In the Fall of 2025, the Department of Political Science inaugurated a new degree program with the Master of Science in Political Science. Now, the Department welcomes its first matriculating class with a cohort of students eager to sharpen their analytical skills and engage deeply with political research.
For Luke Haner, the most valuable skill he has gained so far is learning how to design and carry out meaningful research. “The program has helped me to develop my ability to think critically about problems in various fields and policy areas, construct and analyze data, and empirically test my ideas,” he said. Haner emphasized that these skills translate across career paths, noting that “the ability to think critically and produce innovative solutions…is crucial, no matter the profession.” His favorite course this semester, a seminar on American Public Policy, exposed him to a broad range of contemporary policy issues and helped him refine his ability to communicate complex ideas clearly. “It allowed me to look at cutting-edge research…while also being able to write and present [policy issues] in a way that would be suitable for any audience,” he explained.
Katelyn Sammon echoed the importance of analytical development, describing her growth this semester as moving beyond learning political ideas to critically evaluating evidence and theory. “Political science is a very ‘human’ science,” she said, “and learning how to both account for—and appreciate—these human and contextual factors…has been a highlight of my academic career.” Her favorite class, International Political Economy, reinforced the real-world consequences of political and economic decisions. Sammon also pointed to the program’s intellectual community as a major strength, saying that attending presentations and job talks and seeing the work of advanced graduate students has been “both motivating and informative.”
The program is designed to provide rigorous training in quantitative methods while fostering close faculty mentorship, preparing graduates for careers in academia, public service, and the private sector. Students interested in learning more about the Master of Science program in Political Science are encouraged to reach out to Director of Graduate Studies Paul Kellstedt for additional information at kellstedt@tamu.edu.
