Assessment Details
Academic Year: 2021-2022 Level: Graduate
Campus Department: Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences [UG and Grad]
Program Type: Major [UG] / Program [Grad]
Program Name: Political Science PhD
Description of Data Collection:
Placement and publication data for graduate students are recorded annually as are awards won by students.
The graduate committee consults with dissertation chairs to see how well the completed dissertations demonstrate the achievement of the relevant noted goals.
All PhD students participate in a second-year review. During the review, the graduate committee reads a sample of the writing of each student. This practice gives the committee a sense of the general quality of the writing of our students. During this review, we also ask our students about ways that they think the program can be improved.
This has been a particularly useful exercise during the covid period.
All fourth and fifth year students are required to present chapters of their dissertation to the dissertation seminar run by the graduate director. In this seminar, students also are given presentations on teaching and professional issues.
The graduate director and the MA director conduct exit interviews (either in person or electronically) with students who have completed the program.
All PhD students are required to participate in a Dissertation and Professional Development Seminar led by the Director of Graduate Programs for two semesters following the completion of comprehensive examinations.
Review Process:
The Director of the Graduate Program and the Director of the Master’s program collect the surveys and the reports of the dissertation chairs and of the Placement Director at the end of the academic year. They report the results to the Graduate Committee in the beginning of the next academic year. The Committee then decides whether it should make any recommendations to the whole department for improvement in the program
Resulting Program Changes:
Several years ago the department voted to adopt the Advanced Directed Studies option for MA students after a two year trial. The Advanced Directed Studies option has been used by several MA students each year and both the students and their faculty advisors have been enthusiastic about the results. It is now the most common way for students to fulfill the requirements of the MA.
The department voted four years ago to change the course requirements for the PhD degree to adapt to the need of students in some subfields to engage in research abroad. Students will now complete course requirements for the major and minor fields in 5 semesters rather than 6. The goal of this change is to allow a higher percentage of students to complete the degree within the five years of funding. The new course load is in line with the requirements of peer institutions.
The Dissertation and Professional Development seminar has been revised to have a new focus on the Boston College Mission Statement in order to shape the treatment of teaching and professional issues. This is a result of participation in a series of seminars sponsored by the Lonergan Center.
Date of Most Recent Program Review:
Several years ago the department voted to adopt the Advanced Directed Studies option for MA students after a two year trial. The Advanced Directed Studies option has been used by several MA students each year and both the students and their faculty advisors have been enthusiastic about the results. It is now the most common way for students to fulfill the requirements of the MA.
The department voted four years ago to change the course requirements for the PhD degree to adapt to the need of students in some subfields to engage in research abroad. Students will now complete course requirements for the major and minor fields in 5 semesters rather than 6. The goal of this change is to allow a higher percentage of students to complete the degree within the five years of funding. The new course load is in line with the requirements of peer institutions.
The Dissertation and Professional Development seminar has been revised to have a new focus on the Boston College Mission Statement in order to shape the treatment of teaching and professional issues. This is a result of participation in a series of seminars sponsored by the Lonergan Center.
Attachments (if available)