phd in political science and government

College of Arts & Sciences

Ph.D in Government

Please explore further each of our fields of expertise:

• American Government
• Comparative Government
• International Relations
• Political Theory

Course scheduling and course information is available on the Schedule of Classes . Graduate Students should select a Term. Then “Government” as the Subject and choose “Advanced Search” and select “MN or MC Graduate” for Level.

The mission of the Government Department Ph.D. program is to provide students with the analytical skills and substantive knowledge needed to both generate and evaluate research in political science, preparing them for careers at the highest levels of scholarship and teaching. A Georgetown Ph.D. in Government signifies theoretical, methodological, and substantive expertise in various topics of political significance, as well as the research and communication skills necessary for productive scholarship.

The degree indicates that the recipient has acquired extensive knowledge in at least two fields, both typically drawn from the four major subfields of political science, but which may also include related fields such as history, security studies, or public policy. A Georgetown Ph.D. in Government is granted only to students who have demonstrated the ability to synthesize large quantities of information and rigorously evaluate the merits of competing theoretical and empirical arguments. The degree indicates that its holder has obtained the analytical and methodological skills to design and conduct original research of the highest quality. It further certifies that its holder has the written and oral communication skills necessary to engage with debates at the leading edge of the field. Individuals holding a Georgetown Ph.D. in Government are also equipped with the knowledge and skills to teach political science at the university level in both survey courses and specialized seminars.

Doctoral-level seminars taken during coursework are designed to familiarize students with the scholarly literature in at least two fields of study. Students gain a broad understanding of the development and major topics of research within these fields, as well as expertise in several more specialized areas. Students learn to evaluate and engage with the major scholarly debates in their fields of study, both in classroom discussion and in written work. All students learn the methodological skills needed to carry out original research in their respective fields.

Ph.D. students are required to take comprehensive examinations in one major. The purpose of comprehensive examinations is to demonstrate a student’s broad familiarity with the literature in his or her fields of study. This prepares students both as professional members of a scholarly community and as future teachers at the university level. Our doctoral students write dissertations that consist of rigorous original research that contribute to our understanding of a topic of empirical importance and theoretical significance to the field of political science. Once a dissertation of high quality is complete, there is a dissertation defense at which the student presents the results of his or her research and is questioned about the implications of the work for the field of political science by the dissertation committee.

In addition to the formal requirements of the doctoral program, students are encouraged and expected to participate in opportunities for professional socialization and development. All four subfields of the department organize speaker series to host scholars from other universities and promote intellectual exchange. Doctoral students are also encouraged to attend our seminars on various aspects of the academic profession, including teaching, publishing, and the job market.

Students acquire teaching skills in a number of settings. Many serve as teaching assistants for the larger undergraduate courses offered by the department, while others may have the opportunity to teach their own undergraduate-level seminars. Students may also take advantage of training seminars offered by the department, as well as the certification offered through the  Apprenticeship in Teaching Program  run by the  Center for New Designs in Teaching and Learning .

Doctoral students engage with the political science community outside of Georgetown by attending specialized seminars and presenting their research at academic conferences.

For students admitted with a Fellowship, we provide tuition and a stipend of $38,000. Typically students in their first year are assigned a service-free fellowship and will work on coursework and related research. In their second year, students normally are assigned service assistantships and and will typically serve as TA’s in GOVT courses or on other assignments. Students in their fourth year are assigned service assistantships and typically serve as an RA for a professor or some other assignment. In the fifth year, students usually also are service-free conditional on having successfully defended their dissertation prospectus and advanced to ABD status.

Our Ph.D. graduates have tenure-track jobs at many excellent institutions, including:

• American University
• Cornell University
• University of Wisconsin at Madison
• LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of Texas at Austin
• George Washington University
• George Mason University
• University of California at Riverside
• University of Michigan
• Villanova University
• Carleton University

In addition, our Ph.D.s have been winning prestigious fellowships, including ones from Harvard, Princeton and Brookings.

Part of our placement success is due to our strong record of working closely with students, including producing jointly authored articles.

All inquiries should be sent to [email protected] .

PhD in Political Economy & Government

In this section.

• Degree Requirements
• Current Students
• Dissertations & Job Placements
• Faculty & Research

Beginning in Fall 2022, the PhD in Political Economy and Government (PEG) will no longer be admitting students.  Students may apply to the PhD program in Public Policy (PPOL) , or consider the PhD Programs in the Economics Department or the PhD Program in Government . 

