Graduate Handbook

The Graduate Handbook

Political Science Student Handbook

(Updated 8-1-2024) | Download PDF

If there are any differences between regulations in this handbook and those in the Catalog of the Graduate School or official statements of the Graduate Council, the student must follow the regulations in the latter two sources. See http://diglib.lib.utk.edu/dlc/catalog/.

EEO/AA/TITLE IX/SECTION 504/ADA STATEMENT

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, handicap, or veteran status in the provision of educational opportunities or employment opportunities and benefits. UT Knoxville does not discriminate on the basis of sex or handicap in its educational programs and activities, pursuant to requirements of Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Public Law 92-318, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Public Law 93-112, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Public Law 101-336, respectively. This policy extends to both employment by and admission to the University. Inquiries concerning Title IX, Section 504, and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 should be directed to the Office of Affirmative Action, 403-C Andy Holt Tower, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0144; or telephone (865) 974-2498. Charges of violation of the above policy should also be directed to the Office of Affirmative Action.

WELCOME STATEMENT FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD

INTRODUCTION

I. Graduate School Introduction

II. Purpose of Handbook

III. Graduate Student Responsibilities

IV. Graduate Program Administration

GENERAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF FACULTY AND GRADUATE STUDENTS ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE

I. Duties and Responsibilities of Faculty

II. Duties and Responsibilities of Graduate Students

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE

I. Admissions

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

I. Financial Assistance

REGISTRATION AND ADVISING

I. Registration and Types of Courses

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

EXAMINATIONS

STANDARDS, PROBLEMS, AND APPEALS

INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

APPENDIX

WELCOME STATEMENT FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD

Welcome to the Political Science Department’s Graduate Program at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. The Graduate Political Science Program at the University of Tennessee prepares students for research and teaching in academic institutions. The department offers a small, but high-caliber research-oriented program. This is reflected in the strong research focus of our curriculum and in the professional mentoring we provide our students. The department offers training in four primary fields of study: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and public administration. We further provide advanced training in methodology, political economy, and public policy. Our faculty members are highly productive and wellrecognized scholars who publish in top-tier professional journals and book presses; they regularly present research at professional conferences and many are active in local, regional, and national organizations.

Our graduate program remains a relatively small one, with typically fewer than 40 students enrolled in the MA and PhD program at any given time. As a result, seminars are small and students are able to interact with faculty on a regular basis. Many graduate students work with faculty on research projects and collaborative papers are encouraged.

INTRODUCTION

I. Graduate School Introduction

“In order to serve the mission and vision of the Graduate School and preserve the integrity

of Graduate Programs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, information related to the

process of graduate education in each department is to be provided for all graduate students.

Based on Best Practices offered by the Council of Graduate Schools, it is important that

detailed articulation of the information specific to the graduate degrees offered in each

department/program be disseminated.

The Department Graduate Handbook does not deviate from established Graduate School

Policies http://catalog.utk.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=27 noted in the Graduate

Catalog, but rather provides the specific ways in which those policies are carried out.”

II. Purpose of Handbook

The purpose of this handbook is to familiarize graduate students with the content,

admissions procedures, policies, and requirements of the program. Faculty members

conduct research, teach, and perform service in ways that are consistent with the

Department’s Vision Statement:

Our vision is to become a nationally recognized, top-tier political science department. We

aspire to be a faculty in which every member has an active research agenda that leads to

publications in the most highly regarded outlets in the discipline. We seek regularly to

place our best doctoral students as faculty in peer research universities by providing

individual mentoring, a methodologically rigorous program, and an academic community

that fosters collaboration. We seek to provide a broad, theoretically focused

undergraduate degree that will prepare students for graduate school in political science,

professional school, and/or government and public service.

III. Graduate Student Responsibilities

Graduate students are expected to be aware of and satisfy all regulations governing their

work and study and the University of Tennessee. Graduate students should be familiar with

rights and responsibilities as specified in the University of Tennessee’s student handbook

Hilltopics (available at http://web.utk.edu/~homepage/hilltopics/) and in the Graduate

School Catalog (available online at http://diglib.lib.utk.edu/dlc/catalog/), and with the

regulations of the Graduate School and the Department of Political Science. Changes in

overall policy are the responsibility of the Graduate Council.

IV. Graduate Program Administration

Department Head: Professor Brandon Prins

Graduate Director: Professor Ian Down

Support Staff: Leslie Tolman

Phone: 865-974-2261

Fax: 865-974-7037

The Department’s Director of Graduate Studies is the primary administrator of the graduate

program. The Director of Graduate Studies works with the four members of the Graduate

Studies Committee to admit new students, monitor the progress of current students, and

operate the program within the charge of the full faculty. Each year, the Graduate Director

and Department Head organize an orientation for new graduate students.

The Office of Graduate Studies maintains general university requirements for all graduate

students, and sponsors several publications containing a variety of information. For general

university requirements please see the Graduate Catalog online at tiny.utk.edu/grad-catalog.

You may reach the Office of Graduate Admissions at

http://gradschool.utk.edu/admissions/.

GENERAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF FACULTY AND GRADUATE

STUDENTS

I. Duties and Responsibilities of Faculty

The Department of Political Science seeks to provide its graduate students with the best possible

training through coursework, seminars, speakers, independent studies, direction of theses and

dissertations, and other activities. Faculty members have an obligation to stay current in their

respective professional areas and participate in meetings and conferences in their respective

fields. The Department will attempt to give graduate students the best possible guidance in the

selection of course work and research. When the time comes for students to seek employment,

the faculty will assist in every way possible.

In some cases the faculty may conclude that a particular student cannot continue in his or her

graduate studies. If that happens, the Director of Graduate Studies will inform the student of the

decision at the earliest opportunity so that he or she will have time to reevaluate their goals and

decide how to proceed.

II. Duties and Responsibilities of Graduate Students

Every graduate student is expected to meet all the requirements set forth in the current Graduate

School Catalog and all the other requirements specified by the Department. These are subject to

change; students should make an effort to monitor these changes. Copies of the modifications

will also be available in the Graduate Office and on Blackboard. Students are expected to keep

informed about these changes.

Graduate students are expected to attend their classes and to participate actively in Departmental

functions. The Department expects its students to behave in a responsible manner both on and off

the campus.

Students with Graduate Teaching Assistantships or Associateships bear extra responsibilities

because they are also part of the teaching faculty. See “Departmental Assistantships” under

“Financial Support” below.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE

I. Admissions

A. Applying for Admission

A person not enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville,

who desires admission to the graduate program in Political Science should obtain a

Graduate School Catalog and read carefully the full description of the admission

procedure. The description given below is in abbreviated form.

To apply for admission to any graduate program offered by the Department of Political

Science, a student must submit the following:

1. An application for admission to the Graduate School plus an application fee of

$60.00.

2. Three letters of recommendation, at least two of which should be from instructors at

the most recent educational institution attended. These should be submitted by

individuals who are well-qualified to evaluate the applicant’s academic ability, and

potential for completing a degree program in Political Science.

3. Official transcripts for all previous academic work, including any graduate course

work which has been attempted. Students applying for admission to the Ph.D.

program must submit transcripts for all previous undergraduate and graduate work.

4. Scores from the general examination portion of the Graduate Record Examination.

Scores from the Political Science subject examination are not required. Scores

submitted must be no more than five years old from the date of application. Under

most circumstances, the Department will not accept scores from other graduate

aptitude examinations, e.g., the Law School Aptitude Test or the General

Management Aptitude Test.

5. An applicant whose native language is not English and who does not have a degree

from an accredited U.S. institution must have TOEFL scores sent to the Graduate

School. TOEFL scores which are more than two years old are not acceptable.

An applicant who is currently enrolled in a graduate program at the University of

Tennessee, Knoxville, other than in the Department of Political Science, should in

general follow the same procedures. The only exception is that such an individual should

submit, in place of an application for admission to the Graduate School, a “Revision of

Program” form. This form can be obtained online from the Graduate School website

(http://admissions.utk.edu/graduate/forms.shtml) and should be submitted to, the Office

of Graduate Admissions and Records.

All documents for consideration for admission should be submitted to:

Office of Graduate and International Admissions

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

218 Student Services Building

Knoxville, TN 37996-0220

All application materials must be received no later than 45 days prior to the term for

which the student wishes to enroll. Those who wish to receive full consideration for

funding within the Department of Political Science must have a completed application by

January 15. Funding decisions are typically only made for fall admission.

B. Requirements for Admission

1. A bachelor’s degree or its equivalent is required for admission.

2. An applicant must normally have earned at least a 3.0 overall average in all

undergraduate work, if a master’s degree has not been completed (For all references to

grade-point averages, averages are based on a scale on which an ‘A’ equals 4.0).

3. An applicant must normally have earned at least a 3.2 average in all Political Science

courses during the last two years of undergraduate study. If the number of Political

Science courses is fewer than five, a general social science average may be

substituted.

4. An applicant must normally have earned at least a 3.5 overall average in all work

taken for graduate credit.

5. A composite score of 1100 (using the old GRE exam scoring method) or a 302 (using

the new GRE exam scoring format) on the verbal and quantitative parts of the

Graduate Record Examination is desired. No precise standards have been established

for the analytic portion of the examination. The advanced, or subject, examination in

Political Science is not required.

International Students: Applicants who are not citizens of the U.S. must, in general,

meet the requirements stipulated above. Given that grading systems differ from

country to country, students whose undergraduate and/or graduate degrees are from

universities outside of the U.S. should use the following conversion chart in

determining the grade-point average needed to qualify for admission:

a. 3.0 (on undergraduate work) and 3.5 (on graduate work) on a 4.0 scale;

b. 14 (on undergraduate work) and 16 (graduate work) on a 20-point scale;

c. 80.0 from Taiwanese institutions;

d. 1st Class or Division from Indian institutions;

e. Upper 2nd Class honors on various British systems.

As noted above, international students who do not have a degree from an accredited

U.S. college or university must submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign

Language) scores totaling at least 550 on the paper test, 80 on the Internet-based test,

or 213 on the computer-based test, in order to be considered for admission.

Admission to a graduate program is recommended to the Graduate School by the

Department Head, after receipt of advice from the Department’s Graduate Admissions

and Awards Committee and the Director of Graduate Students. Applicants may enter

the program at the beginning of either the Fall or Spring Semesters, subject to

limitations on space in the program.

All application material should be in the hands of the Department at least 45 days

before the beginning of the semester in which a student wishes to enter a program.

Non-immigrant international students currently residing abroad must often submit

their applications as much as 6 months in advance of registration to assure time to

process their I-20 forms.

If the material described above seems to the Department to be inadequate to establish a

student’s potential, the Department may request additional material, and consider it in

determining whether or not admission should be granted. Moreover, meeting the

above standards does not guarantee admission. At the same time, those who fall short

of meeting one or more of these standards may at times be recommended for

admission because of compensating strengths on other dimensions of evaluation.

Acceptance of applicants into the program is governed by two basic factors:

a. A commitment to accept only those students whom the Department feels have a

reasonably good chance of doing well.

b. The necessity of maintaining an enrollment that is not too large to be

adequately served by the Department’s resources. Every effort is made to

select the best qualified applicants.

C. Admission to the Ph.D. Program

In general, an applicant to the Ph.D. program must have earned a Master’s or Bachelor’s

degree, preferably although not necessarily in Political Science or a related field.

A student enrolled in the M.A. program in political science at UTK who wishes to enter

the Ph.D. program upon completion of the Master’s degree should apply to the Ph.D.

program. The committee which administers the student’s Master’s oral or written

comprehensive examination will make recommendations to the Graduate Studies

Committee concerning the desirability of admitting the student to the Ph.D. program.

