Master of Arts in Political Science

at MSM Group - University of Missouri-St. Louis USA

The BA in Political Science provides students with knowledge about politics and policy while developing sought-after and transferable skills, such as information-gathering and processing, analysis, research, decision making, and oral and written communication. Areas of concentration include American politics, international and comparative politics, urban politics, public law, public policy and administration and gender and politics. In addition to formal coursework, internships are available providing students with the opportunity to apply classroom learning and gain practical field experience.

The BS in Biochemistry and Biotechnology allows students to develop the skills necessary to enter the biotechnology and life sciences workforce or to pursue further studies at the professional or graduate level. Students receive solid foundations in both chemistry and biology, as well as the opportunity to specialize within the rapidly growing fields of biochemistry and biotechnology.

The Biology Department ranks in the top 20 percent of the nation’s research institutions, based on scholarly productivity and federal research grant funding. Both biology and chemistry students have the opportunity to engage in hands-on research projects under the guidance of faculty.

The master’s degree in Secondary Education is an accredited program appropriate for secondary teachers, specialists, department chairpersons, and those who work in informal learning or international educational settings. Candidates choose electives that will support their personal growth and development as an educational leader to impact the communities with which they work.

Diverse candidates will engage in a learner-centered environment committed to the success of historically marginalized and diverse students, research, and community engagement. Within diverse education settings, candidates will: advance pedagogical knowledge, recognize inequalities in educational opportunity, design differentiated assessments to inform practice, critically examine professional practice, and demonstrate commitment to ethical professional practice.  

It is important that both candidates and advisors plan ahead to ensure courses are taken when they are offered in the schedule. Programs must be planned with an academic advisor and meet the approval of the faculty advisor, adhering to the College of Education and UMSL Graduate School policies.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

• Continually and systematically reflect on professional growth to enhance student learning.
• Integrate technology to create meaningful student learning within the context of a global digital society.
• Apply advanced content and pedagogical knowledge to create authentic and deep learning experiences.
• Extend learning science principles to design, implement, and evaluate curriculum based on learning standards.
• Create and foster effective working relationships with students, school colleagues, families, and community members to enhance student learning and well-being.
• Design and establish a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment that nurtures the intellectual, social, and personal development of all students.
• Utilize equitable frameworks and inclusive practices to expertly create a variety of instructional and assessment opportunities adapted to diverse learners to encourage all students’ critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

The BA in Organizational Leadership is an interdisciplinary online degree completion program that provides an accelerated pathway to graduation for those who have an Associate’s degree or have completed some college courses, but have yet to complete their degree. The degree is designed to provide adult students with the knowledge, skills and credentials necessary to advance in a rapidly changing workplace and may be completed entirely online.

This program helps students understand theoretical and practical aspects of leadership across disciplines, while allowing you to focus on a specific Area of Concentration of interest or that advances your career goals.

The Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology are offered as both a BA and a BS. The BA focuses on qualitative tools like interviews, stories and community engagement while the BS focuses on quantitative research tools like surveys, statistics and data analysis. Both degrees answer the critical question “What is this all about?” Students may also select from one of the following minors or emphasis areas: gender studies, gerontology, leadership, urban studies and veterans studies.

An undergraduate degree in sociology is excellent preparation for graduate work in sociology or for entry level positions in business, social service and government worlds. Sociologists are found as teachers, researchers, employees of government agencies, research bureaus, welfare agencies and large companies. This social science based concentration provides excellent training for careers in law, education, medicine, social work and counseling.

The Department of Education Sciences and Professional Programs provides training in the theory, research, and practice of the psychological mechanisms underlying teaching, learning, and human development of students as well as the related school processes and structures. The department also specializes in educational research, psychoeducational assessment, and school psychology.

The M.Ed. in Educational Psychology is a flexible degree that allows candidates to tailor the program curriculum to meet individual interests and career goals. The degree is not associated with any particular position or career; rather it is intended to enhance current performance in a variety of educational and community-based settings and roles, to facilitate advancement within one's current position, and to prepare candidates for other advanced degrees in education or psychology.

The BS in Mathematics provides a substantial background in mathematics, statistics and computer science to produce graduates who can work as mathematicians. The BA in Mathematics provides a broad grounding in different areas of mathematics, giving students the depth necessary to pursue graduate studies or other career choices like market research and business. Optional courses enable students to focus on areas of interest like pure or applied mathematics.

Students seeking to major in mathematics are first designated as “pre-mathematics majors” until they have completed both Math 1900 and Math 2000 or equivalent courses with grades of C or better.

The BS in Secondary Education, with an emphasis in Physics, prepares students to teach in secondary school settings, grades 9-12. This program requires the selection and completion of required coursework in physics and includes field and practicum experiences in high school settings, culminating in Missouri teacher certification.

This program coordinates with the Department of Physics where you’ll be exposed to research and teaching laboratories and a wide variety of modern research instrumentation. Much of the discipline-specific coursework parallels the BA or BS degree in Physics; however, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requires specific coursework for teacher certification.

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Political Science is a general post-baccalaureate degree that gives students a broad understanding of political science through intensive study of several subfields within the discipline. The Department’s Master’s program is also designed to give students a firm grounding in scientific-based inquiry into problems in politics. Students learn how institutional design, economic and cultural factors shape the distribution of power and patterns of cooperation and conflict in society within and outside of government. The M.A. degree in Political Science allows students to develop a deeper understanding of political ideas and institutions, more sophisticated research skills, a better grasp of governments abroad, and a broader knowledge of international politics.

The Psychological Sciences Department offers a master's (M.A.) degree with an emphasis in Behavioral Neuroscience (BN). The BN program has adopted an apprenticeship model of graduate training in which each student works closely and continuously with a faculty member within the realm of the faculty member's research interests. In your personal statement, it is important that you indicate the faculty member(s) with whom you would like to work. The research interests of the core faculty may be found on the Faculty page.