Master of Arts in Politics

AMERICAN POLITICS CONCENTRATION

The Master of Arts in American Politics (M.A.P.) degree at CGU is designed to prepare the political professional for real-world work in the rough-and-tumble world of American politics. The M.A.P. is a practical program that focuses on developing the knowledge base and skill set essential to the person who wants to shape society’s future through political action. Recent college graduates and mid-career professionals working in political and not-for-profit environments will benefit from the comprehensive training a Master of Arts in American Politics degree provides. 

The M.A.P. is a 9/12 course program (36/48 units) degree program that provides students with a rich and nuanced understanding of American politics. Seminars survey the broad spectrum of American political life by examining current research and thinking on the institutions and behavior that together form the fabric of our national political life.   Although our students are broadly trained, they also focus on the aspects of U.S. politics that most serve their personal and career interests. The core seminar and the elective tracks introduce students to the full spectrum of political institutions and behaviors as political science has come to understand them. M.A.P. students are also given the analytical and communication skills necessary to be effective. Classes in statistical analysis and applied research projects prepare students for work in campaigns, legislative offices, and the world of political advocacy.

THE CURRICULUM (American Politics Concentration)

• Core MA research tool requirements (8 units)
• Three (3) core courses (12 units)
• Four (4) courses selected for expertise in depth:  two for regional expertise and two for thematic coherence (16 units)
• Master's research paper (no units of credit)
• Note:  for the 48-unit MAP, requirements are the same as above with three (3) additional electives, no research paper required

POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY CONCENTRATION

The study of political philosophy grounds the student in an appreciation of historical responses to similar issues. It asks students to recognize the interconnection among ideas, principles, and institutions within a historical context and to apply these insights to contemporary problems.  Students are taught to understand the character and bases of regimes and political processes that go beyond the level of current day operations.  

Political Philosophy has always proceeded as a dialogue with the past.  Students learn to understand and to argue with previous philosophers, their value systems and the formation of institutional structures that embody and sustain those values.  It trains one to think critically and theoretically.  One learns to appreciate and to evaluate key assumptions that underlie beliefs and arguments about institutions, regimes and the values, which animate them.  Students will primarily address how those concepts are treated by philosophers within the Euro-American tradition and to some extent by “non-western” philosophic traditions, including the Chinese, Indian, and Islamic.

THE CURRICULUM (Political Philosophy Concentration)

• Core MA research tool requirements (4 units)
• Core philosophy courses (16 units)
• Two (2) additional courses in one of the subfield areas (8 unitts) - one course should be a thematic or issue course; the second should focus on the world of one theorist
• Two (2) elective courses chosen in consultation with the student's advisor (8 units
• Master's Research Paper (no units of credit)
• Note:  for the 48-unit MAP, requirements are the same as above with three (3) additional electives, no research paper required