The PEG program will continue with the outlined course requirements for students who matriculated in Fall 2021. HKS will continue to fully fund and support all current PEG students until they have completed the program and graduated. However, going forward, prospective students will no longer be able to apply to or be admitted to the PEG program.

As of Fall 2021, prospective students interested in focusing on an economics or political science perspective of political economy are encouraged to apply to the PhD programs offered by the Department of Economics and the Department of Government at the  Graduate School of Arts and Sciences or the newly created PhD program in Public Policy (PPOL) tracks: Economics and Politics and Institutions (Political Science) . 

History of the PhD in Political Economy and Government

Dating to the 1930s, the PhD Program in Political Economy and Government (PEG) was initiated with the objective of fostering research at the intersection of Economics and Political Science. A collaborative program between Harvard Kennedy School, the Department of Economics, and the Department of Government, PEG emphasized positive—as opposed to normative—political economy. The PEG program combines rigorous training in economics, formal theory, and quantitative empirical methods with a substantive focus on the interaction between economic and political institutions and processes. Students combine coursework from the Department of Economics  and the Department of Government for an interdisciplinary program of study.

Students and faculty members in the PEG program share an intellectual interest in the impact of politics on economic processes and outcomes, and the reciprocal influence of economic conditions on political life. It covers research areas as diverse as international economic relations, financial economics, political development, political and economic institutions, institutional transition and reform, the economic importance of culture, economic performance, environmental resource policies, and social policy.

Doctoral Program Admissions

Phd student life.

Graduate Program

Pushing the Scholarly Frontier

PhD in Political Science

Our doctoral students are advancing political science as a discipline. They explore the empirical phenomena that produce new scholarly insights—insights that improve the way governments and societies function. As a result, MIT Political Science graduates are sought after for top teaching and research positions in the U.S. and abroad. Read where program alumni are working around the world.

How the PhD program works

The MIT PhD in Political Science requires preparation in two of these major fields:

• American Politics
• Comparative Politics
• International Relations
• Models and Methods
• Political Economy
• Security Studies

We recommend that you take a broad array of courses across your two major fields. In some cases, a single course may overlap across the subject matter of both fields. You may not use more than one such course to "double count" for the course distribution requirement. Keep in mind that specific fields may have additional requirements.

You are free to take subjects in other departments across the Institute. Cross-registration arrangements also permit enrollment in subjects taught in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University and in some of Harvard's other graduate schools.

Requirements

1. number of subjects.

You will need two full academic years of work to prepare for the general examinations and to meet other pre-dissertation requirements. Typically, a minimum of eight graduate subjects are required for a PhD.

2. Scope and Methods

This required one-semester seminar for first-year students introduces principles of empirical and theoretical analysis in political science.

3. Statistics

You must successfully complete at least one class in statistics.

You must successfully complete at least one class in empirical research methods.

5. Philosophy

You must successfully complete at least one class in political philosophy.

6. Foreign language or advanced statistics

You must demonstrate reading proficiency in one language other than English by successfully completing two semesters of intermediate-level coursework or an exam in that language, or you must demonstrate your knowledge of advanced statistics by successfully completing three semesters of coursework in advanced statistics. International students whose native language is not English are not subject to the language requirement.

7. Field research

We encourage you to conduct field research and to develop close working ties with faculty members engaged in major research activities.

8. Second Year Paper/workshop

You must complete an article-length research paper and related workshop in the spring semester of the second year. The second-year paper often develops into a dissertation project.

9. Two examinations

In each of your two elected fields, you must take a general written and oral examination. To prepare for these examinations, you should take at least three courses in each of the two fields, including the field seminar.

10. Doctoral thesis

As a rule, the doctoral thesis requires at least one year of original research and data collection. Writing the dissertation usually takes a substantially longer time. The thesis process includes a first and second colloquium and an oral defense. Be sure to consult the MIT Specifications for Thesis Preparation as well as the MIT Political Science Thesis Guidelines . Consult the MIT academic calendar to learn the due date for final submission of your defended, signed thesis.

Questions? Consult the MIT Political Science Departmental Handbook or a member of the staff in the MIT Political Science Graduate Office .

