Academic advising by department faculty is a critical component of graduate students’ education. The Political Science department is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by the advisor and the advisee. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

As a best practice, students and advisors should periodically discuss advising expectations to ensure mutual understanding. Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

Additionally, the program adheres to the advising guidelines and responsibilities of the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Graduate Advising. Academic advising by Stanford faculty is a critical component of all graduate students’ education, and additional resources can be found in the Policies and Best Practices for Advising Relationships at Stanford and the Guidelines for Faculty-Student Advising at Stanford.

The Political Science department does not offer a terminal MA degree. An MA degree may only be pursued with a doctoral degree from another department within the university or with an advanced degree from one of the University’s professional schools (i.e., Schools of Law, Medicine, and Business).

The Director of Graduate Studies is available to guide course selection and course planning. The student is responsible for contacting the Director of Graduate Studies to schedule a meeting to discuss advising expectations. This should happen when the student begins the MA degree program and annually as needed.

MA students should also discuss how the MA degree and Political Science coursework supports their primary doctoral degree with their doctoral program advisor.

POLSC-MA - Political Science (MA)

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Program Learning Outcomes