Post Author: Stephanie Strong
During the 1970s, the Graduate School at James Madison University offered a Masters of Education degree and a Master of Arts in Education degree. Students pursuing a Masters of Education could elect to minor in Political Science while the Masters of Arts program offered a Political Science concentration.
The minor in Political Science required 12 credit hours of study devoted solely to Political Science. A concentration in Political Science required either 9 or 15 credit hours depending on whether or not a thesis was included in the course of study. Both of these graduate options were only supplements to education programs; the only graduate programs available. However, despite its limitations, the graduate school at James Madison molded individuals into successful and prosperous educators. The growth of the university as a whole assisted the graduate school in achieving its outstanding reputation that it enjoys today. Without its start producing teachers, the graduate school would not have been able to diversify and offer the broad range of options that are available to students today.
In order to fulfill the aim of preparing graduate students for a career in education, Political Science courses were built primarily as politics-themed education courses. This goal comes in sharp contrast with the current goals of the Political Science graduate program which offers masters degrees in Public Policy and Administration, European Union Policy Studies, and International NGO Management. The images below illustrate how the goals and purposes of the Political Science graduate program have progressed from the 1970s until the present day.
Works Cited
James Madison University Graduate Course Catalog. Harrisoburg: James Madison University, 1978. Print.
James Madison University. Summer Supplement to the 1975 Course Catalog. Harrisonburg: James Madison University, 1975. Print.
“James Madison University.” – JMU Department of Political Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. <http://www.jmu.edu/polisci/>.