Master of Arts [MA] (Political Science)

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How can I qualify the JNU entrance exam in MA in Politics with International Relations?

By Aaditya Hari Nairon 18 Oct 21

Juhi Pathak

18 Oct 21Masters International Relations, Jawaharlal Nehru University (2018)

In order to prepare efficiently for JNU entrance, you will need to study smart. Read the editorial and international relations page of Hindu and IE to get a fair idea of what is happening around the globe. Read Arihant’s guide for JNU entrance for IR. Rafer to some good magazines like Frontline, EPW, etc.

The exam of JNU Entrance would be computer-based and Multiple Choice Questions would be asked. Make sure to study the following crucial portion of International Relations (IR).

Period of Cold War
Treaties like CTBT, NPT, Kyoto Protocol
United Nations
Bretton Woods Institutions (IMF, WB, WTO)
Environment Topics like Climate Change
Indian Foreign Policy
US Foreign Policy

The majority of questions in entrance will be from History, Economics, International Relations, Philosophy, Indian Politics, and Contemporary Issues.

Here are some books that you can refer to.

The Globalization of World Politics - Baylis, Smith & Owens.
India after Gandhi - Ramachandra Guha
International Relations in the 21st Century - Pushpesh Pant
Global Politics - Andrew Heywood

Just prepare thoroughly without losing faith in yourself and be honest with your studies and you shall do well in your entrance.

What are the career prospects after completing an M.A. in political science/international relations from JNU?

By Shivani Tiwarion 15 Jul 22

Abinash Mathur

15 Jul 22Studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University

You will have many career opportunities after completing an MA in Political Science or International Relations from JNU. You can get jobs in embassies, think tanks, academics, and journalism. You can become a diplomate as well. If you are pursuing Political Science, it will be better to do a Ph.D. after. It will give you the option to become International Political Scientist.

These two courses will also help you prepare for Civil service and SSC as well.

What are the career prospects in the MA (Political Leadership & Government) program?

By Apurva Tamhaneon 28 Aug 20

Janhvi Gupta

28 Aug 20Studied at Maharashtra Institute of Technology

Electoral politics being the ultimate objective where every student aspires to contest elections at some level in our democratic system. To enable them to reach their goal, in the process there are plenty of opportunities in functional politics as Research Associates. Political Analysts. Political Strategists. Political Consultants. Election & Campaign Managers, Social media Analyst, PROs, Constituency Managers. & Assistants in Parliamentary Affairs etc.

How Master’s in Political Leadership & Government is different from Master’s in Political Science?

By Angana Nathon 28 Aug 20

Heena Mehta

28 Aug 20Studied at Maharashtra Institute of Technology

Master’s in Political Science is a theoretical course where an MA in Political Leadership & Government offers an experiential learning (1st year on-campus learning & 2nd year off-campus internships & training) to students towards practical aspects of the functioning of government and the challenges of Politics. This being a UGC approved master’s degree provides adequate opportunities to students to carve out a niche career in Politics. Some of the course highlights are -

Interaction with Eminentnational level leaders from Politics, Social sector, Judiciary, Bureaucracy, Media & Corporate.
Local field visits to Gram Panchayat, Zilla Parishad, Municipal Corporation, Cooperatives & NGOs
Study Tours for Constituency Management and Elections & Campaign Management
National Study Tour to Delhi visiting Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Rashtrapati Bhawan, North Block, South Block, Election Commissions of India, national Human Rights Commissions of India, various political party offices, NGos like MARG, CCS, CCE, CSE, PRS Legislative Research etc.
An optional two weeks International study tour to Europe

How is MA in political science through IGNOU?

By Yatika Mehlaon 02 Nov 22

Rajat Galar

02 Nov 22MCA from IGNOU

IGNOU is a central university making it one of the best universities that offer distance education. The study materials are excellent and are written by top-notch professors from various universities. They are written and proofread by professors from renowned universities like JNU and IITs.

Before this, they used to provide books by well-known authors. But when the syllabus was revamped they started printing the study material written by very experienced professors from well-known universities. People prefer these study materials for other competitive exams also.

If you cannot go for a regular program, an MA in political science through IGNOU is the best option.

Is selective IGNOU BA and MA political science sufficient for political science optional in UPSC?

By Deepika Kunwaron 21 Oct 22

Prithviraj Debbarma

21 Oct 22MCA from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) (Graduated -2010)

One of my sister's acquaintances wrote 2016 mains with PSIR optional. She had been working in an IT firm till a month before prelims and had been preparing for a year before.

Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) is quite fast. The study material provided by IGNOU is good for selective reading for specific topics like Justice, Equality, MN Roy, Sri Aurobindo, Theory of international relations etc. But she had an engineering background and revealed that the notes were not of premium quality.

Paper 1- Part A

Gauba is not bad. But you will need to read the book more than one time to interpret it completely. The information has been divided unevenly within the chapters making it a difficult read. One more good source is Shubra Ranjan's notes. They summarise the points in the UPSC syllabus format.

Paper 1- Part B

Complete Laxmikant.Read the interpretations given by famous analysts, their viewpoints, case laws and their history and the politics that played behind the evolution of laws and how and why the judiciary evolved. Again for this look into Shubra Ranjan notes. For the remaining topics look into Oxford publications.

Paper 2- part A

For this part, the best recommendation is Heywood’s global politics. It’s easy to understand and very well written. Combine this with IGNOU notes and you will get good results. You can also go through questions given in Baylis and Smith because sometimes they appear verbatim and quoting the exact same viewpoint can get you some extra points.

Paper 2 - Part B

Conduct internet research and make your own notes on the topics included in the syllabus. Then go through commentaries on IDSA /IPCS websites. This will give you a better understanding of and current status of relations.

Once you are done with all the study materials, focus on developing the vocabulary for PSIR. Make sure your answers are evenly distributed with theories, quotes, facts, years etc. Practice writing answers a lot.