1.1 The Department of Political and Administrative Studies offers an MPhil and PhD Degree in Public Administration by supervised research for those meeting the requirements of General Regulations 50.0 as well as Departmental regulations which stipulate course work as outlined below.
1.2 Prerequisite: Candidates selected for admission in to the MPhil/PhD degree programme who have not done and passed Research Methods course (or its equivalent) at Master’s degree level shall be required to take and pass MPA603 Research Methods and Computer Applications course during the first semester of registration.
2.1 General Regulation 50.1 shall apply with Special Departmental Regulations.
2.2 A candidate for admission in to MPhil programme will be required to have a Master’s Degree in Political Science or in the related discipline.
2.3 Candidates without a Masters qualification, but with a strong undergraduate degree in Political Science or related discipline, may be admitted, as provided for under General Regulation 50.1. However, these candidates will undergo a Departmental assessment to determine their eligibility to undertake MPhil programme.
Part I
3.1 In addition to the provisions of the General Regulations, all candidates are expected to complete satisfactorily the following requirements:
3.1.1 First Semester:
FSS800 Advanced Social Science Research Methods 3 credits
POL800 Guided Readings and Seminars in in Political Science 12 credits
(Two Seminars on Selected Topics)
3.1.2 Second Semester:
POL801 Thesis Proposal 12 credits
3.1.3 Part II
POL802 Supervised Research and Thesis in Political Science 24 credits
Programme Structure MPhil Part I
4.1 Full-time candidates are expected to meet the Part I requirements within two semesters and part-time candidates within three semesters.
Progression to Part II
5.1 At the successful completion of Part I a candidate shall either proceed to Part II of the MPhil Programme or will be allowed to transfer registration for Part II of the PhD programme on the recommendation of the Departmental Board and approval by the Graduate Studies Board.
Programme Structure MPhil Part II
PAD803 Supervised Research and Thesis in Political Science for MPhil 24 credits
6.1 The following General Regulations 50.2 shall apply:
50.2.1 Applicants who have obtained appropriate Master’s degree with course work and research are eligible to apply
50.2.2
(a) Subject to paragraph “d” applicants shall normally be admitted into an MPhil programme.
(b) After successful completion of a maximum of two semesters of full-time academic work (or the equivalent) the programme, the Department shall recommend the student either for transfer to the PhD programme or for continuation as an MPhil candidate.
(c) When transfer to the PhD programme occurs, the credits accumulated as an MPhil student shall be applied toward the 72 credits required for completion of PhD degree.
(d) Applicants the PhD degree with previous research experience may be admitted directly into a PhD programme, upon recommendation of the Departmental Board and approved by the School of Graduate Studies.
Part I
7.1 In addition to the provisions of the General Regulations, all candidates are expected to complete satisfactorily the following requirements (except those who have successfully completed Part I of MPhil programme and have been selected by the Departmental Board/ Graduate Studies Board to transfer to the Part II of PhD programme).
7.1.1 First Semester:
FSS800 Advanced Social Science Research Methods 3 credits
POL800 Guided Readings and Seminars in Political Science 12 credits
(Two Seminars on Selected Topics)
7.1.2 Second Semester:
POL801 Thesis Proposal 12 credits
POL900 Supervised Research and Thesis in Political Science 48 credits
POL 800 GUIDED READINGS AND SEMINARS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE (12)
This course will require in-depth readings by the student under the supervision of a staff member designated by the Department to acquire a firm grounding in the disciplinary theories and issues of Political science. In addition, the student will be required to undertake readings specifically related to the proposed theme of research. This course will end with presentation by the student of two seminars to the Department on topics to be advised by the supervisor. The Departmental Board will have to be satisfied with performance of the candidate based on the recommendation of the supervisor.
POL 801 THESIS PROPOSAL (12)
The thesis proposal will be prepared by the student under the guidance of a supervisor designated by the Department. The proposal will include inter alia background to the study, statement of the research problem, objectives, justification, literature review, hypotheses, central research questions, research methodology, and limitations. It is a requirement that the proposal be presented to the Department for approval before the student is able to proceed to Part II of the MPhil/PhD programme.