Admissions FAQs for the MAO program
For further details on the Admissions Procedure please click
here.
Q. What is the deadline to submit an application?
A. The application deadline is April 1, 2012 for the fall 2012 MA only class.
Although the application deadline is April 1, prospective students should submit their applications at the earliest possible date. The MA admission committee will begin reviewing applications as early as the first week in March, and may begin admitting students whose files are complete and have been reviewed.
Q. How many people apply to the program each year? What percentage are admitted?
A. There are approximately 100 prospective students who apply directly to the MAO program each year. In addition to this number, some students rejected from the PhD program for that year are given the option of being considered for the MAO program. Thus the number of students being considered for the MAO program can vary a fair amount each year from only 75 to as many as 200 or more.
A different number of students is admitted each year, usually aiming for a class size between 15 and 20. As the number of admits varies as well as the number of applications, there is no average percentage that would accurately reflect the chance for admission for each class of applicants.
Q. When are decision notices sent?
A.
Admission notices:
Admission to the MA only program is made on a rolling basis. Beginning as early as mid- to late- May, students who have been admitted to the program will be notified of their acceptance. We will continue admitting students until we have reached our desired target of accepted offers for that academic year.
Rejection notices:
Given our deadline of April 1 (when we receive a large share of the applications), and the rolling nature of our MA admissions process, rejection notices are not usually sent out until the early summer. Although we recognize that this is less than ideal for most candidates, who may be weighing other options, we ask that you give us enough time to complete our process before contacting us to inquire as to the status of your application.
Decision notices are NOT given out over the phone or via e-mail. If you have not received a notification of admission or rejection by July 1, please contact the department then, but not before.
Q. What kind of financial aid is available?
A. There is no fellowship support available for the M.A. only program.
Q. What is the minimum level you require on the GRE exam?
A. We have no set minimum, and since our applicants come from all over the world, actual GRE scores vary quite a bit. In general, persons offered admission to the PhD program have GRE scores in the 90th percentile and students admitted to the MAO program perform slightly less well. Verbal scores are sometimes lower for applicants whose first language is not English.
Q. What is the minimum GPA that you require?
A. As with the PhD program, we have no set minimum. Our applicants come from all over the world. Not every institution uses a 4 point grade scale and actual GPA’s vary quite a bit. In general, persons offered admission to the PhD program have GPA’s that are high for the institutions they come from -- top 5-10% of their class and 3.6 and above at U.S. institutions. The averages are slightly lower for students admitted to the MAO program.
Q. What is the minimum TOEFL that you require?
A. We require a minimum of 600 on the paper-based exam and 250 on the electronic version. Applicants whose scores are below these levels should not apply.
Q. What is the difference between SIPA and Political Science?
A. The Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Political Science are offered through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Although there is obvious overlap in the subject areas of the degree programs of SIPA and the Political Science Department, and in practice quite a bit of overlap as well (students in each program can and do take classes in the other), the two institutions and their respective programs are wholly separate.
Generally speaking (and for this you'd be best served by contacting an admissions counselor at SIPA), the MIA, MPP, and other degree programs at SIPA are professional degree programs for people who intend to work on policy, whether for the US or foreign governments, inter-governmental organizations, non-government organizations, think tanks, etc. The courses taken by MAO students in the political science department focus on theoretical and research approaches in the discipline and the program is geared towards training students for a future in academia.
Note that students in and graduates of the MA program typically go into similar fields and careers, and the program is flexible to serve the many interests of MA students. However, the MA program in political science is more similar to a first-year PhD course of study and indeed, many of the students enroll in the MA program to figure out whether they want to continue on to PhD programs in political science.
Although, as above, it is possible to submit applications both to SIPA and GSAS, students considering the MA and MIA/MPP programs should carefully review the information available on both programs before submitting an application.
