Master of Arts in Political Science - Constitutional Law Studies

Faculty

Professors: Anthony M. Champagne, Harold D. Clarke, Murray Leaf, James Marquart, Marianne C. Stewart, Paul Tracy, John Worrell
Associate Professors: Thomas Brunell
Assistant Professors: Denise Boots, Paul Battaglio, Patrick Brandt, Linda Camp Keith, Stephanie Newbold, Carole J. Wilson

 

Mission Statement

 

The mission of the Master of Arts in Political Science - Constitutional Law Studies degree is to provide students with the reasoning and analytic skills necessary to understand the technical rules of law, legal practices and policies, and law more generally as a social phenomenon. It serves the interests and needs of students who want an intellectually rigorous legal education as preparation for law school, for more advanced graduate learning, or for law-related careers in teaching, journalism, government, policy-making, or the private sector.

 

Objectives

 

Students in the Master of Arts in Political Science - Constitutional Law Studies program:

�         Demonstrate the ability to apply social science theories and concepts to the study of law and courts.

�         Acquire detailed knowledge of the role of the Supreme Court and public law in governance and policy.

�         Develop basic skills in professional communication appropriate to research and analysis on law and courts.

�         Develop competency in analysis, evaluation and research design relevant to the study of law and courts.

Facilities

 

Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the University�s Computing Center. The School has two computing laboratories that have over 30 computers that are network linked and equipped with major social science software packages, including E-Views, R. Rats, SPSS, and STATA. A computerized geographic information system, the Lexis Nexis Database and WestLaw are also available for student use. The University�s Computing Center provides personal computers and UNIX Workstations. Many important data and reference materials are available online from professional associations or at UTD via the Library's and School's memberships in the American Political Science Association, the European Consortium for Political Research, the Inter University Consortium for Political and Social Research, the Roper Center, and the University Consortium for Geographic Information Systems, and other organizations.

The Center for American and International Law, an internationally known organization that provides professional development to lawyers, judges, and law enforcement officers, helps to administer the Capstone Seminar in Constitutional Law Studies in which leading lawyers and judges provide lectures on law and the legal process.

 

Admissions Requirement

 

The University�s general admission requirements are discussed here.

The Master of Arts in Political Science seeks applications from students with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college. Although applications will be reviewed holistically, in general, entering students have earned a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), and a combined verbal and quantitative score of at least 1100 on the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). Standardized test scores are only one of the factors taken into account in determining admission. Students should also submit all transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a one-page essay outlining the applicant�s background, education, and professional objectives. Applications are reviewed by the Political Science Program Committee in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.

Undergraduate students who are interested in completing their undergraduate degrees while simultaneously taking graduate courses in the M.A. in Political Science - Constitutional Law Studies program are expected to meet the School�s �fast-tracking� requirements.

Prerequisites

While there are no specific course prerequisites, entering students will benefit from exposure to undergraduate courses in the Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, statistics, and research design. In cases where undergraduate preparation is not adequate, students may be required to take additional course work before starting the master's program.

Transfer Policies

Students who have previous graduate work pertinent to the requirements of a master�s program may be given up to 12 hours of transfer credit, and the hours of coursework required for the degree will be reduced accordingly. Students desiring to transfer graduate courses thought to be equivalent to core courses may be required to demonstrate competency through examination. The award of such transfer credit must be consistent with the University�s �Transfer of Credit� policy.

Degree Requirements

The University�s general degree requirements are discussed here.

Students seeking a Master of Arts in Political Science - Constitutional Law Studies must complete at least 30 semester credit hours of work in the program, and must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average to graduate.

The curriculum has two components:

(1)� Eighteen semester hours of required coursework

(2)� Twelve semester hours of prescribed electives

Required Courses (18 hours)

All students should complete the core courses as soon as possible.

One of the following:

PSCI 5350�������� Logic, Scope and Methodology of Political Science

PSCI 5360�������� Data Collection and Analysis

All of the following:
PSCI 5302�������� Law and the Policy Process

PSCI 6301�������� Constitutional Law

PSCI 6303�������� Legal Research and Writing

PSCI 6302�������� Capstone Seminar in Legal Studies

PSCI 63xx�������� Workshop in Constitutional Law Studies

Prescribed Electives (12 hours)

Four of the following:

CRIM 6305������� Law and Social Control

CRIM 6311������� Criminal Justice Policy

CRIM 6317������� The Courts

CRIM 6348������� Drugs and Crime

PA 5308����������� Ethics, Culture and Public Responsibility

PA 5319����������� Topics: Administrative Law

PA 5343����������� Human Resources Management

PSCI 5362�������� Multivariate Models for Analyzing Political and Social Science Data

PSCI 6331�������� Executives, Legislatures, and Public Policy

PSCI 63xx�������� Human Rights and International Law