Program Facts & Statistics
History & Curriculum
Georgetown's Master of Arts Program in Democracy and Governance was established by Professor Daniel Brumberg and now-adjunct Professor Steven Heydemann in the Department of Government and enrolled its first class in the Fall of 2006. The program typically takes two years to complete on a full-time basis, though some students elect to complete the program on a part-time basis over three years. Full-time students take anywhere from 3-5 courses per semester (9-15 credits), though 9 credits qualifies as full-time. Part-time students typically take two courses per semester, and may also participate in the summer session.
The program requires 42 credits of coursework, including three core courses in democratization, political institutions, and democracy promotion. The remaining 33 credits offer students the flexibility to direct their curriculum in their particular area(s) of interest (international development, public policy, security, a particular world region, etc.) through thematic courses and electives.
Exams
In order to graduate from the program, students much pass a written language proficiency examination, in which they must translate a short article in a foreign language to English. The document is typically a piece of popular news or current events of about two pages in length. Students may bring a dictionary to the exam, but Internet use is prohibited. International students from countries where English is not the primary language may request an exemption from the exam. The exam is administered once in both the fall and spring semester.
In the month prior to graduation, students must also pass an oral comprehensive examination. This exam lasts 30-45 minutes and is administered by the program directors. Students are given a study guide in advance.
Program Statistics (2010-2011)
Number of students: 36
Full-time: 30 (83 percent)
Part-time: 6 (17 percent)
International students: 8 (22 percent)
Countries represented (over history of the program): Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Italy, Korea, Kuwait, Lithuania, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe
Average GRE scores (incoming Fall 2010 cohort): 600 Verbal (80th percentile), 650 Quantitative (59th percentile), 4.5 Writing (57th percentile) = 1250 combined score
Average TOEFL score (incoming Fall 2010 cohort): 99
Average Undergraduate GPA (incoming Fall 2010 cohort): 3.61
Average Age (all students, as of September 2010): 26
Average number of years of work experience prior to entering the program: 3 years
