the secondary subfield,
must approve the lists. Test questions will be based upon an expectation
that the student has thoroughly studied the works designated on his or her
reading lists. Faculty members in the appropriate subfields write the test
questions, which are then assembled by the Graduate Coordinator, who is
responsible for scheduling the exam. The student must notify the faculty
advisor and the Graduate Coordinator of intent to take the exams at least 6
weeks before he or she wishes to take them. To assist in preparation for
the examination, students may opt to design a relevant course of study and
register for POSC 601. (See
Suggestions for Preparing for the M.A. and
the Ph.D. Examinations, for further guidance.)
Each of the
two comprehensive exams will be closed-book and have a time limit of 6
hours. Both must be taken within a one-week period. After review of the
written exams, the department may ask the student to submit to an oral
examination to clarify his/her answer essays. Grading is Honors, Pass, or
Fail, determined upon completion of the entire exam. If failed, the student
will have one calendar year in which to retake the exam(s) failed. It is
expected that the student will require at least one semester to prepare for
retaking the exam. During the interim, the Political Science faculty may
require the student to take additional courses to aid in alleviating
academic deficiencies as reflected by the failed exam(s). Failure to pass
the exam upon the second attempt will result in the student being separated
from further study in the department.
Note that
University regulations require students to be registered for course work,
whether full-time or part-time, during the semester in which the Ph.D.
comprehensive exams are taken. If not enrolled for other courses, students
are required to register for one hour of EXAM 700, "General Exam"
(noncredit), prior to taking the exams.
Research Advisor and Committee: To
begin the dissertation phase of the doctoral program, each student should
identify a research advisor in the department and notify the Dean of
Graduate Studies of this decision. The student should also establish a
dissertation committee consisting of the advisor, two other faculty members
in the department, and a Case faculty member from outside of the
department. Each member of the dissertation committee must be either a
full, associate, or assistant professor. Throughout the planning, research,
and writing stages, doctoral students should be in frequent contact with
their advisors and regular contact with all their committee members. It is
the student's responsibility to ensure that the committee members support
the student's work.
Dissertation Proposal:
Within
six months of passing the comprehensive examinations, the student is
required to present and defend a dissertation proposal to his or her
four-member dissertation committee. If no more than one member of the
dissertation committee dissents, the student will be advanced to Ph.D.
candidacy.
Advancement to Ph.D. Candidacy: Upon passing the comprehensive examinations and
defending a dissertation proposal, the student will be advanced to Ph.D.
candidacy.
Ph.D.
Dissertation: The dissertation must be submitted as evidence
of the student's ability to conduct independent research at an advanced
level. A dissertation is a written study, typically 150-400 pages in length,
that draws on the student's original research to make a contribution to the
field of Political Science. The entire dissertation, or a portion of it,
should be suitable for publication in a respected academic journal or as a
monograph. The student may begin to register for dissertation credit (POSC
701) as soon as he or she is advanced to Ph.D. candidacy. The student has
five consecutive calendar years from the first semester POSC 701 is taken to
complete all requirements for the doctorate.
Dissertation Defense:
Upon completion of no less than 18 hours of 701, the student must sit for
the final defense of the dissertation. The student must submit the final
version of the dissertation to the committee members no later than 10 days
prior to the defense. The student will be certified as passing the final
defense if not more than one of the four committee members dissents. If
academic standing has also been maintained (GPA of 3.0), the Ph.D. will be
awarded at the next scheduled graduation. Failure to pass the defense upon
this first attempt will result in termination of study, and the degree will
not be awarded. To decrease the chances of failure, students should work
closely with their committee members and have each member's backing before
scheduling the defense. (Note that students must be registered for POSC 701
during the semester in which the defense occurs.)
Deposit of Dissertation: Upon
passage of the defense, the student must submit two copies of the final,
approved dissertation to the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies. These
copies must meet University specifications for typing and reproduction. They
will be bound (including the official approval sheets, signed by the
examining committee) and deposited in the Case libraries. In addition, the
student must guarantee the reproduction of the dissertation through
University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan, before certification for the
doctorate.
|
