News Release

Contacts: Robert T. Tad Perry, Executive Director

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Janelle Toman, Director of Information & Institutional Research

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Thursday, June 28, 2007

USD to Offer Ph.D. Degree in Political Science

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The University of South Dakota will offer a new doctoral degree in political science starting in the fall of 2008. The South Dakota Board of Regents this week authorized the Ph.D. degree.

“The program aims to deliver doctoral education through a flexible format that is accessible to non-traditional, as well as traditional, students,” said Regents President Harvey C. Jewett. “Few such Ph.D. programs in political science exist in the country.”

Besides advancing the body of knowledge in the fields of political science, public policy, and public administration, USD’s degree will offer leaders in the public and private sectors a pathway to enhance their professional skills, said USD President James W. Abbott. “We see this as an opportunity to keep some of our best students and intellectual resources in the state, instead of losing them to graduate programs in other states,” Abbott said.

The Ph.D. degree in political science joins eight other Ph.D. programs currently offered on the Vermillion campus by USD or jointly with other South Dakota public universities. Campus officials believe about five students initially will enter the doctoral program, with 21 students enrolled by the program’s fifth year. No new state resources or additional student fees were requested to implement the program.

In other action Thursday, the Board of Regents approved:

• A new master of science degree in mathematics at USD, to complement an existing master of arts in mathematics already offered there. Campus officials say the M.S. degree will better serve prospective students who want to prepare for doctoral programs in math, computer science, and related fields. The M.A. degree will continue to focus on preparing teachers and others interested in broad, graduate-level mathematics training.
• A new minor in merchandising at South Dakota State University, which can be added to a degree in apparel merchandising. This minor allows students to specifically study the business end of apparel merchandising, without a product emphasis. The minor focuses on competencies in merchandising and buying, retail theory and practice, and trends research and analysis.
• Two requests to offer existing programs at additional sites. Beginning this fall, SDSU will offer its major in journalism and mass communication at University Center in Sioux Falls, while USD will also offer its M.A. degree in speech language pathology through distance delivery and off-campus clinical instruction.

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