World-class resources. Ground-breaking research. A wide range of fields and methodologie s. Welcome to the Department of Government.

Harvard University’s Department of Government is home to a vibrant and diverse intellectual community of political science scholars, researchers, visionaries, leaders, and changemakers. Our dedication to excellence and our strength in teaching and research in all fields of political science is reflected in both our faculty and our curriculum.

Harvard University is a world leader in the study and scholarship in political science.  The University’s Department of Government programs of study include:

• American Politics
• Comparative Politics  
• International Relations  
• Political Thought and its History
• Quantitative Methodology
• Formal Theory

Our programs of study represent a broad and changing spectrum of interests and approaches.  

We combine innovation and excellence in teaching and research to deliver an intellectually robust, diverse, and flexible political studies graduate program.  It’s a department where scholars of all backgrounds and interests thrive. Graduates go on to careers at leading academic institutions, companies, government agencies, and non-profits.

Prospective Graduate Students Current Graduate Students Programs Of Study Phd Placements Program Contacts

• Introduction

Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.

• Application for Degree
• Credit for Completed Graduate Work
• Ad Hoc Degree Programs
• Dissertations
• English Language Proficiency
• African and African American Studies
• American Studies
• Anthropology
• Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning
• Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
• Biological Sciences in Public Health
• Biostatistics
• Business Administration
• Business Economics
• Byzantine Studies
• Celtic Languages and Literatures
• Chemical Biology
• Chemical Physics
• Chemistry and Chemical Biology
• Comparative Literature
• Division of Medical Sciences
• Earth and Planetary Sciences
• East Asian Languages and Civilizations
• Engineering and Applied Sciences
• Film and Visual Studies
• Germanic Languages and Literatures
• Health Policy
• History of Art and Architecture
• History of Science
• Human Evolutionary Biology
• Inner Asian and Altaic Studies
• Linguistics
• Mathematics
• Middle Eastern Studies
• Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
• Organizational Behavior
• Political Economy and Government
• Population Health Sciences
• Public Policy
• Quantum Science and Engineering
• Religion, The Study of
• Romance Languages and Literatures
• Slavic Languages and Literatures
• Social Policy
• South Asian Studies
• Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology
• Secondary Fields
• Year of Graduate Study (G-Year)
• Master's Degrees
• Grade and Examination Requirements
• Conduct and Safety
• Financial Aid
• Non-Resident Students
• Registration

Questions about these requirements? See the contact info at the bottom of the page. 

Candidates for the PhD in government are expected to complete the required coursework during their first two years of graduate study and take the General Examination at the end of the second year. A typical schedule consists of these two years, followed by three or four years of work on a dissertation, combined with supervised teaching.

Requirements

Courses  — A student must successfully complete at least 12 four-credit courses, of which 8 must be in political science. At least 10 of these 12 four-credit courses and 7 of the 8 four-credit courses in government must be listed in the catalog as 1000- or 2000-level courses. Courses cross-registered with Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Law School, the Fletcher School, or MIT can be used toward these requirements. Prior approval from the director of graduate studies is needed for courses from Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School.

Students must complete six four-credit courses by the end of their second term in residence and nine by the end of their third.

Course Requirements for Students Admitted for Fall 2021 and beyond 

Beginning fall 2021, a student must complete three out of the four field seminars: American Politics (Gov 2105), Comparative Politics (Gov 2305), International Relations (Gov 2710), and Political Philosophy (Gov 2093) and one course in Quantitative Methods. Students in Political Theory will have the option to be exempted from the methods course requirement.

Course Requirements for Students Admitted prior to Fall 2021 

Every first-year student must enroll in the government department graduate seminar, Gov 3001: Approaches to the Study of Politics. The course, offered each fall, is to be taken SAT/UNSAT for a full semester of credit.

Quantitative Methods Requirement — During their first or second year every student must successfully complete, with a grade of B or better, at least one graduate-level course in quantitative social science methods relevant to political science, from a list of appropriate government department and other Harvard/MIT courses regularly updated by the Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee. 

Political Theory Requirement — During their first or second year, every student must take a minimum of one graduate-level four-credit course (or section) in Political Theory, chosen from a list of courses approved by the Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee. 