D. Applying for Readmission

A student who has not attended the Graduate School at the University of Tennessee,

Knoxville, for more than three semesters (including summer) must apply for readmission.

Since readmission is not automatic, a readmissions application should be submitted at

least two weeks prior to the desired reentry date. A student who has attended another

accredited institution since enrollment at the University must submit an official transcript

showing all course work and any degrees earned at that institution. The student will be

notified when the application is received and when action has been taken by the

department and the Graduate School. If readmission is denied, the student may receive

graduate credit for the work taken during the initial semester; however, future registration

will not be permitted until the student is fully readmitted to the Graduate School.

Students are urged to reapply well in advance of planned registration.

E. Types of Admission

Full Admission: To be fully admitted to a degree program, students must submit all of

the documentation and meet all the requirements described above. Students who fall short

on one dimension of evaluation, for example scores on the GRE, might still gain full

admission if their performance on another dimension, for example the GPA, is

substantially above the minimum required. Note: All international students must be fully

admitted into a degree program.

Non-Degree: Students are admitted with non-degree status if their application file is not

complete at the time of the admission decision. All other materials submitted for

consideration must meet the minimum standards described above. Usually, non-degree

status is granted to students who have not submitted GRE scores. Under no

circumstances will a student be admitted without submission of transcripts of all previous

academic work.

Students not fully admitted to a degree program may earn a maximum of fifteen semester

hours which will be counted toward a degree program.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

I. Financial Assistance

Almost all PhD students in residence in Political Science at UTK receive some form of

financial assistance. There are several forms of financial assistance available to students,

including assistantships and fellowships, as well as loans and part-time employment. Most

assistantships and fellowships carry, in addition to a stipend, a waiver of all tuition and fees,

with the exception of the facilities fee, the transportation fee, the technology fee and the

activity fee.

Awards of assistantships and fellowships are based strictly on merit. Moreover, no student

who has not been granted full admission to a degree-granting program is eligible for

consideration for an assistantship or a fellowship.

A. Departmental Assistantships

There are two types of graduate assistantships: teaching assistants and teaching associates.

Both are half time positions, meaning that students who hold these positions are

responsible for working 20 hours per week. Teaching assistants will normally be assigned

to lead discussion sections attached to large lecture sections of introductory courses.

Graduate teaching associates are usually doctoral students and are typically responsible for

teaching a section of a 200-level class each semester (excluding summer term). Graduate

teaching associates are expected to work autonomously in teaching their classes, but they

are provided with guidance, draft syllabi, and other related materials from the department.

Normally assistantships are awarded for one academic year. The performance of all

graduate students who receive financial assistance awards from the department will be

evaluated systematically on an annual basis by the Graduate Studies Committee. This

evaluation will not necessarily be limited to:

1. A review of the student’s UT GPA. All funded students must maintain at least a 3.5

GPA. Any student who falls below that level for one semester will receive a warning.

If the GPA remains below a 3.5 for two consecutive semesters, the student will have

funding terminated.

2. Consideration of whether a student is making satisfactory progress toward the degree

will be made in consultation with the student’s advisor. Under ordinary

circumstances, satisfactory progress will include: (a) Successful completion of the

Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination after no more than 3 years in the Ph.D. Program;

completion of the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination; (d) Completion of all

requirements necessary for the Ph.D. within two years of passing all comprehensive

examination requirements.

3. An evaluation of teaching performance will include: (a) A review of the student

teaching evaluations for each semester; (b) An evaluation of course materials such as

syllabus, exams, etc.; (c) Classroom visits.

4. An evaluation of a Graduate Assistant’s performance will be conducted each semester

by the professor(s) to whom the student is assigned.

5. Under ordinary circumstances, students who are admitted to a graduate program with

only a bachelor’s degree and who pursue a Ph.D. may be eligible to receive no more

than five (5) years of funding that includes a waiver of tuition. Students who are

admitted to the doctoral program with a master’s degree may be eligible to receive no

more than four (4) years of funding that includes a waiver of tuition. This policy

applies to any awards that involve a waiver of tuition. Under extraordinary

circumstances, assistantships for doctoral students may be extended for a maximum

of one year if requested in writing by a student’s mentor and approved by both the

Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Studies Committee. A funding

extension may be considered only if the nominated student is making satisfactory

progress in the doctoral program and the extension of funding will improve the

student’s prospects for securing a faculty position. However, no graduate student will

be eligible for more than six years of funding (counting funding during the master’s

and doctoral programs).

Applicants who wish to apply for a departmental assistantship must file an application

with the Department of Political Science. Application forms can be obtained from the

Department. Applications should be filed by no later than January 1. Applications

filed later will receive consideration only as positions become available. Awards are

usually made by April 1.

B. Fellowships

The Graduate School also administers the Access and Diversity Graduate Fellowship

program. For additional information, see https://gradschool.utk.edu/graduatestudent-

life/costs-funding/graduate-fellowships/endowed-graduatefellowships-

and-access-and-diversity-fellowships/.

C. Other Sources of Financial Assistance

Graduate Students are eligible for consideration for other forms of financial assistance,

specifically employment and loans.

Three sources of student employment are coordinated by the Financial Aid Office: (1)

The federally-sponsored College Work-Study Program provides part-time jobs for U.S.

citizens or permanent residents who have demonstrated financial need by the Financial

Aid Form (FAF) or Family Financial Statement (FFS); (2) Job Location and

Development lists off-campus, part-time, and full-time job opportunities with agencies

and companies throughout the Knoxville area. Job interviews and minimal processing

are required. Off-campus jobs are limited to U.S. citizens or permanent residents; (3)

On-campus, part-time job opportunities are listed by the Student Employment Program.

This list of part-time jobs is based upon requests from on-campus agencies. Referrals are

made in accordance with a student’s skills and interests regardless of financial need.

Students needing either part-time or summer employment are urged to contact the

Financial Aid Office.

Four types of loan programs are administered by the Financial Aid office: 1) Perkins

Loan, formerly National Direct Student Loan, (FAF or FFS must be on file); 2)

Guaranteed Student Loan (FAF and FFS must be on file with appropriate Guaranteed

Student Loan forms); 3) PLUS/SLP Loan (requires appropriate loan papers on file); and

4) The University of Tennessee Loan. Processing time varies from one loan program to

another. Interested students should contact the Financial Aid Office for more

information.

Students must apply through the Financial Aid Office for all loan programs. Loans are

limited to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Students who have attended any post-secondary institution other than UTK must provide

a Financial Aid Transcript to the Financial Aid Office even if no financial aid was

received from the previous institution.

D. Outside Employment

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has an obligation to facilitate your progress in

your degree program. It will be very difficult for you to make adequate and timely

progress toward your degree while holding several jobs. Therefore, special permission

from the Graduate School is required for university employment of more than 50 percent

time. You are strongly discouraged from seeking additional employment outside UTK.

E. Support for Travel

We encourage graduate students to present their research at professional meetings. Funds

to defray the costs of travel to meetings as well as research travel are sometimes available

from department, college, or other University sources, including grants held by faculty

advisors. All travel funds that run through the University must be spent in accordance

with the University of Tennessee’s official Travel Policy statement, located at the

Treasurer’s Office web site (http://treasurer.tennessee.edu/). Graduate students who plan

travel for research or to meetings and have or expect to have some support from

University sources should check the university’s published travel policy and confer well

in advance with the Accounting Specialist in our Main Office (and with their advisor if

the source is a faculty grant) about the necessary forms and procedures that apply in their

situation.

Students applying for Departmental travel funds must also apply for University graduate

student travel funds. The Department’s application deadlines are the same as the

University’s, as listed in the Graduate Catalogue.

Factors considered by the Department in funding travel to conferences include the

applicant’s performance as a graduate student, the significance of the conference, the

number of previously funded applications from the applicant and amounts awarded, and

the availability of Departmental funds.

REGISTRATION AND ADVISING

I. Registration and Types of Courses

A. Registration Procedures

Dates for registration are listed in the Student Calendar in the front of the Graduate

School Catalog.

1. A new student should:

a. report to the Office of Graduate Admissions and Records, 218

Student Services Building, to obtain registration material and a

copy of the Graduate School News which includes deadlines for

the semester.

b. report to the Political Science Office, 1001 McClung Tower,

where the Director of Graduate Studies will assign an advisor.

2. A returning student should follow one of the following procedures:

a. A student should register in advance. Advanced registration for

a semester is held during the previous semester, about four to

six weeks after it begins. If the student chooses this procedure

he/she should obtain a class schedule, pay the necessary fees

and obtain a copy of the Graduate School News on the first day

of ordinary registration.

b. Or, the student should report on ordinary registration day to the

Office of Graduate Admissions and Records to obtain

registration material, and a copy of the Graduate School News.

Prior to registration a student should discuss the courses to be taken with his or her

advisor. Actual registration should reflect the agreement reached at that time. All

graduate students, including graduate and teaching assistants, and scholarship or

fellowship holders, should complete their registration at the Treasurer’s Office, where the

assessment of their tuition and fees will be determined. Those who do not report before

the established deadline for paying fees will be charged the late registration fee.

B. Types of Courses

All course work required of graduate students must be taken in courses providing

graduate credit. All day and night school courses numbered 500 and 600 provide

graduate credit and are open to all graduate students. 500- and 600- level courses may be

repeated for additional credit only with the permission of the Department. Such

permission should be obtained from the student’s advisor at the time the student registers

to repeat the course. It will be granted only if the content of the course is different on the

two or more occasions on which a student wishes to take it. No MA or PhD student may

take 400-level courses for graduate credit.

No more than six hours of Foreign Study, Off Campus Study and Independent Study

combined can be counted toward the Ph.D. or master’s degree.

No work done by correspondence or on-line with The University of Tennessee or any

other institution may be used to meet MA or PhD graduate degree requirements.

Students engaged in the writing of a master’s thesis or a Ph.D. dissertation must enroll for

master’s thesis credit (Political Science 500) or Doctoral Research and Dissertation credit

(Political Science 600). For additional information regarding this requirement, see the

appropriate sections of this handbook.

C. Number of Courses

All American students are urged to register each semester for only that number of hours

which they can successfully complete. The maximum load for a graduate student is

fifteen hours, and nine to twelve hours is considered a full load. Registration for more

than fifteen hours during any semester is not permissible without prior approval of the

Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Graduate School. During the summer

semester these fifteen hours can all be taken during one of the two sessions, or split in

any way between the two sessions. However, the total load taken during both sessions

cannot exceed fifteen hours. Graduate assistants or others who have part-time duties with

the University are expected to enroll for no more than an appropriate fraction of the

maximum load (usually nine hours) and will be considered full-time students when they

do so.

An International student must enroll in and complete nine credit hours per semester;

audited courses do not count toward that total. A student who has completed all course

work, and is working on a dissertation or thesis, need only register for a minimum of

three hours of dissertation or thesis credit.

D. Changes in Registration (Drop, Add, etc.)

The permanent record will show all courses for which the student has registered except

those audited and those from which he/she has withdrawn during the first five

consecutive instructional days after the beginning of classes.

Students who fail to attend the first class meeting without prior arrangement with the

department may be dropped from the course to make their spaces available to other

students. Students have the responsibility to assure that they have been dropped.

Otherwise, they may receive a grade of F in the course.

The deadline for change of registration (e.g. from graduate to undergraduate,

undergraduate to graduate, withdrawal, and add, except audits) is set approximately 1

calendar month after the first day of classes each semester. A student may change

registration for a course at any time prior to and including this date by executing a change

of registration form and submitting it to the Office of Graduate Admissions and Records.

The instructor’s signature is required if the course is closed and/or after the first two

weeks of classes. If the student withdraws from a course or from the University after the

first five days of classes and before the change of registration deadline, he/she will

receive a grade of W on the permanent record. Course registration may not be changed

from credit to audit after the first five days of classes.

