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Political Science M.A. / J.D.

Drake Law School students are permitted to transfer credits for specified law courses to Iowa State University, up to a maximum of 10 semester hours, of which 8 semester hours will be acceptable for graduate credit toward the completion of the M.A. degree at Iowa State University (a minimum of 22 graduate credits must be earned at Iowa State University for all master’s degree programs).

Iowa State University graduate students will be authorized to transfer a maximum of 9 semester hours of specified political science courses to the Drake Law School toward the completion of the J.D. degree.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the combined M.A./J.D. in political science program need to meet the entrance requirements of, and be admitted to, both the Drake Law School and the Iowa State University Graduate College.

  1. Drake Law School: Admission requirements to the law school include a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with acceptable undergraduate scholastic achievement, and an acceptable score on the Law School Admission Test. For a complete discussion of the law school admission requirements, please refer to the current Drake Law School catalog.
  2. Iowa State University: A graduate student in political science at Iowa State University must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university, and normally must rank in the top half of their graduating class. (See the current Iowa State University Graduate College Catalog and the requirements in the M.A. Handbook).

Prerequisite for admission to major graduate work in the Department of Political Science is normally the completion of at least 12 semester credits in political science. Students entering the Master of Arts program in political science should have completed one year of a single foreign language, which is the equivalent of 8 semester hours. A course in basic statistics (equivalent of Statistics 1010) is also expected. Otherwise, a student might need to take an introductory statistics course for which no graduate credit will be received.

Financial Information

Drake University

Information about tuition may be found in the current Drake Law School catalog. For information concerning scholarships, financial aid, and housing accommodations, write to the Office of Admissions, Drake University Law School, Des Moines, IA 50311; telephone 1-800-44-DRAKE, ext. 2782, or (515) 271-2782.

Iowa State University

Information regarding graduate tuition and fees may be obtained at The Office of the Registrar’s website. Eligibility for resident fees is decided by the Director of Admissions. For further information concerning fees and housing, see the ISU Graduate Catalog. For information regarding teaching and research assistantships, write to the Chair, Political Science Department, 503 Ross Hall, 527 Farm House Lane, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011.

Important Notice

Tuition and graduate fees are assessed separately by each institution. Taking courses at both Drake and Iowa State in the same academic term requires payment to each institution. This applies to both full-time and part-time enrollment.

Degree Requirements

Both the Drake Law School and the Department of Political Science at Iowa State University have specific courses, hours, and grade requirements which must be met before the respective degrees will be awarded. In brief, the J.D. degree requires the successful completion of 90 semester hours; the M.A. degree requires a minimum of 30 semester hours. A minimum of 22 graduate credits must be earned at Iowa State University for all master’s degree programs.

If you are interested in further information concerning the details of this J.D.-M.A. program, please contact the Director of Graduate Education, Amy Erica Smith at aesmith2@iastate.edu or email polsci@iastate.edu to reach the Graduate Secretary. For Drake admissions information contact law-admit@drake.edu.

Iowa State University graduate students in political science may transfer a maximum of 9 semester hours to the Drake Law School from the following list of courses, all of which must have been taken for graduate (5000-level) credit when there is the option of taking a dual-listed course at either the undergraduate or graduate level. A number of “experimental” courses, designated in the Schedule of Classes by an “X” suffix, are offered annually; many of these also may be counted for graduate credit. In addition, completion of requirements for the M.A. degree usually includes Statistics 5870 (Statistical Methods for Research Workers – 4 credits); this course may also be acceptable for transfer credit. No more than 6 credit hours of 4000-numbered Political Science course may be counted toward the completion of the M.A. degree.

Table Caption Example
ISU Course Number Course Name Credits
4170 Campaign Rhetoric (also Speech Communication 417) 3
4210 Constitutional Freedoms 3
4300 Foundations of Western Political Thought: Plato to Machiavelli 3
5530 International Organizations 3
5020 Political Analysis and Research 3
5100 State Government and Politics 3
5130 Intergovernmental Relations 3
5150 Biorenewables Law and Policy 3
5160 International Biorenewables Law and Policy 3
5220 International Law 3
5300 Foundations of Western Political Thought 3
5310 Modern Political Thought 3
5340 Legal and Ethical Issues in Information Assurance 3
5350 Contemporary Political Philosophy 3
5440 Comparative Public Policy 3
5520 Comparative Foreign Policy 3
5600 American Political Institutions 3
5710 Organizational Theory in the Public Sector 3
5740 Policy and Program Evaluation 3
5750 Management in the Public Sector 3
5770 Government, Business, and Society 3
5800 Ethics and Public Policy 3
5810 International Political Economy 3
5900A Special Topics: American Political Institutions 2-5
5900B Special Topics: Public Law 2-5
5900C Special Topics: Political Theory and Methodology 2-5
5900D Special Topics: Comparative Government 2-5
5900E Special Topics: International Relations 2-5
5900F Special Topics: Political Parties and Policy Formation 2-5
5900G Special Topics: Public Administration and Public Policy 2-5
6100A-G Graduate Seminars (check semester class schedules for availability 3
6990 Thesis Research Varies

Note: Other Drake Law School and ISU Political Science Department courses may be acceptable
for transfer credit. These courses need to be defined by, and acceptable to, both parties in each
individual case.

Drake Classes/caption>
Drake Course Number Course Name
112 Constitutional Law I
114 Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
115 Constitutional Law II
201 Remedies
221 Agriculture Law-Intro
231 Environmental Law
232 Land Use Control
233 Legislation
239 Conflicts of Laws
249 Antitrust
250 Labor Law I
252 Administrative Law
254 Race and Constitution
259 Public International Law
261 State and Local Government Law
267 Labor Law II
279 International Human Rights
300 Natural Resources Law
302 Employment Discrimination Lit.
311 Law and Religion
318 Death Penalty
321 Constitutional Theory
620 Juvenile Law Internship

Note: Other Drake Law School and ISU Political Science Department courses may be acceptable
for transfer credit. These courses need to be defined by, and acceptable to, both parties in each
individual case.

Grades

For specific grades information see the current ISU and Drake catalogs. In general, M.A. candidates in political science at ISU must maintain, and graduate with, no less than a “B” (3.0) average; at the Drake Law School, graduation requires a “C” (2.0) cumulative average. However, for the purposes of meeting the requirements of this program, “C” grades and above may be transferred from the Drake Law School to ISU and will be evaluated as a “Pass.” Similarly, the Drake Law School will accept credit for classes at ISU in which the candidate receives a grade of “B” or better, but the grade received at ISU will not be used to compute the grade point average for the J.D.

For additional information on pursuing a master’s degree in political science at Iowa State, click here for the M.A. in Political Science Handbook.

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