Additional Requirements for all students 

Incompletes  — A grade of Incomplete can be converted into a letter grade if the student completes the work before the end of the term following the one in which the course was taken. If an Incomplete has not been completed within the period, the student must have the instructor and DGS approve the petition for an extension. No grade of Incomplete can be used to satisfy any departmental requirement.

Seminar Papers  — In order to ensure that students secure adequate training in research and writing, at least three seminar-style research papers must be completed. The usual means is through enrollment in seminars, but the requirement may also be satisfied by reading or lecture courses in which papers of this type are written. Only one of the three papers may be co-authored. Additionally, only one of the three papers may be written outside the department. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain written verification from the instructor that the completed paper is of seminar quality.

Research Tools Requirement  — By the end of their first year, every student must submit to the director of graduate studies a written Research Tools Plan outlining intentions to acquire tools and methodological expertise connected to their areas of research interest. The Tools Plan also should list the courses, modules, or workshops the student intends to take in order to meet the research tools requirement.

Every student must complete a minimum of 3.5 four-credit course-equivalent units of research tools and methods courses, modules, or workshops by the end of their seventh term in residence (middle of the fourth year). The seminar Approaches to the Study of Politics and the graduate course in quantitative social science methods count for two units within this total. Students may count language training in various formats (e.g. semester courses; intensive summer sessions) toward fulfillment of this requirement. The Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee will determine what counts for 1.0 or 0.5 units.

Research Workshops  — The government department offers a series of research workshops in each of the four fields (American government, international relations, comparative politics, political theory), applied statistics, and political economy, for graduate students to present and discuss work in progress. Every student should attend at least one research workshop each semester, when in residence. Research workshops do not count toward the requirement to complete 12 four-credit courses.

The General Examination

Every student will sit for a General Examination in May of their second year, with the exam administered orally by faculty not known in advance. The ninety-minute exam will cover two of the four major substantive fields in political science (chosen by the student from among American Government; Comparative Politics; International Relations; and Political Philosophy), plus an additional focus field defined by the student. For the focus field, each student will submit by a date designated by the director of graduate studies a five-to-eight-page statement outlining a special area for examination. This area may encompass a special literature; an area of the world; a realm of special interest spanning subfields or disciplinary boundaries; or a research approach. Political Philosophy and Social Policy students are not required to submit focus field memos.

Students are allowed a “course-out” option instead of taking a minor field oral exam in either Quantitative Methodology or Formal Theory by taking four (4) courses from our methods sequence with an overall grade of B+ or higher. At most, one course outside the methods sequence may count toward the course-out requirement, but those who want to use outside classes should consult with a member of the methods faculty (such as the methods field coordinator) before taking those courses for approval. Students who choose to course out will sit for the other two 30-minute exams as usual.

The department regularly offers “field seminars” introducing each of the four major fields of the discipline. However, no examination field is co-terminus with any one course, or even with any group of courses. The student is responsible for preparation in the field and should not assume that satisfactory completion of a course or courses dealing with the material in the field will constitute adequate preparation for the examination. The student should consult faculty members in each field to ensure such preparation. All students who choose a field are responsible for the same range of materials.

Progress toward the Degree after the General Examination

Requirements relating to courses and, seminars (research) papers, should normally be completed before the General Examination, that is, during the first two years of graduate work. In special circumstances, a student may defer fulfillment of two four-credit courses or one four-credit course and one seminar paper until after the General Examination.

Within six months of passing the General Examination, the student must have fulfilled one of these deferred requirements. Within 12 months, they must have completed both deferred requirements.

Following completion of the General Exam, each student will engage faculty advisors through a two-stage process of research exploration and prospectus approval, marked by two meetings as follows:

• An initial “Research Exploration Meeting” must convene in the fall semester of the third year, to discuss an approximately ten-page statement from the student, which, as appropriate, may either present a potential research question for the dissertation or set forth alternative possible research questions for consideration and development. The student may consult the director of graduate studies to identify three or four appropriate faculty consultants, if these are not readily apparent.
• Involving the same three or four faculty, or a different set where appropriate, the second “Prospectus Evaluation Meeting” will convene to discuss and approve the student’s written dissertation prospectus. These faculty members are chosen by the student with the approval of the director of graduate studies. The evaluation meeting will preferably be held in the spring semester of the third year and in no instance later than October 1 of the fourth year. Whenever this meeting is held, there may be a one-month follow-up period for final changes in the prospectus. To be in good standing, therefore, all students must have an approved prospectus, with the dissertation title and name(s) of the advisor(s) registered with the Graduate Program Office, by no later than November 15 of the fourth year.

