EIU Master of Arts in Political Science

COST & FUNDING

Tuition & Fees

Face-to-face M.A. in Political Science

In-state students can currently earn an M.A. in Political Science for about $14,300 in tuition and fees. Details on tuition and fees, and out-of-state rates, are available here. Details on tuition and fees for international students are available here. International students are always assessed international student tuition rates. 

Online M.A. in Political Science/Option in Public Administration & Public Policy

Students enrolled in the online M.A. in Political Science with the Option in Public Administration and Public Policy pay the same tuition regardless of in-state or out-of-state residency. Students can currently earn the online M.A. for about $14,300. Details on tuition and fees for the online degree are available here.

Both M.A. options are competitively priced compared to peer institutions.

Graduate Assistantships

Once you are accepted as a graduate student in our program, you may be eligible for a graduate assistantship, which provides a 9-month stipend and tuition waiver for 2 semesters and 1 summer. Graduate assistants work with faculty on research projects and help with grading for 18 hours per week. All graduate assistants must be available on campus on weekdays, and occasional weekends.

• Our current stipend is $1097 per month, from the end of September through the end of May, for a total of $9873 (for a full year assistantship).

• You can apply for an assistantship when you apply to the program. 

• Spring assistantship applications are due November 1. It is very rare to have assistantships available for students for the Spring semester. Decisions will be made no later than December 1st. 

• Fall assistantship applications are due March 1. Fall assistantship decisions are made in the middle of March. 

• A 2.75 GPA in undergraduate, strong letters of recommendation, and a specific and detailed personal statement are key parts of a successful application. Assistantships are very competitive. In a typical year, 90% of applicants for graduate assistantships do not receive awards.

In addition to departmental assistantships, additional assistantships exists across the university. You can learn more about assistantships from the Graduate School. For questions about the graduate assistantship application process, please email Dr. Ryan Burge, Graduate Coordinator. 

Graduate Scholarships

Information about additional graduate level scholarships are available here.

International Student Scholarship

We have a diverse graduate student body, including international students. We have had students come to our department from all over the world, including Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Estonia, Ghana, Hungary, India, Japan, Latvia, Romania, Senegal, Togo, Nepal, Nigeria, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe. International students should also apply for the International Student Scholarship, which provides tuition assistance. Students who receive a Graduate assistantship may not also receive the International Student Scholarship, and typically select the assistantship instead.