Which of these schools for Master of Political Science?

I was wondering about going into teaching. I have applied to a couple schools to teach and I do a call back on a few of them and the thing I am hearing is that I don't have a graduate degree in political science. My PhD is in Public Policy and they want something that has a major in poli sci. So I looked and I found five schools that I am considering.

1. Virginia Tech
2. University of Nebraska Omaha
3. University of Nebraska Worldwide
4. Fort Hays State University
5. Western New Mexico University

I like Virginia Tech because I imagine them to be the strongest school of the bunch but they could be weaker in poli sci than the others, but I don't know, their tuition is the highest of all the schools.

I like UNO because of its name, its not the online campus, it is the brick and mortar one, but the tuition here is more expensive than Nebraska-Worldwide, does that really matter? Whether its UNO or UNW to prospective employers?

I like Fort Hays because of its cost, it is very cheap but I am not a big fan of their course offerings, they are not very impressive there.

I like Western NM because I can get 18 hours in both political science AND history and I see a lot of schools that are looking for people who have the ability to teach both and this degree offers that opportunity.

So, off of best quality program, which would you choose? off of which degree would be more respected by employers, which would you choose?

Thank you for your help!
Cheers.

 

My vote is Virginia Tech, but alternative is University of Nebraska.

 

You should have a backup plan for Virginia Tech since admissions is very competitive. They have a limited number of slots. However, your PhD might make you a shoo-in.

 

Is the MA in Political Science from the University of Nebraska Worldwide the same as or different from the MA in Political Science from the University of Nebraska Omaha?

 

I'd say VT.

 

Virginia Tech is competitive but it's not THAT competitive. I'm originally from Virginia and a bunch of my old high school friends ended up going to VA Tech. If they'll accept those lug nuts I used to hang out with, I'm sure they'll accept someone who already has a PhD.

 

Yes. I think the different Nebraska campuses just "merged" and renamed their distance learning offices into this one entity called "University of Nebraska Worldwide," but the programs are still offered by the respective home campuses.

 

Well I do not know if they are the same. The reason I say I do not think they are the same is because this is what is said as of today, 9/18/2013, both degrees are identical in coursework except for one exception: UNW has an option for "readings in political science" whereas UNO does not. Also, another difference between the two schools is that the tuition for UNO is $622.50 for out of state and UNW is $535.50.

UNW link

Masters in Political Science | Online Worldwide | U. Of Nebraska

UNO link

UNO | Political Science | Graduate Students

so is UNO better than UNW and that is why they are $261 per class more expensive or are you just paying several thousand dollars more for the O instead of the W on your degree?

and why does everyone think VT is better than Nebraska? That is the overwhelming consensus so what sets them apart that much that its widely known like this?

 

I'm talking specifically about the online master's in political science. Things could have changed, but they had a limited number of slots when I looked into the program a couple of years ago.

 

According to College Navigator, Virginia Tech issued only 12 master's degrees in political science in 2011-12. That number apparently includes both distance and B&M degrees, so the online program is probably even smaller.

 

Well, Virginia Tech has been offering an online master's in political science for quite awhile, but the University of Nebraska's online master's in political science seems to be a relatively recent development. Further, the University of Nebraska master's in political science is offered by one of the small branch campuses.

 

IMO since you already have a PhD in public policy, all you need is a RA masters in poly sci and it doesn't really matter which RA university you get your degree from, unless there is some sort of a programmatic accreditation that I'm unaware of.

You might consider an MA in political science from American Public University, but first get evaluated by them to see if you can get the maximum number of credits transferred in towards the degree. Since you already have graduate work in public policy, it's possible that you could get quite a few transfer credits. Subsequently, you might be able to get the degree while taking the fewest number of poly sci courses possible -- as opposed to getting zero transfer credits.

Most universities will only accept 6 graduate level transfer credits because they want the money, but it's possible to get up to 15, if you have a resume to back it up i.e. that will make them proud if you get their degree. How's that for POLITICAL science? It's politics at its best. LOL

 

I think the biggest issue is not that I don't have a masters in political science.... Even though that is what they say it is. I am thinking they are just wanting to hide their discomfort of online degrees. The reason I say this is because I graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA from my PhD in Public Policy and Administration program from Walden University. Since it is 100% online, I think that is what they are afraid of what is holding them back. Because of that, I don't want to go to APU or AMU. I want it to be a brick and mortar school as well.

I looked at the tuition rates for the schools and I have pretty much eliminated VT. Based on tuition amounts, I have now narrowed the choice down to University of Colorado at Denver (since I live in Denver) OR I may just go to University of Nebraska. I think CU-D would be the better choice here or am I wrong about that?

And what is an RA University?

 

Never mind on the RA question... I figured it out to mean Regionally Accredited lol.

 

IDK why some of my posts aren't being posted and others are.... What I said was I think the reason I am being told its a lack of masers is because I have a PhD in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University and that is a one hundred percent online degree as such I do not want another online only university which APUS is. Lastly, due to tuition I have narrowed my choices down to University of Colorado at Denver since I live in Denver or University of Nebraska. I think that UC-D would be a better choice than UNO or UNW, right? or am I wrong in that thinking?

 

I speculate that I was hired as an adjunct professor based on a prestigious in-resident state university masters degree, BUT after getting a 100% online RA doctorate, I was invited to full-time employment. I seriously doubt that I would be invited to work full-time without a RA doctorate. Your case seems to be interestingly different.

I'm also pursuing two other online masters degrees. One is from a 100% online school (APUS) and should be finished next year (2014) and the other is from a ground school that offers 100% online degrees (2017?).

The state university where I got my initial in-resident masters degree is now offering 100% online degrees. It is obviously the wave of the future -- which is now.

 

Public Policy/Administration is treated as a different field than Political Science. I did the WNMU program, and now I'm full-time at the local community college. I teach History & PolySci, but they were very clear to me when I was taking my courses that I could NOT include any from Public Policy or Public Administration. You have a PhD in Public Policy (Awesome, by the way!) but if you want to teach Political Science, you're going to need coursework in that. The WNMU will let you get your minimal 18 hours in. I would think since you do already have a PhD that is basically in a related field, you should be okay with just getting the minimum 18 hours.

-Matt

 

Doesn't WNMU have Public Administration as one of its Political Science courses?