First-year and second-year students are not permitted to hold Teaching Fellow appointments.

Students in their third year and beyond are eligible for teaching fellowships, which enable them to participate in Harvard’s undergraduate tutorial program, teach sections in the introductory government courses, or assist undergraduates in middle-group courses by leading discussion sessions or directing senior theses. All graduate students will normally be required to teach a minimum of two sections in departmental courses sometime during the period that they are in residence.

In the third year, most teaching fellows devote 14 hours/week to teaching, the remainder to work on the dissertation. The fourth year may be devoted entirely to writing the dissertation or to a combination of teaching and research. Students who have passed the general examination may teach the equivalent of three standard sections time for four years, with the following exception: Ordinarily, no graduate student may hold a teaching fellowship for more than four academic years, regardless of whether the appointment is for one or two terms within the same year; students who have taught fewer than 16 standard sections in four years will be permitted to teach a fifth and sixth year up to the total of 16 standard sections.

All first-time Teaching Fellows must enroll in Gov 3002: Teaching and Communicating Political Science. This is a required course for government PhD students who are teaching in the department for the first time (typically G3s).  The course has five required meetings and three optional sessions in the fall semester. Between meetings, students will have the chance to apply what they learn through peer observation, having their section videotaped, and watching their section with the department’s Pedagogy Fellow. The ultimate goal of this course is to help the student to become a good teacher and an effective speaker.

Dissertation

A student is required to demonstrate ability to perform original research in political science by writing a dissertation that makes a significant contribution to knowledge in the field. The requirement may also be fulfilled in the form of a three-article dissertation by approval of the dissertation committee.

Dissertations must be approved by at least three committee members, two of whom must be faculty members of the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The chair must be a member of the Department of Government. Any member of the committee who is not a member of the department must be approved by the dissertation chair. Dissertations must be approved for defense by the committee. The final copies of the dissertation must conform to the requirements described online in  Dissertations .

Special Examination

After the dissertation has been approved, and after all other degree requirements have been met, a student will take the “special” oral examination, or defense. This examination is focused on the dissertation and on the relevant special field, which is ordinarily one of the fields that the student presented in the general examination, or an approved portion of that field.

Students who defend their dissertation later than six years after taking the general examination must re-take the focus field of the general examination. Approved parental leave extends this period by one year per child, but no other reason for leave does.

Depositing Dissertation Data

Students are required to make all of the quantitative data they have compiled to reach the findings in their dissertation available to the  Harvard-MIT Data Center . This data must be in machine-readable form (together with accompanying explanatory materials). These data will be made available to other users five years after receipt of PhD or sooner, if the PhD recipient permits.

Ten-Year Enrollment Cap

An overall Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences policy has been established that students ordinarily will not be permitted to register beyond their tenth year. However, exceptions to this rule may be made for students who have taken medical or parental leave or for students with other special circumstances. Students who are administratively withdrawn are free to apply for readmission to Harvard Griffin GSAS, so as to re-register for the purpose of the defense and receiving the degree, when their dissertation is completed.

First-year students are assigned two faculty advisors by the director of graduate studies. In subsequent years, students may either remain with the first-year advisor or choose an advisor on their own.

Before the end of the second year, students must ask a faculty member to serve as their  Third-Year Advisor  and submit a signed “third-year advisor form” to the Graduate Office. This faculty member has the responsibility for guiding a student through the pre-prospectus meeting and the process of forming a committee. 

Contact Info

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Doctoral Program

Program Overview

The principal goal of the Stanford Ph.D. program in political science is the training of scholars. Most students who receive doctorates in the program do research and teach at colleges or universities. We offer courses and research opportunities in a wide variety of fields in the discipline, including American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Political Methodology. The program is built around small seminars that analyze critically the literature of a field or focus on a research problem. These courses prepare students for the Ph.D. comprehensive exam requirement within a two-year period and for work on the doctoral dissertation.

Graduate Program

Introduction.

The graduate program in Government at Cornell prepares students for academic and research careers in political science. All students admitted to the program are expected to earn a doctoral degree. In exceptional circumstances, students who choose to leave the program or who fail to fulfill the requirements for admission to doctoral candidacy may be granted a Master’s degree. Completion of the Ph.D. program normally requires two-to-three years of full-time course work at Cornell and several additional years of dissertation research and writing.