After the change of registration deadline, a student withdrawing from a course or from

the University will receive a grade of F unless the student can demonstrate that the

request for withdrawal is based on circumstances beyond the student’s control. In the

latter case, a grade of W will be entered on the permanent record.

To change registration in any way after the deadline, a student must present the request,

together with documentary evidence of extenuating circumstances, to the Office of

Graduate Admissions and Records. In addition, he/she must complete a change of

registration form and questionnaire signed by the instructor(s) and advisor as evidence of

their knowledge of the request. If the request is approved, the Graduate School will

notify the Office of Admissions and Records to enter the change on the student’s

permanent record.

E. Proper Use of 502

Students using University facilities or faculty time, including work required to finish

incomplete grades, must register for course 502 if not registered for other courses.

Students taking the comprehensive examination but not otherwise using University

facilities may pay an examination fee instead of registering for course 502.

F. Proper Use of 500 Thesis Hours

A student must be registered for course 500 (Master’s Thesis Registration) each semester

during work on the thesis, including a minimum of three hours the semester in which the

thesis is accepted by The Graduate School. Students must enroll for a minimum of six

hours of course 500 during work on the thesis. While a student may have to enroll for

more than six hours of course 500, only the first six will count toward the requirements

for the M.A. degree.

A student must not register for thesis hours before coursework is completed; they must

enroll when starting their thesis. The student must continue to register for a minimum of

three hours of course 500 each semester during which he/she is actually doing research

and working on the thesis, through the semester in which the thesis is accepted by The

Graduate School.

A student no longer residing in Knoxville who wishes to register for course 500 may do

so electronically. This should be done at least two weeks in advance of the opening of a

semester. Requests for the necessary forms should be sent to the Graduate School. If

payment and registration forms are not received before the regular registration deadline, a

late fee will be charged.

G. Proper Use of 600 Dissertation Hours

A student must begin registering for course 600 when work on the dissertation begins,

and subsequently the student must continuously register for it during all three semesters

each year until the degree is received, unless a leave of absence is granted. A request for

a leave must be based on the fact that a student finds it necessary to temporarily suspend

work on the dissertation for some good reason. A letter requesting a leave should be sent

to the Head of the Political Science Department who will, in turn, write a letter to the

Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Graduate School supporting the request, if the

Head feels the request meets the requirements. The Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean

of the Graduate School actually grants the leave. No more than six semesters of leave of

absence may be accumulated by a candidate, except under exceptional circumstances.

A student no longer residing in Knoxville who wishes to register for course 600 may do

so electronically. This should be done at least two weeks in advance of the opening of a

semester. Requests for the necessary forms should be sent to The Office of Graduate

Admissions and Records at the address appearing on page 2 of this Handbook. If

payment and registration forms are not received before the regular registration deadline, a

late fee will be charged.

H. Selection of Advisor and Advising Committee

1. MA Program

A student’s advisor is appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies when the student

first enters the program. The student and the advisor work out the student’s program

on the appropriate form, subject to approval by the Director of Graduate Studies.

By a student’s second semester of residence, the student will advise the Director of

Graduate Studies, in writing, of their proposed advisor for the duration of the MA

Program, and said advisor will co-sign the document to confirm acceptance of the

position. This is a requirement even if the advisor remains the faculty member initially

allocated to the student on entrance to the program. The advisor will help structure the

student’s program and evaluate progress and serve as first point of contact for any

questions the student has in regard to the program or the Department. In addition, the

advisor will help the student select two further faculty members to comprise a three

person committee to supervise the thesis (if this option is chosen), and administer the

final examination. A student may change advisor but must do so in writing to the

Director of Graduate Studies and the new advisor must co-sign the document to

confirm acceptance of the position. If a student has a minor outside the Department of

Political Science one member of the faculty committee must be from the minor

department. Subsequent changes in this committee must be reported to the Associate

Vice Chancellor or the Office of Graduate Admissions and Records.

3. PhD Program

A student’s advisor is appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies when the student

first enters the program. The student and the advisor work out the student’s program on

the appropriate form, subject to approval by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Advisor and Projected Program: By the end of the second semester of residence the

student will advise the Director of Graduate Studies, in writing, of a proposed advisor,

and said advisor will co-sign the document to confirm acceptance of the position. This

is a requirement even if the advisor remains the faculty member initially allocated to

the student on entrance to the program. Any tenured or tenure-track faculty

member can serve as a PhD student’s advisor. The advisor will supervise the

planning of the student’s program, evaluate the student’s progress until such a time as a

Dissertation Committee is in place and serve as first point of contact for any questions

the student has in regard to the program or the Department. A student may change

advisor but must do so in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies and the new

advisor must co-sign the document to confirm acceptance of the position.

Permanent Faculty Committee: Before a student prepares an “Admission to

Candidacy” form (see below), the student and the advisor, in consultation with the

Director of Graduate Studies, will choose a permanent faculty committee of at least

four members which will supervise the writing of the dissertation and administer the

final oral examination. They will also choose the chairperson of this committee who

will subsequently be the student’s advisor and major professor. One member of this

committee must be from outside the Department of Political Science. The Director of

Graduate Studies will report the membership of this committee on the appropriate

form. The committee can subsequently be changed if a student’s dissertation plans

change.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

I. Master of Arts Degree Program

A. Overview

The Master of Arts degree has a dual purpose. Primarily, the M.A. is designed to provide

students with the foundation to pursue the more advanced graduate study associated with

the pursuit of the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Many individuals, however, find the M.A.

degree useful in their careers in such diverse areas as journalism, the military, or

education.

1. Total Number of Hours

Depending on whether the student chooses the thesis or non-thesis option (see

below), the number of hours required varies. For thesis students, thirty hours of

graduate credit are required, a maximum of six of these hours can be taken as thesis

credit (course 500). For non-thesis students, thirty-six hours of graduate credit are

required; a minimum of three of these credits must be completed in a 600-level

special topics seminar (see below). At least twenty-seven credit hours must be taken

in the Department of Political Science; this applies to both the thesis and non-thesis

options.

A student may take all of his/her course work in Political Science or, with the

approval of the student’s committee and the Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of

the Graduate School, the student may elect a minor outside the Department of

Political Science. A minor consists of at least six credit hours. Courses from outside

of Political Science can be taken without establishment of a formal minor if they are

approved by a student’s faculty committee.

At least two-thirds of the total hours counted toward a Master’s degree must be taken

at UTK in courses numbered 500 or above. Only six thesis hours (for those electing

the thesis option) can be counted toward this requirement.

2. Two Master’s Degrees

No course already used in earning one Master’s degree can be applied toward another.

3. Time Limit

Degree candidates have six calendar years from the time of enrollment in the

Graduate School to complete the degree. Students who change degree programs

during this six-year period may be granted an extension after review and approval by

The Graduate School. In any event, courses used toward a Master’s degree must have

been taken within six calendar years of graduation.

B. General Requirements

1. Two Areas of Concentration

In developing a student’s program special attention should be given to major gaps at

the undergraduate level. The M.A. student should choose two of the following four

broad areas to concentrate on: American Government and Politics, Comparative

Government and Politics, International Relations and Public Administration. In one

field the student should develop real competence (primary area), in the other

reasonable familiarity with the major aspects (secondary area). An approved field

from outside of Political Science can be substituted for the second field. The student

need not confine course work taken to the two areas chosen.

The specific requirements for the two areas of concentration are as follows:

a. In the primary area, at least two courses must be taken for graduate credit in

addition to the core seminar in that field.

b. In the secondary area of study, at least one course must be taken for graduate

credit in addition to the core seminar in that field.

c. A student may elect to take a minor area outside the department, subject to the

approval of the student’s faculty committee. If this option is chosen, at least two

courses taken for graduate credit must be completed, and these courses must be

approved by the faculty committee.

The student’s faculty committee may require additional course work in one or both

areas of concentration, so long as the total number of hours required of the student,

including major and minor areas and the Empirical Theory and Research

Methodology requirement (see below), does not exceed thirty hours for the thesis

option and thirty-six hours for the non-thesis option.

2. Methodology Requirement

Students enrolled in the M.A. degree program must successfully complete two

courses in methodology: 510 – Scope and Methods in Political Science and either 511

– Research Design or 512 – Quantitative Political Analysis.

3. Thesis/Non-Thesis Option

Students pursuing a terminal M.A. degree may follow one of two options in

completing the degree:

Option I: (30 hours). Course work, plus preparation of a thesis, and an oral

examination on all work offered for the degree. No more than six hours of the

required thirty hours may be earned through thesis credit.

Option II: (36 hours). Course work, plus a written comprehensive examination on all

work offered for the degree. At least three of the hours completed must consist of the

600-level research seminar (see relevant section under the requirements for the Ph.D.

degree program for an explanation of the 600-level special topics seminars) in the

student’s major field of interest.

As noted elsewhere herein, students have the option of entering the Ph.D. program

without completing the master’s degree. Any student, regardless of original program

intention, who fails to complete the doctoral program, will be awarded the M.A.

degree, under any of the following circumstances:

a. Successful completion of a written Ph.D. Comprehensive examination in any

one field of concentration.

b. Retroactive completion of Option I, above.

c. Retroactive completion of Option II, above.

The thesis and non-thesis options are explained in greater detail below.

C. Thesis Option for the M.A. Degree

Students electing this option must, in addition to fulfilling the requirements for two areas

of concentration and empirical methodology, complete a thesis prospectus and a thesis.

Each thesis must contain an abstract and a vita.

1. The Thesis Prospectus

A student’s thesis prospectus should include a discussion of the content and method of

the proposed thesis, an explanation of the legitimacy of the project and an analysis of

the major sources to be used. Its length will depend on the subject involved, and a

student should discuss this matter with his/her faculty committee chairperson.

Normally it will run between 5 and 20 pages. Samples are available in the

Department Office.

A student should circulate the prospectus, together with an approval form obtained

from the Political Science Office, to all members of his/her permanent faculty

committee. When all committee members have signed the approval form it, together

with the prospectus, should be returned to the Director of Graduate Studies.

2. The Thesis

A student must write his/her thesis in full accordance with regulations established by

The Graduate School. In addition to being approved by a student’s faculty committee

a student’s thesis must be formally accepted by The Graduate School. To ensure

familiarity and full compliance with all Graduate School regulations, each student is

encouraged to obtain a copy of the latest edition of the official Graduate School

Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations which is on sale at the

bookstore. For matters not covered by the Graduate School Guide, students should

follow the latest edition one of the following style manuals: (1) William G. Campbell

and Stephen Vaughan Ballou, Form and Style in Thesis Writing; (2) Kate L.

Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations; (3)

Gibaldi and Achtert, MLA Handbook. If a student’s thesis is largely in the field of

public law he/she may instead supplement the Graduate School Manual by using The

Uniform System of Citation prepared by the Harvard Law Review Association.

Each student is encouraged to attend the thesis and dissertation workshop offered

during the Fall and Summer semesters by The Graduate School. Each student should

take a copy of the Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations to the

workshop. The time and place of the workshop is announced in the Graduate School

News. Finally, students are encouraged to meet with the Thesis Consultant of The

Graduate School regarding any problems of form encountered during preparation of

the thesis.

3. Thesis Course Registration

A student must be registered for course 500 (Master’s Thesis Registration) each

semester during work on the thesis, including a minimum of three hours the semester

in which the thesis is accepted by The Graduate School. Students must enroll for a

minimum of six hours of course 500 during work on the thesis. While a student may

have to enroll for more than six hours of course 500, only the first six will count

toward the requirements for the M.A. degree.

A student must not register for thesis hours before coursework is completed; they

must enroll when starting their thesis. The student must continue to register for a

minimum of three hours of course 500 each semester during which he/she is actually

doing research and working on the thesis, through the semester in which the thesis is

accepted by The Graduate School.

