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General Requirements

Applicants must have a completed bachelor's (BA) degree from an accredited college or university. While previous exposure via coursework hours in the political science field (or social science generally) is valued, it is not mandatory for consideration of an application.

Deadline

We begin reviewing completed applications in January, make initial decisions about admissions and funding in February, and continue admitting students through June for graduate degrees and coursework beginning in August. Due to the sequencing of the courses in our graduate curriculum, we only consider applications for fall semester admissions. The department has limited resources to fund graduate students (e.g., teaching assistantships). Applications submitted later in the spring run the risk of these resources being exhausted upon admittance and our incoming cohort being filled. Only PhD students will be considered for initial funding.

Application Procedure

The applicant must complete a two-step process for an application to be considered complete and reviewable:

  1. Complete the ApplyTexas application procedure for UNT's Toulouse Graduate School detailed here: Toulouse Graduate School. Your transcripts from prior educational institutions should be transmitted to Toulouse directly from those institutions.
  2. Submit the following materials directly to the Political Science Department:
    • Three letters of recommendation from individuals qualified to evaluate the applicant's academic potential (letters from academic instructors are preferred, but letters from employers or others may be submitted if academic references are unavailable);
    • A 500-word statement of purpose detailing the applicant's primary area of interest within political science and career objective after completing the degree;
    • One sample of academic writing (e.g., a course paper or similar document);
    • A resume or curriculum vita listing academic background, accomplishments, awards, and honors; and
    • A completed Application for Teaching Assistantship (optional).

Application materials for the Political Science Dept. should be submitted in one of two ways:

  1. Email attachment (preferred): Claire.Henry@unt.edu Applicants are instructed to have their letters of recommendation by their recommenders under separate cover to this email address; or
  2. Surface mail: Claire Henry, Graduate Program Specialist, Department of Political Science, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305340, Denton, TX 76203-5017.