Students are admitted for graduate studies in political science for fall, spring, and summer terms. The deadlines for each term vary with respect to international and domestic citizens, and whether US citizens are requesting graduate assistantships, as reflected in the table below.
When you wish to begin studies |
International Students (ALL) |
US StudentsSeeking Financial Aid |
US StudentsNOT seeking Financial Aid |
Fall |
December 15 |
January 15 |
April 1 |
Spring |
October 1 |
|
November 1 |
Summer |
March 1 |
|
April 1 |
Students who fail to submit a completed application by the department deadlines can choose to apply for admission in the following term or apply directly to the graduate school as a Student At Large (SAL). The SAL deadlines are set by the graduate school.
Apply to the Northern
Complete applications include:
¨ Statement of interest articulating applicant's experience, career goals and education objectives related to the pursuit of the MA or PhD degree, and why the applicant wishes to study at NIU. (This is the last page(s) of the graduate application form for the graduate school.)
¨ Transcripts from previous institutions
¨ Three (3) letters of recommendation for the PhD degree, two (2) letters of recommendation for the MA degree. For both degrees, at least two (2) of the letters must be from academic references.
¨ Appropriate test scores.
¨ All students are required to submit GRE scores. Students with a previously earned masters degree may petition the graduate director to waive the GRE requirement.
¨ International students must submit TOEFL or IESL language test scores. Students who have earned a masters degree at a
Applicants for the Master of Arts and the PhD program must satisfy all requirements for admission to the
Undergraduate grade point average
The typical student admitted in the last three years had at least an undergraduate GPA of 3.4 on a 4.0 scale.
Standardized examination score
The typical nonwaiver student admitted in the last three years had an average combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of 1138 (doctoral) and 1120 (MA).
Applicants with an earned professional or graduate degree and a grade point average of at least 3.0 may request permission to waive the entrance exam requirement.
Graduate students may be eligible for a variety of financial aid options. Students are encouraged to investigate opportunities for student aid, including loans, scholarships and assistantship opportunities (see below).
For information on federal student financial aid CLICK HERE.
The department awards a limited number of highly competitive graduate assistantships to well-qualified students. Assistantships are awarded for full-time students who begin their studies in the fall term each year. Serving as a graduate assistant provides a stipend for the academic year plus a waiver of tuition for the fall, spring, and summer semester. Students are still responsible for course and other fees. To apply for an assistantship, you must download and complete the application form and mail it directly to:
Graduate Secretary
Department of Political Science
Northern
Assistantships typically require twenty hours of service per week to the department. This service normally takes the form of aiding one or more faculty members with their research or teaching responsibilities. Graduate assistants should not be otherwise employed outside the department without permission from the graduate director. Appointments of graduate assistants are made on an annual basis and may be renewed by the department, depending on performance. MA students are limited to a maximum of two years of funding, doctoral students to a maximum of three years of funding. A student completing both the MA and PhD in the department is typically funded for a maximum of four years total.
A graduate assistant is expected to make satisfactory progress towards the completion of his/her degree. To do this, a graduate assistant must enroll for a minimum of twelve hours of course work per semester and must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 at all times. Failure to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 disqualifies a student from holding a graduate assistantship.