A student no longer residing in Knoxville who wishes to register for course 500 may

do so electronically. This should be done at least two weeks in advance of the

opening of a semester. Requests for the necessary forms should be sent to the

Graduate School. If payment and registration forms are not received before the

regular registration deadline, a late fee will be charged.

4. Number of Copies, Approval Sheet and Submission

Two copies of a student’s thesis, each containing an approval sheet signed by all

members of the candidate’s faculty committee, must be submitted to the Graduate

School for approval on or before the deadline indicated each semester in the Graduate

School News. If a student is unable to meet this deadline, and the final corrected

copy of the thesis is approved prior to the first day of registration for the next

semester, the student may then graduate the next semester without being registered if

he/she was registered for three hours of course 500 during the preceding semester.

5. The Final Oral Examination

a. Basic Requirement

Each candidate must take a final oral examination covering the thesis and the

areas on which he/she has concentrated.

b. Preparing for the Oral Examination

To facilitate preparation for the oral examination, reading lists are available to

students covering the six broad areas of concentration. The most important

works in each list are designated by asterisks. The core courses described

elsewhere in this handbook should also prove helpful.

c. Scheduling the Oral and Transmitting Thesis to Examining Committee

A candidate’s oral examination must be scheduled by his/her faculty

committee chairperson through the Office of Graduate Admissions and

Records at least one week prior to the day in which it is to be given. The

deadline for scheduling orals and the deadline for giving them are both listed

each semester in the Graduate School News.

The final draft of a student’s thesis must be transmitted to the examining

committee at least one week before the final oral examination.

d. Administering the Oral Examination

A candidate’s faculty committee will normally act as the examining committee

which administers the oral examination. Its chairperson presides and all

members must be present.

e. Reporting on the Oral Examination, and Reexamination

After the final oral examination a form indicating the results must be signed by

all members of a candidate’s examining committee and forwarded to the Office

of Graduate Admissions and Records.

Should a candidate fail to pass the examination, he/she may not appear for

reexamination until three months have elapsed. Students who fail the second

examination will normally be asked by the Department Head to withdraw from

graduate studies in Political Science.

D. Non-Thesis Option for the M.A. Degree

Students electing this option must complete 36 hours of course work. In addition to

meeting the requirements for two areas of concentration and empirical methodology,

students must complete at least three hours of work in a 600-level special topics seminar,

and must successfully complete a written comprehensive examination over all graduate

work completed.

1. The 600-Level Seminar Requirement

The purpose of the advanced research seminars, numbered at the 600-level, is to

provide students with the opportunity to conduct research beyond that normally

expected in a graduate seminar. At the same time, the research paper produced is of

somewhat less complexity and breadth than might be expected of a master’s thesis. It

is expected that the paper produced would be of sufficient quality to be presented at a

regional political science conference, or even to be submitted for publication in a

journal.

The purpose of this requirement is to give non-thesis students an independent

research experience beyond that available in seminars, while stopping short of the

breadth required for a thesis. Students must complete a minimum of three hours of a

special topics seminar, but may find it necessary to enroll for up to six hours.

For more information on these seminars, see the relevant section under the

requirements for the Ph.D. degree program.

2. The Written Comprehensive Examination

See section on Examinations below

E. Admission to Candidacy

Each student must obtain an Admission to Candidacy form from The Graduate School,

complete it, have it signed by all members of his/her faculty committee, and return it to

the Office of Graduate Admissions and Records. It must be returned no later than one

full semester prior to receipt of the degree. A student can find the exact date in the copy

of the Graduate School News for the semester prior to the one in which the student

intends to graduate. Normally the form should be submitted when a student finishes

his/her course work. If the above deadline makes this impossible, a student can turn the

form in earlier, so long as at least one semester of the student’s graduate course work has

been completed. In this case the student must record the unfinished courses he/she is

taking or plans to take on the form. The student’s advisor can report subsequent changes

in the program to the Office of Graduate Admissions and Records by phone.

F. Applicability of Coursework Taken Outside the Department

Courses taken at another institution may be considered for transfer into the M.A.

program as determined by the Director of Graduate Studies, the student’s committee and

approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Official transcripts must be sent directly to

the Graduate School from all institutions previously attended before any credit will be

considered.

To be transferred into a master’s program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a

course must: be taken for graduate credit; carry a grade of B or better; be a part of a

graduate program in which the student had a B average; not have been used for a

previous degree; be approved by the student’s committee and the Dean of the Graduate

School on the Admission to Candidacy form.

Courses transferred to any graduate program will not affect the minimum residence

requirements for the program, nor will they be counted in determining the student’s

grade point average.

Credits transferred from universities outside the University of Tennessee system cannot

be used to meet the thesis or dissertation requirements or 600-level coursework

requirements. Credit for extension courses taken from other institutions is not

transferable, nor is credit for any course taken at an unaccredited institution.

A minimum of one-half of the total hours required for a Master’s degree must be taken

within the Political Science Department at UTK. In addition, the student may transfer

courses taken at other campuses of The University of Tennessee. Transferred courses

must have been completed within the six-year period prior to receipt of the degree. They

will be placed on the student’s UTK transcript only after admission to candidacy. At least

2/3 of minimally required hours in a master’s degree program must be taken in courses

numbered at or above the 500 level.

Students entering the M.A. program, who have engaged in graduate study outside the

Department of Political Science at UTK, may receive up to nine semester hours credit for

prior work. Courses taken outside the Department will be carefully evaluated to

determine applicability to program requirements for the degree sought.

G. Miscellaneous

1. Students Not Registered for Courses

Students using University facilities or faculty time, including work required to finish

incomplete grades, must register for course 502 if not registered for other courses.

2. Inclusion on the Graduation List

To assure that the student’s name is placed on the Graduation list, each student must

inform The Graduate School of plans to graduate at the beginning of the semester in

which the degree is to be granted.

3. Consultation on Bills and Other Matters

During the semester in which the student intends to receive the degree he/she should

check with the Office of Graduate Admissions and Records to make sure that all

obligations and requirements have been met. No student may graduate who has

financial obligations to the University.

4. Employment

Students wanting help in securing jobs following receipt of their degrees should

consult their advisors concerning the U.S. Government’s “Professional and

Administrative Career Examination” and other means of securing employment early

in their stays at the University. Often faculty members are contacted about public

sector employment opportunities. Students should therefore let faculty members

know the kinds of jobs they are interested in at an early point. Toward the end of the

program each student should also obtain placement forms from the University

Placement Office and see that they are filled out and returned.

III. Doctor of Philosophy Program

A. Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy degree is designed primarily to equip individuals to engage in

teaching and research. Those who hold the Ph.D. in Political Science are able to

comprehend the current literature, to discover the linkages between various areas of

research, and to contribute to the body of knowledge constituting Political Science.

Usually, individuals with a Ph.D. teach in colleges and universities. Those with a Ph.D.

also will find opportunities in other areas of government, as well as in the private sector.

1. Total Number of Hours

A student must complete a minimum of 72 semester hours beyond the bachelor’s

degree. No more than 12 hours taken outside the Department of Political Science at

UTK, including course work at other universities, and course work taken in other

departments at UTK, will count toward the 72-hour requirement.

At least 60 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree must be taken in political science

courses. All 60 hours must be taken in courses numbered at the 500- or 600-levels.

Twenty-four hours must be earned by taking Doctoral Research and Dissertation

(course 600). While more than 24 hours of course 600 may have to be taken only 24

hours will count toward the 72-hour requirement. These 24 hours of course 600 do

not include the requirement that each doctoral student complete a minimum of 6

hours of 600-level seminar work. This latter requirement is discussed separately,

below.

2. Continuous Registration

The student must register continuously for course 600 (minimum of 3 hours) from the

time the doctoral research proposal is approved, admission to candidacy is accepted,

or registration for course 600 is begun, whichever comes first, including summer

semester and the semester in which the dissertation is approved and accepted by the

Graduate School. You must not enroll before coursework is completed. A minimum

total of 24 hours of course 600 is required before the dissertation will be accepted.

3. Leaves of Absence

A student who will not be using faculty services and/or university facilities for a

period of time may request leaves of absence from dissertation research up to a

maximum of six semesters. The request will be considered by The Graduate School

upon written recommendation of the department head.

4. Time Limits

Comprehensive examinations must be taken within five years, and all requirements

must be completed within eight years, from the time of a student’s first enrollment in

the doctoral degree program.

5. Two Consecutive Semesters of Residence

A student must register in the resident graduate program for at least two consecutive

semesters in which he/she takes a minimum of 9 hours of course work each semester.

Course 600 work can be included. If a summer semester falls during this residency

period, registration must be maintained during the summer semester. There is one

exception to this rule. During any semester of the residency period when a student is

working as a graduate assistant or teaching assistant, he/she may register for a

minimum of 6 rather than 9 hours of course work and still meet the requirement.

B. General Requirements

1. Area of Concentration

a. During their first year of study, students must choose one of the following four

fields for comprehensive and oral examination: American Government and

Politics; Comparative Government and Politics; International Relations and

Public Administration.

b. Students must take a minimum of three courses or seminars at the University of

Tennessee, Knoxville in any field to be offered for comprehensive

examination. One of these courses must be the core seminar identified for each

field.

c. Students are allowed to test in a second field and a third field. These fields may

be outside the Department of Political Science. Students who choose to take a

second or third testing field must designate which of the fields is the major

field; they must pass the major field to be admitted to candidacy. Students who

choose to sit for a second or third field exam may request to take the second

and/or third fields at a different time than their major exam.

d. Additional course work outside the major field offered for examination, and/or

additional work in the major field, may be required by the student’s program

committee. This may result in the student having to complete more than the

minimum of 72 hours required for the Ph.D. degree.

2. Minor Field

a. During their first year of study, students must choose one of the following four

fields for designation as a minor area of competence for comprehensive and

oral examination: American Government and Politics; Comparative

Government and Politics; International Relations; and Public Administration.

b. Students must take a minimum of three courses or seminars at the University of

Tennessee, Knoxville in any field to be offered for comprehensive

examination. One of these courses must be the core seminar identified for each

field.

3. General Research Methodology Requirement

a. All doctoral students are required to complete Political Science 510 – Scope

and Methods in Political Science; Political Science 511 – Research Design, and

Political Science 513 – Quantitative Political Analysis II. Completion of this

requirement within three semesters of initial enrollment (unless a student enters

during the Spring Semester, in which case the limit is four semesters) is a

precondition for continued receipt of financial assistance from the department.

b. In some cases students may be exempted from the above requirement on the

basis of evidence that their prior training has provided adequate background.

Exemptions in whole or in part will be granted on the basis of an evaluation of

prior work by the Director of Graduate Studies and the advisor assigned to the

student, in consultation with such other members of the faculty as they may

deem appropriate. Finally, in extreme circumstances, the Director of Graduate

Studies and the student’s advisor may approve adjustments in the time at which

required courses are taken if there are scheduling problems. They may also

allow the substitution of similar courses in other departments when that would

be compatible with the program and needs of the student.

