From: McKinnis, Sharon [Sharon.McKinnis@unt.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 1:26 PM
To: Holley Hansen
Subject: UNT PSCI Graduate Program
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Department of Political Science
Dear Holley:
The Political Science Department at the University of North Texas (UNT) has undergone some exciting developments in the past few years. This letter highlights only a few key developments that make UNT an attractive destination for graduate study in political science. I would be happy to discuss our programs in further detail with any student who is interested in graduate study in political science!
Some of the exciting developments at UNT include:
n The addition of new faculty members in international relations, comparative politics, and American politics. We anticipate strengthening our department even further in the near future. Importantly, our faculty members are dedicated to mentoring and frequently co-publish with our graduate students.
n Retention of our longstanding focus on conflict and peace studies, judicial politics, and political parties and elections. We have increasing strengths in race and ethnic politics. Further, we remain committed to providing broad training in political science. As a result, our graduate program is committed to developing competence in the use of quantitative methods, but also recognizes the increasing emphasis on multi-method research strategies.
n Re-design of the PhD program to facilitate completion in five years. The Master’s program can easily be completed in two years. Although these timeframes are frequently mentioned, we have developed mechanisms to monitor student progress and, together with UNT’s Graduate School, developed programs to keep students on track for timely degree completion.
n Our graduate program admits approximately 12-15 new graduate students each fall semester. Many of our graduate students are funded and our graduate assistantships compare favorably to those offered by our peers. In addition, we offer financial support for professional development activities, such as conference travel and to defray the costs of attending the methodology courses offered at ICPSR.
n In recent years our PhD’s have accepted tenure-track positions in political science departments at the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State, St, John’s College, Missouri State, and Florida Atlantic University. Recent graduates from the Master’s program have enrolled in political science PhD programs or have secured employment in the government and private sectors.
As these highlights indicate, UNT is an increasingly attractive destination for graduate study in political science. I hope you will direct your students to our website (www.psci.unt.edu/Graduate) and encourage them to contact me with any questions regarding graduate study at UNT. I can be reached most easily via e-mail at marijke.breuning@unt.edu.
With very best wishes,
Marijke Breuning,
Professor and Graduate Advisor
Department of Political Science
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle #305340
Denton, TX 76203-5017
phone: 940-369-8116
fax: 940-565-4818
marijke.breuning@unt.edu
PS: Did you know that the Political Science Department at UNT was recently selected to host the Editorship of the American Political Science Review (APSR)? John Ishiyama, Valerie Martinez, Steven Forde, and Marijke Breuning will commence their term as APSR editors in 2012! This provides even more exciting opportunities for graduate students!
