{"id":3327,"date":"2023-08-03T16:44:22","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T23:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/poir\/?page_id=3327"},"modified":"2025-04-23T14:18:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T21:18:01","slug":"methods-and-research-tools-mrt","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/poir\/methods-and-research-tools-mrt\/","title":{"rendered":"Methods and Research Tools (MRT)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--full-width-cta \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--full-width-cta\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n      <div class=\"header-container\">\n  \n                        \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>The methods and research tools field (MRT) for the POIR program focuses on formal, qualitative, and quantitative techniques that help students to better understand substantive problems in political science. The new field also accommodates advanced language study for those who require those skills for field research. The MRT field to provide better purpose and rigor for methodological training, broadly understood, and is not intended to displace substantive coursework. For those choosing methods and research tools as a field, the coursework will be completed in their first two to three years. The field supplants the previous methods certificate program, and there is significant flexibility for students to customize their coursework to meet field requirements while reflecting their own research interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n          <\/div>\n    \n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n              \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--accordions \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--accordions\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      <div class=\"header-container\">\n\n                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Core Faculty\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      \n                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>Joshua Aizenman<br \/>\nErin Baggott Carter<br \/>\nJeb Barnes<br \/>\nBrett Carter<br \/>\nDennis Chong<br \/>\nBenjamin Graham<br \/>\nChristian Grose<br \/>\nAllison Hartnett<br \/>\nJeffery Jenkins<br \/>\nJane Junn<br \/>\nVarun Karekurve-Ramachandra<br \/>\nMorris Levy<br \/>\nGerardo Munck<br \/>\n<strong>Brian Palmer-Rubin (Field Director)<\/strong><br \/>\nJefferey Sellers<br \/>\nSherry Zaks<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n      \n      \n    <\/div>\n  \n      <ul>\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-1-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-controls=\"section-1-1-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Field Requirements<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-1-B8dZBqeyjj\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-1-B8dZBqeyjj\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><font size=\"4\">Students concentrating in methods and research tools are required to take POIR 617, along with three other elective methods classes. Three of these four courses must be completed prior to taking the qualifying examination. General program requirements in methods (POIR 610, 611 and an Advanced Methods Elective) do not count toward the four courses required by students who select MRT as an examination field. All courses must be completed with a grade of B or higher. Students are strongly encouraged to complete their course requirements for the field via POIR courses but can petition to complete the requirement using coursework from other departments. For courses listed below that are offered outside of POIR, students will need to seek the permission of the respective faculty and department before registering. We cannot guarantee enrollment permission in courses outside of POIR.<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-2-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-controls=\"section-1-2-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Field Course Requirements<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-2-B8dZBqeyjj\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-2-B8dZBqeyjj\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<font size=\"4\"><strong>One Core Course<\/strong><\/font><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<font size=\"4\">POIR 617: Maximum Likelihood Estimation<\/font><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<font size=\"4\"><em>*Core courses must be completed prior to qualifying exams.<\/em><\/font><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<font size=\"4\"><strong>Three Electives<\/strong><\/font><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<font size=\"4\">Any three MRT seminars<\/font><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<font size=\"4\"><em>*Two electives must be completed prior to qualifying exams.<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-3-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-controls=\"section-1-3-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Courses in MRT<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-3-B8dZBqeyjj\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-3-B8dZBqeyjj\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>The list of courses that have been considered MRT are:<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<font size=\"4\">POIR 614: Experimental Political Science (Offered Regularly)<br \/>\nPOIR 615: Formal Models of Politics<br \/>\nPOIR 616: Advanced Quantitative Methods<br \/>\n<strong>POIR 617: Maximum Likelihood Estimation (Required)<\/strong><br \/>\nANTH 410: Ethnographic Field Methods and Practicum<br \/>\nANTH 475: Ethnographic Film Analysis<br \/>\nANTH 562: The Practice of Ethnography<br \/>\nCOMM 552: Qualitative Research Methods in Communication<br \/>\nCOMM 620: Studies in Communication Theory<br \/>\nCS 570: Analysis of Algorithms<br \/>\nCS 585: Database Systems<br \/>\nCSCI 548: Information Integration on the Web<br \/>\nCSCI 572: Information Retrieval and Web Search Engines<br \/>\nCSCI 587: Geospatial Information Management<br \/>\nCSCI 653: High Performance Computing and Simulation<br \/>\nCSCI 567: Machine Learning<br \/>\nCSCI 573: Probabilistic Reasoning<br \/>\nCSCI 686: Advanced Big Data Analytics<br \/>\nECON 584: Consulting and Applied Managerial Economics<br \/>\nECON 601: Microeconomic Theory I<br \/>\nECON 615: Applied Econometrics<br \/>\nECON 620: Experimental Methods<br \/>\nEDUC 651: Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods<br \/>\nHIST 500: Introduction to Graduate Historical Studies<br \/>\nINF 549: Introduction to Computational Thinking and Data Science<br \/>\nINF 552: Machine Learning for Data Informatics<br \/>\nINF 553: Foundations and Applications of Data Mining<br \/>\nINF 554: Information Visualization<br \/>\nISE 520: Optimization: Theory and Algorithms<br \/>\nMATH 467: Theory and Computational Methods for Optimization<br \/>\nMATH 501: Numerical Analysis and Computation<br \/>\nMATH 505a: Applied Probability<br \/>\nPM 542: Social Network Analysis<br \/>\nPSYC 502L: Analysis of Variance and Experimental Design<br \/>\nPSYC 625: Advanced Big Data Methods<br \/>\nPSYC 575L: Multivariate Analysis of Behavioral Data<br \/>\nSOCI 520: Qualitative Research Methods<br \/>\nSOCI 620: Advanced Methods &#8212; Qualitative Research<br \/>\nSOCI 621: Quantitative Methods and Statistics II<br \/>\nSOCI 656: Social Demography<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"4\">Other methods and research tool courses offered at USC are encouraged and can be approved on a case-by-case basis.<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-4-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-controls=\"section-1-4-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Field Reading List<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-4-B8dZBqeyjj\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-4-B8dZBqeyjj\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><font size=\"4\">A recommended <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1_PPX7VjWQn0eFDG4W3xqf6resY_kpnAN\/edit\">reading list<\/a> for the field exam is maintained by the field representative and updated periodically, in consultation with faculty teaching in the field.<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-5-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-controls=\"section-1-5-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Field Qualifying Exam<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-5-B8dZBqeyjj\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-5-B8dZBqeyjj\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><font size=\"4\">The MRT field will have a written exam, in which they answer two questions from a choice of questions that are divided into two sections: one on a common core (e.g. research design, ethics in research, data collection), and one that will allow students to focus on the methods they have selected (e.g. quantitative or qualitative).<\/font><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<font size=\"4\">The field representative will prepare the examination questions in consultation with the relevant faculty in the field.<\/font><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<font size=\"4\">The exam will be an open book exam.<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-6-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-controls=\"section-1-6-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Third Non-Examined Field<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-6-B8dZBqeyjj\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-6-B8dZBqeyjj\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><font size=\"4\">Students selecting MRT as their third non-examined field will take three courses in the field, including POIR 617. General program requirements in methods (POIR 610, 611 and an Advanced Methods Elective) do not count toward the three courses required by students who select MRT as a third non-examination field.<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n              <li>\n          <button type=\"button\" class=\"accordion-trigger \" id=\"heading-1-7-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-controls=\"section-1-7-B8dZBqeyjj\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-disabled=\"false\">\n                          <span class=\"item-title\">Language Requirements<\/span>\n            \n                      <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"section-1-7-B8dZBqeyjj\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"heading-1-7-B8dZBqeyjj\" class=\"accordion-panel\">\n\n                            \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><font size=\"4\">An option to complete some of the elective courses using advanced language courses is available to students intending to conduct field research abroad. Language courses at level 4 and above (i.e. ARAB 252, EALC 206) can be counted towards the elective requirement.While some of the language courses at USC that are below the 400 level might fulfill the content requirements of the MRT field, students may need to take additional elective courses at the doctoral level to ensure they meet the required 70 units for the degree. Also, only courses taken during the period that students are enrolled at USC may count, and transfer credit for advanced language courses taken prior to enrolling at USC will not be given.<\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n            \n                      <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n\n          <\/ul>\n  \n  \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":409,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3327","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Methods and Research Tools (MRT) - Department of Political Science and International Relations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/poir\/methods-and-research-tools-mrt\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Methods and Research Tools (MRT) - 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