4. Advanced Methodology Requirement

a. Students must also complete two advanced methods courses, from the list

below:

(1) 515 Maximum Likelihood Methods

(2) 516 Dynamic Models in Political Science

(3) 517 Understanding Formal Models

(4) 518 Bayesian Modeling in Political Science

(5) 519 Non-Statistical Approaches to Political Science Research

(6) 610 Special Topics in Empirical Theory and Methodology

b. With Department approval, students may have one advanced methods course

from another Department at the University of Tennessee count for one of the

courses listed in above. Students should provide the Director of Graduate

Studies a copy of the syllabus of the course from outside the Department, for

approval by the current chair of the Methodology Exam Committee. The

Director Graduate Studies will then notify the student in writing whether the

course is acceptable and place a copy of the notification on the student’s file.

c. Students may opt to minor in Methodology. To do so a student must (1) take a

third advanced methodology course from the list above and (2) take a

comprehensive examination in methodology.

d. Students that opt to pursue a minor in Methodology are exempt from the

requirement of an examination in their minor field (see, III.B.2.a above)

5. 600-Level Seminar Requirements

Students are required to complete a minimum of 6 semester hours of work in 600-

level advanced seminars. This requirement is in addition to the 24 hours dissertation

research (course 600) requirement. The purpose of these seminars is to ensure

students the opportunity to do specialized study and research at an advanced level.

Advanced seminars are offered in all six broad areas of study, as well as in U.S.

Constitutional law. All advanced seminars carry 3 hours credit.

6. Cross-Field Concentration

a. Students are not required to do so, but may choose a cross-field concentration

in either Public Policy or Political Economy, contingent on course availability.

Students wishing to pursue this option should discuss the likelihood of course

availability with the Director of Graduate Studies before embarking on the

CFC.

b. In order to satisfy the requirements for a given concentration, students must

complete at least three (3) of the courses listed below.

ii. Public Policy

(1) 543 Law, Regulation, and Public Policy:

(2) 548 Public policy process;

(3) 549 Environmental policy;

(4) 556 Policy analysis;

(5) 654 Contemporary Public Policies;

(6) 682 US foreign policy;

(7) 670 Special topics in CP – Comparative public policy;

(8) 639 Special topics AP – Contemporary Policy Problems

(9) 688 Arms Control and Non-proliferation

iii. Political Economy

(1) 639 Special topics AP – American political economy;

(2) 572 Politics of development;

(3) 583 Economic analysis and development;

(4) 670 Special topics in CP – Comparative political economy;

(5) 688 Special topics in IR – International political economy

Upon successful completion of course work students must write an original,

integrative review of the literature to which they have been exposed in their

concentration. The review must be analytical, synthesizing the previous research and

identifying the contributions and limitations of the literature when considered as a

whole. The review should be approximately 7500 words in length (excluding the

bibliography). A review committee made up of 3 (representing at least two of the

following fields: American Government and Politics, Comparative Government and

Politics, International Relations, and Public Administration) faculty members with

expertise in a student’s cross-field concentration (selected by the student but

approved by the Director of Graduate Studies) will evaluate the review and offer a

grade of Pass with distinction, Pass, or Fail. The precise topic or research question

addressed in the literature review must be approved by the three person committee.

C. Admission to Candidacy

Once a student has finished all course work, (except for the dissertation course 600), and

his/her permanent faculty committee has been appointed and approved by The Graduate

School, the student should obtain from The Graduate School an “Admission to

Candidacy” form and fill it out. The student should list all courses counted toward the

Ph.D. including the courses taken for the Master’s degree. The student should then have

all members of his/her permanent faculty committee sign the form and return it to The

Graduate School. Once the student has passed the comprehensive examination. The

Graduate School will record the dates on which the student did so and inform the student

of admission to candidacy. The student must be admitted to candidacy at least one

semester prior to the date on which the degree is to be conferred.

D. The Dissertation

1. Basic Requirement

Each candidate must complete a dissertation prospectus and a dissertation. Each

dissertation must be microfilmed and for that reason should be copyrighted if the

student wishes to retain rights to it. The Graduate School arranges for microfilming

and copyrighting.

In addition to the Abstract which is an actual part of the thesis, each candidate is

required to submit one copy of the abstract, which will be sent to University

Microfilms for publication in Dissertation Abstracts. It must be limited to 350 words

(based on 70 characters, Elite, per line with a maximum of 35 lines; based on 60

characters, Pica, per line with a maximum of 41 lines).

2. Acquisition of Language Skills

Some graduate students will need foreign language competence to conduct their

dissertation research. Under exceptional circumstances, with the approval of a

student’s faculty advisor and the DGS, a student may be permitted to take up to two

sections of POLS 593 (i.e. 6 credit hours) with a faculty member who has expertise in

the relevant language for the purposes of developing language competence. In

addition to enrolling in POLS 593, the student would enroll in an appropriate

undergraduate language course, agreed with the advisor and the DGS. The student

will be required to meet regularly with the political science faculty member who will

provide additional directed readings in the target language and assign relevant foreign

language research materials (e.g. translation exercises, analyzing archival or other

primary documents). Only 200 level or above courses in the targeted foreign

language are eligible. Only non-native speakers of the targeted foreign language may

use this provision. Under exceptional circumstances, with the approval of the faculty

advisor and DGS, a student entering the PhD program with an MA, who transfers in

the full twelve credit hours from their MA, may take one section of POLS 593 (for

foreign language acquisition, as above) and substitute it for one of the two required

advanced methods courses, if it is essential to their research.

3. Dissertation Prospectus

a. Content and length

A student’s dissertation prospectus should include a discussion of the content

and method of the proposed dissertation, an explanation of the legitimacy of

the project and an analysis of the major sources to be used. Its length will

depend on the subject involved, and a student should discuss this matter with

his/her faculty committee chairperson. Normally it will run between 5 and 20

pages. Samples are available in the Department Office.

b. Prospectus approval

A student will circulate the prospectus to all members of his/her permanent

faculty (i.e., dissertation) committee). When the prospectus is judged

acceptable by the members of the committee, the committee and the student

will schedule a public defense of the prospectus. The defense will be open to

all members of the academic community. The Director of Graduate Studies

will be informed of the place and time of the defense.

After the public prospectus defense, and after making any changes deemed

warranted by the committee as a result of comments received at the defense,

the student will obtain signatures of all committee members on the prospectus

approval form, which can be obtained in the Political Science Office. The

approval form, along with one copy of the prospectus, will then be forwarded

to the Director of Graduate Studies.

The dissertation prospectus will serve as an understanding between the student

and the permanent faculty committee. With the prospectus, the student and

the committee agree as to the question(s) to be investigated, the data and

methods to be employed, the research design to be followed, and other aspects

of the dissertation enterprise. If a student and the members of the permanent

faculty committee come to mutual agreement on changes in the prospectus,

after the defense of the prospectus, the dissertation may incorporate those

changes. In this circumstance, the Director of Graduate Studies will be

notified in writing of the changes agreed to by the student and the dissertation

director. This notification will come from the dissertation director.

4. The Dissertation Proper

a. Form and Style

A student must write his/her dissertation in full accordance with regulations

established by The Graduate School. In addition to being approved by a

student’s faculty committee the dissertation must be formally accepted by The

Graduate School. To ensure familiarity and full compliance with all Graduate

School regulations, each student is encouraged to obtain access to a copy of

the latest edition of the official UTK Guide to the Preparation of Theses and

Dissertations which is on sale at the bookstore and online. For matters not

covered by the Graduate School manual students should follow the latest

edition of one of the following style manuals: (1) William G. Campbell and

Stephen Vaughan Ballou, Form and Style in Thesis Writing; (2) Kate L.

Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations;

(3) Gibaldi and Achtert, The MLA Handbook. If a student’s Dissertation is

largely in the field of public law he/she may instead supplement the Graduate

School Guide by using A Uniform System of Citation prepared by the

Harvard Law Review Association.

Each student is encouraged to attend the thesis and dissertation workshop

offered during the Fall and Summer semesters by the Graduate School. Each

student should take a copy of the UTK Guide to the Preparation of Theses and

Dissertations to the workshop. The time and place of the workshop is

announced in the Graduate School News. Finally each student is encouraged

to consult with the Thesis Consultant in The Graduate School regarding any

problems of form encountered during preparation of the dissertation.

b. Continuous Dissertation course registration

A student must begin registering for course 600 when work on the

dissertation begins, and subsequently the student must continuously register

for it during all three semesters each year until the degree is received, unless a

leave of absence is granted. A request for a leave must be based on the fact

that a student finds it necessary to temporarily suspend work on the

dissertation for some good reason. A letter requesting a leave should be sent

to the Head of the Political Science Department who will, in turn, write a

letter to the Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Graduate School

supporting the request, if the Head feels the request meets the requirements.

The Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Graduate School actually

grants the leave. No more than six semesters of leave of absence may be

accumulated by a candidate, except under exceptional circumstances.

A student no longer residing in Knoxville who wishes to register for course

600 may do so electronically. This should be done at least two weeks in

advance of the opening of a semester. Requests for the necessary forms

should be sent to The Office of Graduate Admissions and Records at the

address appearing on page 2 of this Handbook. If payment and registration

forms are not received before the regular registration deadline, a late fee will

be charged.

c. Number of copies, approval sheet, and submission

Two copies of a student’s dissertation, each containing an approval sheet

signed by all members of the candidate’s faculty committee, must be

submitted to The Graduate School for approval on or before the date indicated

each semester in the Graduate School News. If a student is unable to meet

this deadline, and the final corrected copy of the dissertation has been

submitted to the Graduate School by the day before commencement, The

Graduate School will allow the student to graduate the next semester without

being registered if he/she was registered for at least three hours of course 600

during the preceding semester.

5. Final Oral Examination

a. Basic requirement

Each candidate must take a final oral examination on the dissertation and the

field in which it was written after completing all courses and the dissertation.

b. Scheduling the oral examination

A candidate’s final oral examination must be scheduled by the chairperson of

his/her permanent faculty committee through The Graduate School at least

one week prior to the day on which it is to be given. The deadline for

scheduling orals and the deadline for giving them are both listed each

semester in the Graduate School News.

c. Administering the oral examination

A candidate’s final oral examination is administered by his/her permanent

faculty committee with the chairperson of that committee presiding. The

examination is announced publicly by The Graduate School and is open to all

faculty members.

d. Reporting the results

After the final oral examination a form indicating the results must be signed

by all members of a candidate’s permanent faculty committee and forwarded

to The Graduate School.

E. Applicability of Coursework Taken Outside the Department

At the doctoral level, courses are not officially transferred although they may be used to

meet degree requirements. Where a requirement has been met through coursework in

another program, the student may petition the academic unit for a waiver of the

requirement at the doctoral level. Official transcripts must be sent directly to the

Graduate School from all institutions previously attended before any credit will be

considered.

To be transferred into a master’s program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a

course must: be taken for graduate credit; carry a grade of B or better; be a part of a

graduate program in which the student had a B average; not have been used for a

previous degree; be approved by the student’s committee and the Dean of the Graduate

School on the Admission to Candidacy form.

Courses transferred to any graduate program will not affect the minimum residence

requirements for the program, nor will they be counted in determining the student’s

grade point average.

Credits transferred from universities outside the University of Tennessee system cannot

be used to meet the thesis or dissertation requirements or 600-level coursework

requirements. Credit for extension courses taken from other institutions is not

transferable, nor is credit for any course taken at an unaccredited institution.

The number of hours the student may transfer to a doctoral program will be determined

by the student’s doctoral committee. Although the courses transferred may be used as

part of the requirements toward the degree, they will not be placed on the student’s UTK

transcript.

Students entering the Ph.D. program, who have engaged in graduate study outside the

Department of Political Science at UTK, may receive up to twelve semester hours credit

for prior work. Courses taken outside the Department will be carefully evaluated to

determine applicability to the requirements for the Ph.D. degree and may only be used to

meet hours requirements, not the requirements for a Major field, a Minor field, a Cross-

Field Concentration (if applicable) or research methodology.

F. Miscellaneous

1. Inclusion on the Graduation List

To assure that each student’s name is placed on the Graduation List, each student

must inform The Office of Graduate Admissions and Records of plans to graduate at

the beginning of the semester in which the degree is to be granted.

