Master of Applied Social Science

Those students whose undergraduate degrees are in areas outside their chosen area of concentration may be required to take designated undergraduate courses to prepare them for entrance into the MASS program. The chair of the department of the major area and the coordinator of the program shall make such determinations. Prerequisites for Political Science/Public Administration, Criminal Justice, and History are as follows:

• Public Administration
  • 
    PAD 3003 – Public Administration
    
    
• Criminal Justice
  • 
    CCJ 5608 – Criminological Theory
  • CCJ 4700 – Research Methods in Criminal Justice
    
    
• History
  • PAD 3003 – Public Administration
  • HIS 3104 – Historiography
  • AFA 4936 – Senior Seminar in African-American Studies

 

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The MASS Program seeks diligent, serious, and hardworking students with a broad range of experiences, strong commitment to academic excellence and commitment to public service. Selection for admission is based on a thorough evaluation of all factors in the applicant’s file. These factors include:

• A “B” average in the last 60 semester hours of course work
• GRE Score
• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
• Academic honors and personal achievements
• Work experience
• Extra-curricular activities
• Letters of recommendation
• Personal Statement
• Evidence of applicant’s motivation, character and fitness for the program

The MASS Program reserves the right to admit or deny students based on the holistic assessment of each applicant.

In addition to submitting an application for admission, each student must also submit:

• Three (3) signed letters of recommendation;
• Biographical Sketch (Personal Statement) - 1,000 word minimum;
• Resume;
• GRE scores (required for admission)

Admitted students may receive credit for up to six (6) graduate semester hours of transferred courses from another institution. The Coordinator of the M.A.S.S. Program will determine all approved transferred credit hours.

Note: A cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be maintained regardless of course/credit hour load. A student may not earn more than two (2) C’s, otherwise the student will be dropped from the program. All students must take the GRE before they will be able to enroll in classes.

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All students must complete an approved internship or a thesis to qualify for graduation.

Internships will be with a government agency – local, state, or federal – or with a private concern. Internships should be related as nearly as possible to the student’s major area and must have the prior approval of the Coordinator and the professor supervising the internships.

The internship should be a new, professional experience for the student. If a proposed internship does not violate internship criteria, a student may intern in another department of the agency where he/she is employed.

The internship must not be simply a continuation of regular duties.

The appropriateness of all internships will be determined on an individual basis by the Chair of the University department of the student’s major and the Coordinator of the MASS Program.

A student wishing to write a thesis must select a committee of at least three faculty members. The committee chair must be from the student’s major emphasis; the second member must be from the area of the concentration; and the third member may be from the outside the student’s area of concentration.

Be aware that a thesis may take more than a semester to complete. If you are interested in this option you should contact the MASS coordinator as early as possible in your program. Generally, the thesis option is reserved for students wishing to continue in a Ph.D. program.

Note: For additional information and requirements pertaining to internship please refer to the internship packet available online at: http://famu.edu/index.cfm?histpol&MASSForms.

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• ISS 5939 – Interdisciplinary Social Science Seminar
• ISS 6305 – Social Science Research
• PAD 5701 – Statistics for Public Managers (for students in the Political Science, Public Administration, or Global Security concentrations)
  
  OR
  
  
• ISS 5316 - Statistics for the Social Sciences (for students in the History or Crim. Justice concentrations)

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Students are required to take six courses (18 hours) in their subject area concentration. Courses may be selected from one the following disciplines:

• (1) History
• (2) Public Administration
• (3) Global Security
• (4) Criminal Justice

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Students are required to enroll in six (6) hours of either ISS 6942 - Internship or ISS 6971 - Thesis. The majority of students should choose the Internship option. The Thesis option is reserved for students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. program.

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