The Ph.D. Program

The Graduate Program is divided into four subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory . To be admitted to doctoral study, students are required to take a comprehensive written exam in one of these subfields for their major. For their second subfield, students choose to take an exam or complete coursework in a second subfield or a Course of Study of their own design.  Constructed around intellectual concerns and research problems of the student’s own choosing, the Course of Study is not to be conceived as a specialization within the student’s major field: rather, it should pursue issues which link several fields of study within political science and related disciplines. Students are expected to complete their subfield examinations by the end of their third year.

We expect our graduates to possess a broad understanding of the discipline, specialized expertise in one or more areas, and competence in social science methods. Students are required to take at least one reading course in three of four subfields before advancing to candidacy. During their study at Cornell, students must complete 12 graduate-level courses in Government and related fields. (Up to three courses may be transferred from graduate programs at other institutions.)

Doctoral students must demonstrate competence in either a foreign language or methods. In addition, they are expected to serve as teaching assistants for at least one semester. Experience in undergraduate teaching under the supervision of a faculty member is essential preparation for an academic career and an important component of the graduate program at Cornell. Most Ph.D. students serve as teaching assistants for at least two years.

Research Facilities and Resources

Cornell’s library system contains nearly five million volumes and is among the leading university research libraries in the United States.

Cornell offers intensive instruction in virtually all modern languages, including many of those less commonly taught, such as the Andean languages of South America and numerous languages of South and Southeast Asia.

Graduate students are encouraged to participate in Cornell’s distinguished network of interdisciplinary research activities. Those include the programs affiliated with the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies: separate area studies programs in Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America; Slavic and Eastern European Studies; the Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies; the Western Societies Program; Gender and Global Change; and the International Political Economy Program to name only a few. Other important centers for students include: the Institute for European Studies, Center for the Environment (with ten topical programs), the Society for the Humanities; the Women’s Studies Program; the Program on Ethics and Public Life; the Program in Visual Culture; the Africana Studies and Research Center, and the Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research (CISER), and the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development.

The English Language Support Office (ELSO) provides writing and speaking support to international multilingual graduate and professional students free of charge. This support includes credit-bearing writing and speaking courses; tutoring on writing projects, presentations, and pronunciation; workshops; and a conversation program. To learn more about ELSO’s programs, click here .

Submitting the Application

All application materials are to be submitted online at  http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/admissions/applying/apply-now . Questions can be directed to [email protected]. 

Application must include copies of full academic transcripts from each institution previously attended, three letters of recommendation, an academic research statement of purpose, a writing sample, and TOEFL or IELTS scores (if applicable). Applicants are required to submit an academic statement and a personal statement describing how your personal background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree. This is an opportunity for you to provide insight into your potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and innovate productively and positively together. We do not rank candidates by comparing their personal statements, but we do use them to acquire a fuller, contextual understanding of each applicant's strengths.  We do not require special formatting or page limitations for your writing sample.

Effective 2023, we no longer accept GRE scores.

If your native language is not English, you must submit a TOEFL or IELTS. The minimum scores are Writing: 20, Listening: 15, Reading: 20, Speaking: 22 and an overall band score of a 7.00 higher on the IELTS Academic exam. Scores must be sent electronically (e-delivery) to the Cornell University Graduate Admissions, Caldwell Hall e-download account. E-delivery may also be referred to as an e-TRF by your test center.  For admissions purposes, Cornell University's Graduate School does not require IELTS or TOEFL scores from applicants who meet a Standing Exemption .  Click here for additional information on Standing Exemption

The deadline for all applications and additional materials is December 15. This deadline is FIRM, no late applications or additional materials are accepted. Cornell University expects all applicants to complete their application materials without the use of paid agents, credentials services, or other paid professional assistance. The use of such services violates University policy, and may lead to the rejection of application materials, the revocation of an admissions offer, cancellation of admission, or involuntary withdrawal from the University. Applicants are informed of the admission decision before April 1 and are expected to notify the field of their acceptance before April 15.