2. Consultation on Bills and Other Matters

During the semester in which a student intends to receive his/her degree the student

should check with The Graduate Office of Admissions and Records to make sure that

all requirements, including financial obligations to the University, have been met. No

student with financial obligations to the University may graduate.

3. Obtaining Employment

About one year before graduation each student desiring assistance with placement

should make an appointment with the Graduate Director, obtain a “biographical data

form” from the Coordinator, fill it out, and return it.

Each student should also contact the University Placement Office and discuss with its

personnel their program for placing doctoral candidates.

As part of the preparation process for the job market, Ph.D. students are required to

participate in a “practice interview” with members of the department’s faculty prior to

visiting any campus for an interview. This mock interview setting will consist of

each candidate delivering a presentation, then providing faculty an opportunity to

pose questions to the “candidate” as well as provide guidance and suggestions on

improving their presentation. This requirement will follow the general process

suggested below.

When a Ph.D. student in the department receives an invitation to visit a campus for a

formal job interview, the student’s advisor will notify the Graduate Director that a

“practice interview” is needed. The Graduate Director will be responsible for

reserving space for the student’s presentation as well as notifying the department

faculty of the date and time for the presentation. The presentation will be treated by

faculty as a formal interview, which implies that the “candidate” should be formally

introduced and faculty members should interject questions and challenges to the

“candidate’s” research during and after the presentation. The “practice interview”

should conclude in a less formal setting, with feedback from faculty members

regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the presentation, as well as guidance and

suggestions for how the presentation could be improved or how the student could

better prepare. The purpose of this process is to subject the student to an actual

interview-type setting while providing meaningful and helpful feedback to better

prepare the student for his/her actual campus interview.

4. Undertaking a Master’s Degree or Graduate Certificate in another UT Department

Undertaking a Master’s degree or graduate certificate in another Department will

delay completion of the PhD. Accordingly, students should only do so if they have

acquired sufficient additional funding, or know that they will be able to complete

their PhD without additional Department funding. Any student that uses their

Departmental funding for the purpose of acquiring a master’s degree or graduate

certificate in another department will be accorded a lower priority should they

subsequently request additional Department support to complete their PhD.

IV. Global Security Studies Certificate

A. Overview

The graduate certificate in Global Security Studies is a 15-hour certificate designed to

provide students with a focused course of study in conflict processes, arms control,

weapons proliferation, terrorism, international law, and U.S. national security

institutions. The certificate will provide students with analytical tools to critically

evaluate threats to U.S. and global security and develop the skills to model those

threats effectively. The goal of the certificate is to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue

on extant and emerging threats to the U.S. homeland and interests abroad. Experts

from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, including business, physical and

natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and government, will often be asked to

participate in the certificate to help students understand and appreciate the complex

and difficult issues involved in U.S. and global security.

B. Admission

Students who are currently admitted in a program in the Department of Political

Science or students admitted in other master’s or doctoral programs can earn the

certificate in Global Security Studies while completing their degrees. Admission to

the Political Science Department is not required to earn the certificate in Global

Security Studies. Interested applicants not currently admitted at UTK will complete

and submit an online application to the Office of Graduate Admissions for admission

to the Global Security Studies certificate.

C. Requirements

Political Science 580 (POLS 580) is required along with four of the following

courses:

Nuclear Engineering (NE 530)

Political Science (POLS 548)

Political Science (POLS 571)

Political Science (POLS 573)

Political Science (POLS 682)

Political Science (POLS 684)

Political Science (POLS 685)

Political Science (POLS 686)

Students may petition to have one alternative 3 credit hour course be substituted for

one of the courses above. The course to be substituted must be a UTK graduate

course (500 or 600 level) and clearly related to the content of the Global Security

Studies certificate. The approval of this petition is at the discretion of the Department

of Political Science, Director of Graduate Studies, to whom the petition should be

made.

After completing all requirements, submit the Completion of Certificate Program

form, with original signatures, to The Graduate School for processing.”

EXAMINATIONS

I. Types

A. M.A.

Students that select the non-thesis option for the M.A. degree must successfully complete

a written comprehensive examination over all graduate work completed.

1. Material Covered

The comprehensive examination is intended to be not merely a test over the student’s

course work, but a measure of the student’s ability to integrate material in the major

and related fields. The student will be expected to demonstrate not only familiarity

with the literatures introduced in the student’s curriculum, but also the linkages

between the literatures. Approximately two-thirds of the examination will cover the

student’s primary area, and one-third will cover the secondary area.

2. Preparation for the Exam

The core courses in the fields of interest should be useful to those preparing for

comprehensive examinations. Students should consult members of their faculty

committee, as well as the members of the M.A. Examination Committee, for

additional guidance in preparation for their examination.

B. Ph.D.

1. Material Covered

The first part of each examination will test the student’s knowledge of the subfield

and ability to make use of key concepts. The second part of each examination will test

the student’s knowledge of those aspects of the subfield to which the student has

given particular attention.

The format of the examination is take home, open book.

a. Major Field Exam

Students will access the first part of the exam on Canvas at 8.00am on Monday, and

confirm access to the exam with the Graduate Secretary. Answers must be uploaded

to Canvas no later than 12:30pm the same day. Students must confirm with the

Graduate Secretary that the Department has received an uncorrupted set of answers

before the exam is formally over. Students will access the second part of the exam on

Canvas at 8.00am on Tuesday, and confirm access to the exam with the Graduate

Secretary. Answers must be uploaded to Canvas no later than 5:00pm the same day.

Students must confirm with the Graduate Secretary that the Department has received

an uncorrupted set of answers before the exam is formally over. For those students

opting to test in two fields, the second exam will be undertaken as per the foregoing

but commencing on the following Monday.

b. Minor Field Exam

Students will access the first part of the exam on Canvas at 8.00am on Monday, and

confirm access to the exam with the Graduate Secretary. Answers must be uploaded

to Canvas no later than 12:30pm the same day. Students must confirm with the

Graduate Secretary that the Department has received an uncorrupted set of answers

before the exam is formally over. Students will access the second part of the exam on

Canvas at 8.00am on Tuesday, and confirm access to the exam with the Graduate

Secretary. Answers must be uploaded to Canvas no later than 12:30pm the same day.

Students must confirm with the Graduate Secretary that the Department has received

an uncorrupted set of answers before the exam is formally over. For those students

opting to test in two fields, the second exam will be undertaken as per the foregoing

but commencing on the following Monday.

Examination essays must be limited to a maximum of 12,000 words per field, for the

major field exam, and, 8,000 words per field for the minor field exam, including any

footnotes, but not including references. Exams must be word-processed and must

conform to an acceptable style of scholarly writing and presentation.

2. Preparation for the Exam

The core courses in the fields of interest should be useful to those preparing for

comprehensive examinations, but students are expected to demonstrate mastery of

material beyond that covered in their coursework. Students should consult members

of their faculty committee, as well as the members of the Ph.D. Examination

Committee, for additional guidance in preparation for their examination.

In the major field exam students will be required to answer a general field related

question and two specific field related questions.

In the minor field exam students will be required to answer a general field related

question and one specific field related questions.

Students who select methodology as a minor must take and pass a written exam to

demonstrate their mastery. The exam will be scheduled on the Wednesday

immediately following the Comprehensive Field Examinations (ordinarily the second

Wednesday of August and January each year). The exam will consist of two parts.

The first part of the exam will cover theoretical concerns while the second part will

focus on the application of methodology to data. Students will access the exam on

Canvas at 8.00am, and confirm access to the exam with the Graduate Secretary.

Answers must be uploaded to Canvas no later than 5:00pm the same day. Students

must confirm with the Graduate Secretary that the Department has received an

uncorrupted set of answers before the exam is formally over.

II. Administration

A. M.A.

1. Timing

The M.A. written comprehensive examination will be distributed each semester on the

first Friday of April, July (unless it is the July 4th holiday) and November. Students

who wish to take the examination must notify the Director of Graduate Studies, as well

as the chairman of their faculty committee, within 30 days after the start of the semester

they wish to sit for the examination. The qualifying examination will be a take-home

examination to be picked up at 4:30 PM from 1001 McClung Tower and returned by

8:30AM three days later (64 hours) to room 1001 McClung Tower. The exam must be

typed. You will be permitted to use whatever notes, references, etc. that you wish.

Approximately two-thirds of the examination will cover the student’s primary area, and

one-third will cover the secondary area.

No student will be allowed to take this examination until such time as all course work

is substantially complete. In turn, a student will not be permitted to take this

examination if a) his/her grades include any incompletes; or b) his/her grades include

incompletes, regardless of the number, that have been extended beyond the one-year

removal period. In unusual circumstances this restriction may be waived by the

Director of Graduate Studies.

The examination must be scheduled through the graduate secretary in the Department

of Political Science office in accordance with the deadlines specified in the Graduate

School News. Final comprehensive examinations not properly scheduled must be

repeated. Students using University facilities or faculty time, including work required

to finish incomplete grades, must register for course 502 if not registered for other

courses. Students taking the examination, but not otherwise registered for course

work, may pay an examination fee instead of registering for course work

2. The Committee for the M.A. Examination

The Department Head will appoint an Examination Committee for each student

taking a comprehensive examination for completion of the M.A. The committee will

consist of at least three people, with at least two people representing each of the

student’s two testing areas. The student’s advisor will serve on the examination

committee.

It is the responsibility of the field committee chairs to solicit questions from all

relevant faculty. The field committee will then construct the examination. The

examination will consist of at least two questions from the student’s primary area, and

at least one question from the student’s secondary area.

Each student’s performance on a field examination will be evaluated by members of

the field committee. The possible grades on the examination will be pass with

distinction, pass, and fail. Written examinations in areas outside Political Science

will be prepared and evaluated by appropriate members of other departments.

Each person evaluating an examination will record his/her evaluation on the

appropriate form in the Political Science Office. The chairperson of each committee

shall be responsible for ensuring that each examination is evaluated within two weeks

of the date on which the examination is given

B. Ph.D.

1. Timing

Every student must take two written comprehensive examinations. The student will

take a comprehensive examination when all coursework is completed in the area to be

tested. The two written comprehensive examinations should be taken no later than the

student’s third year of participation in the Ph.D. program.

In exceptional cases, requirements relative to prerequisites for and timing of the

comprehensive exam may be waived by the Director of Graduate Studies on the

recommendations of the student’s advisor and program committee; however, in no

case may the examination be taken later than five years from the time a student first

enrolls in the doctoral program. This latter limit has been established by The

Graduate School and cannot be waived by the Department. No student may take the

comprehensive examination until such time as all incomplete grades are removed

from the student’s record.

2. Scheduling

Written comprehensive examinations for doctoral candidates are given on the second

Monday and Tuesday of January and August each year. A student who intends to

take the examinations must declare his/her intention to do so in writing to the Director

of Graduate Studies at least three months prior to the commencement of the

examination period.

A student who because of unusual circumstances wishes to take the comprehensive

examinations at a time other than the two regularly scheduled examination periods

must request permission to do so in writing from the Graduate Studies Committee at

least thirty days before the date on which the student wishes to be examined.

Permission will be granted only in exceptional cases.

3. Preparation

The core courses discussed above should be useful to those preparing for the

comprehensive examination. In addition, subfield bibliographies are available in each

of the fields covered by the comprehensive examinations. Previous exams are

available in the Department Office.

4. Faculty Committee

For each examination period the Head of the department shall appoint a committee

for each of the four Ph.D. testing fields and shall designate one person to chair each

committee. The department head shall inform the student of the faculty members

who comprise the exam committee.

It shall be the responsibility of the chairperson of each field committee to solicit from

all department members teaching in that field questions to be incorporated into the

comprehensive examination covering the field. With the advice and consultation of

the field committee members, the chairperson of each committee shall prepare a

comprehensive examination.

