SACS Reaffirmation
| Objective | Increase The Number Of MA Graduate Students | |
| Enrollment should increase by 10 percent from 2005-06 to 2006-07. Associated Goals: Increase Graduate Enrollment |
| Indicator | Compare Enrollment, Applications, And Number Of Students 1. The number of students enrolled, taking courses, or applying to the MA program in Political Science in 2005-06 will be compared to 2006-07. |
| Criteria | Compare data on student enrollment and admissions Three criteria will measure increased enrollment, comparing 2005-06 data to 2006-06 data: first, the number of students taking courses, second, the number of applicants to the MA program, and third, the number of students enrolled in political science courses. There must be a 10 percent increase in at least one category for the goal to be met. |
| Finding | MA enrollment increases The data show the goal was exceeded. The number of MA students taking courses increased from 10 to 12, or 20 percent, from 2005-06 to 2006-07. Since the criteria was met on this measure, the goal of increasing enrollment by 10 percent was exceeded. |
| Action | Expand recruitment activites While the goal of increasing enrollment by 10 percent was exceeded, the enrollment is still low for the program. The graduate advisor must expand recruitment activities to increase enrollment for next year. |
| Objective | Assess Student Competency In Core Areas | |
| Students must demonstrate competency in the core areas of political science. These areas include political theory and two of the following fields: American government, public administration, comparative politics, international relations, or a third related field outside the department. Associated Goals: Students Must Demonstrate Competency Before Graduation |
| Indicator | Pass Comprehensive Examination Students will demonstrate competency in the field by passing written comprehensive examinations. Currently each student is assigned a panel of 3 ro 5 faculty members who write and grade questions for the comprehensive exam. Each faculty member grades one or more questions in his or her field assessing students with a high pass, pass, or fail grade. All students must pass the written comprehensive examination to graduate. Non-thesis students must also pass an oral defense of the written comprehensive examination. Thesis students must pass an oral defense of the thesis. |
| Criteria | students must pass comprehensive examination prior to graduation One-hundred percent of students must pass the comprehensive examation. Twenty percent of students should achieve a high pass in at least one field. |
| Finding | Focus on Competency Requirements The goal is met. However, only 3 students took the examination during the time period; thus, this goal cannot be accurately assessed. |
| Finding | Self Study of MA needed A reflection of the MA comprehensive examination shows the process needs to be updated. The current examination process is too course specific and has only one grader for each question. The department is currently studying the procedures. The actions presented here should be implemented in Fall, 2008. |
| Action | Develop a reading list for each field The faculty in each field will develop a reading list of relevant books and articles that a student should read, know, study, and understand before commencement. The students will be given a reading list of each of the fields they intend to study when they first enter the program. The list will also be available on the department graduate web site and in the political science handbook for graduate students. |
| Action | Develop an overview course for each field Each field will choose one overview course as a requirement for the field of study. This course will overview the main elements of the reading list of relevant literature. |
| Action | Develop field-based comprehensive exam questions The professors in each area of study will develop a bank of broad-based comprehensive questions that cover the reading list and the field in general. |
| Action | Increase examiners for oral comprehensive exam. All examination readers will participate in the oral examination for non-thesis students. The examining panel will increase from 3-5, in the past, to 6. |
| Action | Provide two readers for comprehensive questions All comprehensive examination questions answered by the student will have two readers (graders) to apply consistency and fairness in the examination process. |
| Action | Reorganize Comprehensive examination procedure. When a student applies for a comprehensive examination, the graduate advisor will choose one faculty member from the student''s major field to construct the comprehensive examination. This professor will choose comprehensive examination questions in the student''s major field and gather questions from faculty in the other fields. |