Want to complete the program in twelve months?
While completing the degree in 12 months is possible, please consider the following crucial realities before choosing this path:
- Intense Workload: Graduate coursework requires a significantly higher time commitment. Taking 12 graduate credit hours in a single semester is equivalent to a 20-credit-hour undergraduate load.
- Full-Time Commitment Required: If you have a full-time job, family responsibilities, or other major obligations, this pace is not recommended. Success requires treating the program like a full-time job.
- Strict Admission & Registration Deadlines: Classes fill up immediately. To secure the exact schedule needed for a 12-month completion, you must register the day the window opens. This requires being admitted by these hard deadlines:
- Summer or Fall Start: Must be admitted by March 1st.
- Spring Start: Must be admitted no later than October 1st.
- Note: Admission after these dates is possible, but limited class availability will likely prevent 12-month completion
- Historical Success Rate: Over the past four years, only two students have successfully finished the requirements in 12 months. The vast majority of students who attempt this accelerated pace ultimately transition to a four-semester timeline.
Sample 12-Month Completion Plan
Fall Semester - 12 Hours
PLS 4793 - Civic and Nonprofit Leadership
PLS 5054 - Research Methods
PLS 5073 - Political Behavior
PLS 5843 - Proseminar in Public Policy Research and Analysis
Spring Semester - 12 Hours
PLS 4853 - Supreme Court OR PLS 4763 - Environmental Policy
PLS 4873 - Human Resource Management
PLS 5153 - Cities, Politics, and Urban Policy
PLS 5543 - Proseminar in Public Administration
Summer Semester - 9 Hours
PLS 4823 - Comparative Public Policy
PLS 5163 - State Govt and Policy in US Federal System OR PLS 5373 Proseminar in American Politics
PLS 5940 - Capstone
There is some flexibility in the electives, but if a semester’s plan deviates from the above list then you must consult with Dr. Jin Hong Kim (jhkim2@eiu.edu) to ensure you are on track to graduate.