III. Appeals

A. M.A.

The student has passed the comprehensive exam if a majority of committee members

from both the primary and secondary areas grade their areas as passing. If the student

passes one area but fails in the other, the student has failed the exam. If readers in an

area are tied in their judgment of whether a student has passed the examination the

Department Head will appoint an additional person to serve as a reader on the

examination committee.

A student will normally retake the portions of the written examination failed at the next

regularly scheduled examination period. The Department Head will normally request the

Graduate School to dismiss a student who fails the examination a second time. The

results of the second examination are final.

If a student passes both parts of the examination, but the evaluators deem his/her

performance on the examination to be deficient, the M.A. Examination Committee may,

at its discretion, require the student to take an oral examination. This examination will be

scheduled within one month of the date the examination results are returned to the

student.

The Oral Examination Committee will consist of no fewer than three faculty, all of whom

will be drawn from the M.A. Examination Committee, and shall consist of at least one

member from each examination field. The student’s advisor shall always sit on the Oral

Examination Committee, and shall serve as its chairperson.

The purpose of the oral examination is to cover, in depth, those portions of the written

examination on which the student has a demonstrated deficiency. The Oral Examination

Committee may determine that the student possesses competency in the area being

examined, in which case the student will be considered to have passed the M.A.

Comprehensive Examination. The committee may also determine that the student is

deficient in the area being examined, in which case the student will have failed that

portion of the examination.

When the comprehensive examination process has been completed, the chairperson of the

student’s Faculty Committee will report the results to the Director of Graduate Studies,

who in turn will report these results to The Graduate School. The Director of Graduate

Studies will also notify the student of the results of the examination, or will delegate this

responsibility to the chairperson of the student’s Faculty Committee.

B. Ph.D.

Each student’s performance on a field examination will be evaluated by members of the

field committee. A majority of faculty on a committee must vote to pass an exam before

it will be certified as having passed. Written exams in areas outside Political Science will

be prepared and evaluated by appropriate members of other departments. Each person

evaluating an examination will record his/her evaluation on the appropriate form from the

Political Science office. The chairperson of each field committee shall be responsible for

seeing that each examination prepared by his/her committee is evaluated within two

weeks of the date on which the last examination administered during a particular

examination period was given.

The chairperson will report the results of the written exams to the Director of Graduate

Studies, who in turn will report them to the Graduate School on the appropriate form and

to the student in writing.

If a student fails an examination, the Graduate Director will notify the student and the

student’s advisor. Under normal circumstances, if an examination(s) is failed, the student

will repeat the examination(s) failed at the next regular examination period.

Before repeating an examination a student is strongly encouraged to consult with his

advisor and if possible with members of the examining committee to receive help in

preparing to repeat it. No student will proceed to the oral examination until all written

comprehensive examinations are passed.

A student who fails one or both written comprehensive exams may retake the failed

examinations as many times as s/he wishes. However, both exams must be passed, and

the dissertation completed, within the six (6) year time limit required to complete the

degree.

Prospective Ph.D. candidates are not required to take an oral comprehensive examination.

However, if the examination committee deems a student’s performance on the written

examination to be deficient, the committee may, at its discretion, require the student to

take an oral examination. The oral examination is given as soon as possible after taking

the written examination.

The oral examination will be conducted by the committee that evaluated the written

examination. Decisions of the committee will be made by simple majority votes.

STANDARDS, PROBLEMS, AND APPEALS

Each student is required to maintain an acceptable grade point average, (3.0 or above), to make

satisfactory progress toward the degree, and to conduct him/herself in accordance with the

generally accepted principles of academic honesty. Continuation in the program is determined

by the consideration of all three standards.

I. Maintaining an Acceptable Grade-Point Average

Graduate students are required to make an overall minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in

courses taken for graduate credit. Graduate credit is allowed only for courses completed with

grades of A (4.0), B+ (3.5), B (3.0), C+ (2.5), C (2.0), and S. Grades of D (1.0) or F (0.0) are

counted in computing the grade-point average, but carry no credit. No graduate student is

allowed to repeat a course for the purpose of raising a grade already received. Transferred

work is not counted in computing the grade-point average. Political Science graduate

students seeking financial assistance from the Department of Political Science are expected

to have a minimum GPA of 3.5.

Grades of S (satisfactory) or NC (no credit) are approved for certain kinds of courses, which

do not lend themselves to conventional grading practices. Neither an S nor an NC affects the

grade-point average. A student receives credit for an S but not for an NC. No more than 1/4

of the course hours required for a degree program, excluding dissertation or thesis hours, can

be taken on an S/NC basis. A student may retake a course in which an NC was received for

the purpose of replacing the grade with an S.

II. Evaluation

Graduate education requires continuous evaluation of the student. This evaluation includes

not only periodic objective evaluation, such as the cumulative grade-point average,

performance on comprehensive examinations and acceptance of the thesis or dissertation, but

also judgments by the faculty of the student’s progress and potential. Continuation in a

program is determined by consideration of all these points by the faculty.

The academic records of all graduate students are reviewed at the end of each semester,

including the summer term. Graduate students must maintain a cumulative grade-point

average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on all graduate courses taken for a letter grade of A-F. Grades

of S/NC, P/NP, and I, which have no numerical equivalent, are excluded from this

computation.

On an annual basis, all students will complete a self-evaluation form circulated by the

Director of Graduate Studies, usually in late August. Once a graduate student has completed

the self-evaluation form they must arrange a meeting with their faculty adviser to discuss

their progress to date, and their future plans, and have the adviser sign their evaluation form.

Only once this meeting has been held and the adviser’s signature acquired can the form be

submitted to the Department. The Director of Graduate Studies will notify all graduate

students of the date that the completed form must be submitted to the Department.

III. Incompletes

For a student whose recitation and examination grades are satisfactory, but whose grades are

withheld because of failure to complete all required work, an “I” (incomplete) is reported.

Grades of incomplete are recorded at the end of the semester in which they are earned but are

not figured into the grade-point average. Incompletes must be removed within one calendar

year, excluding the summer semester. If they are not removed by the end of the appropriate

time period, they are changed to “F” during the next semester. The “F” is permanent unless

the Graduate School subsequently allows it to be changed. Such changes will be approved

only if an error has been made in recording the grade.

Finally it should be noted that the Graduate School requires that all incompletes be removed

at least one week prior to receiving the degree. No student may graduate with an “I” on the

record.

IV. Making Satisfactory Progress

The maximum course load for graduate students is fifteen hours, and nine hours is considered

the minimum course load for a full-time student. The only exception is for those students on

half-time assistantships; for those students, six hours is considered to be a full-time load.

In general, students are expected to complete each semester the number of hours stipulated as

constituting a full-time course load, to maintain reasonable progress. Further, as noted

elsewhere, international students must complete nine hours of course work each semester.

The only exception to these standards is for students who are working on theses or

dissertations. For these students, only dissertation credits must be enrolled for, said credits

not being completed until the thesis or dissertation is complete.

V. Academic Probation and Dismissal

Upon completion of nine hours of graduate course work, a graduate student will be placed on

academic probation by The Graduate School when his/her cumulative GPA falls below 3.0.

A student will be allowed to continue graduate study in subsequent semesters if each

semester’s grade-point average is 3.0 or greater. Upon achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.0,

the student will be removed from probationary status.

If a student is on academic probation, the degree or non-degree status will be terminated by

The Graduate School if the student’s semester GPA falls below a 3.0 (required for

graduation) in a subsequent semester. When the particular circumstances may be deemed to

justify continuation, and upon recommendation of the appropriate academic unit and

approval of The Graduate School, a student on probation whose semester GPA is below a 3.0

may be allowed to continue on a semester-by-semester basis.

If a student does not maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above, the Director of Graduate Studies and

the Department Head may, acting together, terminate the student’s participation in the

program. Moreover, a student may be dismissed from a graduate program for failing to

maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree, or for failure to conform to standards of

academic honesty, upon a simple majority vote of all faculty members of the rank of assistant

professor or above. Any student with respect to whom such action is contemplated shall be

invited, in writing, to present his/her case to the Department Faculty before it acts. Students

who wish to appeal decisions further should consult the Graduate Council Appeals Procedure

(Effective Fall 2017) for the steps to be taken for such an appeal (available online at

https://gradschool.utk.edu/documents/2016/02/student-appeals-procedures.pdf/).

Appeal procedures in regard to allegations of misconduct or academic dishonesty are

presented in Hilltopics under “Disciplinary Regulations and Procedures.” Students with

grievances related to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability or veteran status

should file a formal complaint with the Office of Equity and Diversity.

There are certain exceptions to this policy. Specifically, those students dismissed from a

degree program, due to failing the comprehensive examination for that program, will be

dropped from the program according to the procedures outlined in the sections of this

handbook dealing with comprehensive examinations.

VI. Academic Honesty

All students are expected to conform to standards of academic honesty. Included in this

expectation, but not identical to it, is the expectation that all students will refrain from

plagiarism. Plagiarism must not occur in any paper, thesis or dissertation written by a student

at the University of Tennessee. Strong action will be taken by the Department if plagiarism

does occur. Every writer should be concerned that his/her study clearly and precisely

reflects, through quotation marks, and/or footnoting, all cases in which materials–idea,

arrangement order, expression in the form of paragraph, sentence, phrase, or even a single

key word–has been borrowed.

The following rules apply as general guidelines. First, any passage, no matter how short,

which is taken word for word from another work must be marked as a quotation and the

source from which it was taken must be indicated in a footnote.

Second, when the wording of a passage is not taken directly from another work but the ideas

it contains are taken directly from another work, a footnote indicating the source from which

the ideas come must be inserted. (In general it is preferable to summarize briefly in your

own words the opinion of an author, with proper citations, instead of copying lengthy literal

quotations. If you feel that you cannot express an idea as well as the author, however, copy

the passage exactly and make it as a quotation. Do not under any circumstances change a

few words within it and insert it in your paper as your own work.)

Third, never copy a footnote or a citation taken from a footnote without indicating the source

from which you have taken the footnote or citation. Individual facts which are common

knowledge in the field need not be footnoted.

In case of doubt as to whether plagiarism is being committed, the student should consult with

the instructor or advisor.

VII. Procedures for Graduate Assistant Planned Absence from Instructional Activity

1. Planned absences from instructional activity are only permissible, at the Discretion of the

Department Head and Director of Graduate Studies, if a GTA:

– Is attending an interview for a job, a grant, a scholarship, a fellowship or other type of

award, or is attending an academic conference.

– Gains the prior approval of the Department Head and Director of Graduate Studies

– Makes arrangements with other GTA(s) for cover for the class they will miss

(arrangements approved in advance by the Department Head and Director of Graduate

Studies).

2. GTAs who, at short notice and due to illness or emergency, are unable to teach their class,

must notify the Department as soon as possible, to enable the Department to make

alternative arrangements

3. GTAs canceling or leaving office hours early must:

– Email all undergraduates in the their classes that office hours are being canceled, and

– In the same email, provide an alternative set of office hours for that week.

4. Permissible venues for GTA study sessions, office hours, etc.

– All GTA office hours must be undertaken in designated office spaces including those in

McClung Tower and the Baker Center.

– Study sessions may be conducted in office space and other such areas of the campus

designated for such purposes.

5. If a GTA believes academic dishonesty or scientific misconduct has occurred, notify the

Department Head and Director of Graduate Studies and follow the guidelines laid out below

and as detailed in Hilltopics.

a. Instructor identifies suspected case of academic dishonesty.

b. Instructor may choose to meet with student(s) involved to investigate and determine if an

instance of academic dishonesty did occur. (Instructor may also choose not to meet with

the student(s) or student(s) may not be available due to semester breaks. In either of these

cases, the instructor should proceed to Step three.)

c. Instructor notifies student in writing of the allegation. The letter should be countersigned

by the department head, and should describe the professorial penalty to be imposed and

the student’s route of appeal. Copies shall go to the Office of the Dean of Students, the

administrative head of the instructor’s academic unit, and where different, the head of the

academic unit in which the student is enrolled. Instructors should also send a copy of this

letter to Student Conduct and Community Standards.

d. Hard copy of letter is sent to student. Instructors are strongly encouraged to send a copy

of the letter to the student via e-mail at their university e-mail address.

e. Upon receipt of the letter, the student may choose to appeal the professorial penalty

according the process outlined in Hilltopics under the heading, Appeal of Professorial

Penalty. The student’s appeal may be resolved at the department level in consultation

with the instructor and/or department head. If not resolved at the department level, the

student may request that his/her appeal be heard in an Academic Review Board Hearing.

If the appeal is heard by an Academic Review Board, the determinations of the board will

be made according to the procedures outlined in Hilltopics under the heading, “Decision

and Right of Appeal.” Additional appeal options may be pursued by the student after this

point if the student so chooses. (See Hilltopics, Appeal of Academic Review Board

Decision.)

5. GTAs must maintain confidentiality in reporting student exam/quiz performance.

– All student records must be maintained securely and handled in line with the Family

Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

– In particular, student exam/quiz performance must only be shared and discussed with the

student concerned and not with any other person, excepting with the written authorization of

the student concerned. Should such an authorization be supplied to a GTA, it must be

retained for future reference.

VIII. Department Appeals Process

Students against whom dismissal for violation of any academic standards is contemplated or

effected, with the exceptions of failure to maintain an acceptable GPA, or failing the

comprehensive examination, may appeal this decision. Please note that that initial appeals

must be filed no later than 30 days after the incident that occasions the appeal. This appeal

must begin with a conference with the appropriate faculty member, advisor, and/or major

professor, and then with the Department Head. If the appeal is denied or is determined to be

outside the purview of the department, the student must confer with the Dean of the College

and then with the Dean of the Graduate School. An appeal made to the College must be

filed within 30 days of the department’s final decision. If the issue is still unresolved, the

student may initiate the formal Graduate Council appeals procedure. Consult the Graduate

Council Appeals Procedure (Effective Fall 2017) for the steps to be taken for such an appeal

(available online at https://gradschool.utk.edu/documents/2016/02/student-appealsprocedures.

pdf/).

IX. University Appeals Procedure

To initiate the formal appeals procedure the student must submit a letter of appeal to the

Dean of the Graduate School, with copies to the Department Head and Dean of the College.

The Dean of the Graduate School will forward this letter to the Appeals Committee of the

Graduate Council.

The parties involved in the appeal are entitled to the following procedural rights: (1) a

written notice of the time and place of hearing and (2) the opportunity to present all

pertinent evidence, including witnesses. The student involved in the appeal may be

assisted at the hearing by a member of the faculty or a student representative of choice.

The Appeals Committee may require the student and appropriate university officials to

provide, in advance of the hearing, written statements, records, reports and other

documentation bearing on the issue under consideration.

The Appeals Committee will (1) conduct a hearing in closed session as soon as reasonably

possible, (2) prepare a summarized record of the entire hearing to be forwarded to the

Graduate Council for inclusion in the next possible meeting agenda, (3) make findings of

facts and a recommendation concerning disposition of the appeal to the Graduate Council,

and (4) maintain a recording of the entire hearing.

At an appropriate meeting of the Graduate Council, the members will review the

summarized record of the hearing together with findings and recommendations of the

Appeals Committee, and reach a decision regarding the appeal. Within 10 working days,

the chairperson of the Graduate Council will notify the student in writing of the Graduate

Council’s decision and, if applicable, of the right to further appeal in accordance with

Article 5, Section 7, of the University by-laws:

ANY EMPLOYEE OR STUDENT of the University who feels that he or she may have a

grievance against the University shall have the right of appeal through the appropriate

Chancellor or Vice President to the President of the University. An appeal to the

Chancellor must be filed within 60 days of the Graduate Council decision.

X. Early Termination/Withdrawal

If a student is terminated or withdraws from a program prior to the end of the semester, the

student will be responsible for payment of tuition and other fees from the

termination/withdrawal date until the end of the semester. The responsibility for paying

tuition and fees will apply to all students, including those who have tuition waivers during

the semester in which they are terminated/withdraw early. Please see the graduate catalog

for additional information about early termination/withdrawal at:

http://catalog.utk.edu/content.php?catoid=23&navoid=2827#fees_fina_assi and https://ones

top.utk.edu/withdraw/

If you are considering early withdrawal, you should contact the Bursar’s office to inquire

about the financial ramifications for early withdrawal.

XI. Policy Requirements

All graduate are expected to know and to comply with all requirements in both of the

following:

Academic Policies and Requirements for Graduate Students (see,

http://catalog.utk.edu/content.php?catoid=17&navoid=1763)

Policies governing student conduct and academic integrity in Hilltopics Student Handbook

(see, http://hilltopics.utk.edu/files/Hilltopics%202015-16.pdf)

INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

I. Language Examination

Every entering international student must on arrival take a University of Tennessee

placement examination in the English language. No such placement examination will be

given after the first two weeks of classes in any semester. If adequately prepared in English,

the student will be excused from further official training in the language. If not sufficiently

prepared, the student will be required to take the special course in English at the appropriate

level of competency. Students whose performance on the University of Tennessee placement

test indicates that they need intensive English study will not be permitted to enroll at UTK

but will be offered assistance in gaining admission, at their own expense, to a qualified

language institute.

II. Certificate of Participation

A. Description

This certificate is given to foreign students who must return home before receiving a

degree. It bears the signature of the Chancellor and Dean of the Liberal Arts College. It

is granted on the basis of a favorable recommendation from the Political Science

Department to the Center for International Education.

B. Eligibility

To be eligible, a student must:

1. Have completed at least two terms at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and be

leaving the United States to return home.

2. Be academically eligible to remain enrolled at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

3. Be a citizen of a foreign country and in the United States on a nonimmigrant visa.

APPENDIX

I. Political Science Graduate Courses by Field

A. American Government and Politics

530 American Government and Politics (3)

539 State and Local Government and Politics (3)

543 Law, Regulation, and Public Policy (3)

632 Presidency (3)

633 Congress (3)

635 Public Opinion and Political Socialization (3)

636 Campaigns, Elections, and Voting Behavior (3)

637 Political Parties and Interest Groups (3)

639 Special Topics in American Government and Politics (3)

640 Courts and Judicial Processes (3)

B. Public Administration

514 Research and Methodology in Public Administration (3)

531 Theory of Planning (3)

542 Legal Foundations of Public Administration (3)

548 Public Policy Process (3)

549 Environmental Policy (3)

550 Public Administration (3)

551 Energy Policy (3)

553 Non-Profit Management (3)

554 Sustainable Communities (3)

556 Policy Analysis (3)

558 The Politics of Administration (3)

560 Public Financial Administration (3)

566 Ethics, Values, and Morality in Public Administration (3)

564 Human Resource Management in Public Organizations (3)

562 Public Management (3)

569 Public Administration Internship (3-9)

581 Fundamentals of Planning

654 Contemporary Public Policies (3)

668 Special Topics in Public Administration (3)

660 Contemporary Perspectives on Public Administration (3)

C. Comparative Government and Politics

570 Comparative Government and Politics (3)

572 The Politics of Development (3)

574 Area Seminar in Comparative Government and Politics (3)

670 Special Topics in Comparative Government and Politics (3)

673 Comparative Political Economy: Advanced Industrial Countries (3)

D. Empirical Theory and Methodology

510 Scope and Methods in Political Science (3)

511 Research Design (3)

512 Quantitative Political Analysis (3)

513 Quantitative Political Analysis (3)

514 Research and Methodology in Public Administration (3)

515 Maximum Likelihood Methods (3)

516 Dynamic Models in Political Science (3)

517 Understanding Formal Models (3)

518 Bayesian Modeling in Political Science (3)

519 Non-Statistical Approaches to Political Science Research (3)

610 Special Topics in Empirical Theory and Methodology (3)

E. International Relations

580 International Politics (3)

571 Foundations of Security Studies (3)

573 War, Peace, and Grand Strategy (3)

682 Theory and Analysis of U.S. Foreign Policy Processes (3)

684 International Law (3)

685 Conflict Processes (3)

686 Arms Control, Deterrence, and Nuclear Nonproliferation (3)

687 International Political Economy

688 Special Topics in International Politics (3)

F. Other

500 Master’s Thesis Registration

502 Registration for Use of Facilities

579 Teaching Political Science (1)

591 Foreign Study

593 Independent Study

595 Readings and Special Problems in Political Science

596 Workshops in Computer Applications (1)

599 Professional Development (1)

600 Doctoral Research and Dissertation Registration

697 Readings from Two Fields of Political Science

II. Pertinent Graduate Student Web Pages

 Center for Global Engagement

https://cge.utk.edu

 Counseling Center

https://counselingcenter.utk.edu

 Department of Political Science

https://polisci.utk.edu

 College of Arts and Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences

 Evolving Practices in Teaching

https://gradschool.utk.edu/training-and-mentorship/bpit

 Assistantships for Graduate Students

https://gradschool.utk.edu/graduate-student-life/costs-funding/graduate-assistantships

 Graduate School

Welcome

 Graduate Catalog

http://catalog.utk.edu/

 Graduate Student Appeals Procedure

https://gradschool.utk.edu/documents/2016/02/student-appeals-procedures.pdf

 Graduate Student Senate

Home

 Graduate and International Admissions

https://gradschool.utk.edu/admissions

 International House

Welcome to the International House

 Office of Equity and Diversity

http://oed.utk.edu

 Office of Multicultural Student Life/Black Cultural Center

https://multicultural.utk.edu

 Research Compliance/Research with Human Subjects

http://research.utk.edu/compliance/

 Student Conduct and Community Affairs

http://studentconduct.utk.edu

 ITA Testing Program

https://gradschool.utk.edu/graduate-student-life/ita-testing-program

 Electronic Theses and Dissertations

https://www.lib.utk.edu/tracesupport/etds

 Library Website for Graduate Students

http://www.lib.utk.edu/refs/gradservices.html

 OIT

Office of Innovative Technologies

 Housing

http://housing.utk.edu/

III. Forms and Additional Resources

 Graduate Student Deadline Dates

https://gradschool.utk.edu/graduation/graduation-deadlines

 Graduate School – Forms Central

https://gradschool.utk.edu/forms-central

 Admission to Candidacy Application—Master’s Degree

https://gradschool.utk.edu/forms-central/admission-to-candidacy-masters-or-specialistdegree

 Concurrent Master’s Degree Application

https://gradschool.utk.edu/forms-central/request-for-concurrent-masters-degree

 Report of Final Exam/Thesis Defense—Master’s Degree

https://gradschool.utk.edu/forms-central/report-of-final-examination-masters

 Doctoral Committee Appointment Form

https://gradschool.utk.edu/forms-central/phd-committee-form

 Admission to Candidacy Application—Doctoral Degree

https://gradschool.utk.edu/forms-central/admission-to-candidacy-doctoral-degree

 Scheduling Defense of Dissertation Form

https://gradschool.utk.edu/forms-central/schedule-of-dissertation-defense

 Graduate Student Senate Travel Awards

https://gss.utk.edu/gss-travel-awards

Graduate Handbook

The Graduate Handbook

Political Science Student Handbook

Table of Contents

WELCOME STATEMENT FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD

INTRODUCTION

Events

Search

Graduate Handbook

The Graduate Handbook

Political Science Student Handbook

Table of Contents

WELCOME STATEMENT FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD

INTRODUCTION

Events