Application fee waiver:  In cases of financial hardship, the Graduate School will consider a request for a fee waiver. Fee waivers can be requested on the application. You will need to provide a brief but well-considered explanation of how the application fee presents a financial hardship for you. Relevant factors include unemployment or underemployment, the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from a recent FAFSA, economic conditions in your home country, etc.  More information on fee waivers is available through the Graduate School website.

Applications are reviewed and evaluated without reference to financial need. Under normal circumstances, and contingent on satisfactory academic progress, we provide full financial support for five years of graduate study. Regularly admitted students typically receive a full fellowship for their first year and last year. The remaining financial support usually takes the form of teaching assistantships. Students who do field research for their dissertation typically require support from external sources. Several of the area studies programs at Cornell provide fellowships for this purpose on a competitive basis. We encourage and help our students pursue these and other opportunities for outside support.

Graduate Courses

Methodology

• Introductory Probability and Statistics
• Advanced Regression Analysis
• Comparative Methods
• Formal Theory and Modeling
• Foundations of Social Sciences
• Experiment and Survey Design

American Politics

• Government and Public Policy
• The United States Congress
• Field Seminar: American Political Organizations, Institutions and Party Systems
• Democratic Theory and Institutions
• Political Economy of American Development
• Social Movements and State Expansion in the 20th Century
• American Foreign Policy
• Public Opinion

Comparative Politics

• Comparative Political Ecology
• Criminality and the State
• Comparative Democratization
• Administration of Agricultural and Rural Development
• Agrarian Political Economy
• Chinese Politics
• Comparative Labor Movements (Europe & Latin America)
• Comparative Political Economy (advanced industrial countries)
• European Parties and Party Systems
• Social Movements, Collective Action, and Reform
• State and Economy in Comparative Perspective

International Relations

• Field Seminar in International Relations
• International Political Economy
• International Security Politics
• Ethical Issues in International Affairs
• U.S. Foreign Policy in Perspective
• The Politics of Transnationalism
• Asian Security
• International Strategy
• Foreign Policy Analysis

Political Theory

• Secession, Intervention & Just War Theory
• Modern Social Theory
• American Political Thought
• Contemporary Democratic Theory
• Republicanism and Liberalism
• The Western Political Tradition
• Language and Politics

Life in Ithaca

Cornell University is situated in Ithaca, a small city in central New York on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes. The expansive campus, overlooking the lake and bounded on two sides by deep glaciated gorges, is acknowledged to be one of the most scenic in the world. About 3000 acres of trails, ponds, gardens, and biological research facilities are administered by Cornell Arboretum.

Ithaca is a pleasant and livable city of humanscale, with varied and affordable shopping establishments and restaurants (including the world famous Moosewood Restaurant). There are excellent facilities for most indoor and outdoor sports. The area has a lively arts community; year-round concerts, theater, and musical events are presented at Cornell and Ithaca College featuring world-class performers. In addition to the films at numerous commercial theaters, a year-round program from early classics to the most recent avant garde offerings-are presented by Cornell Cinema. Formal lectures, conferences, and seminar series bring to the Cornell campus leading international figures in all the academic disciplines and in public affairs.

Housing for graduate students is available within walking distance of the campus, in residential areas within the city of Ithaca which are served by Ithaca Transit, and in the rural surrounding areas. Excellent medical services can be found in the City of Ithaca and at Cornell’s Gannett Health Center.

Click here for more information on planning a visit to the Cornell University campus and the Ithaca area.

Graduate Faculty

Cornell’s graduate field of Government has a large and diverse faculty representing the major theoretical, methodological, and substantive areas of contemporary political science. The ratio of faculty to graduate students is excellent; students have the opportunity to work closely with one or more members of the faculty. The faculty makes a special effort to place successful Ph.D. candidates in their first professional position in what has become a highly competitive and very selective academic market.

Click here for a directory of our graduate field faculty.

Graduate Awards

Our graduate students have won a number of prestigious awards, grants and fellowships. Click here for a list of recent award winners.

Graduate Student Handbook

Click here for the Graduate Student Handbook

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College of Arts and Science

Truman School of Government and Public Affairs

Phd in political science, program overview .

Our program is organized into the traditional major subfields of political science (including American politics, public policy/administration, international relations and comparative politics).  Beyond that, we focus on a number of research cores on the cutting edge of political science research including race and ethnic politics, voting behavior, political movements, civil wars, American political institutions, and conflict management.  We offer comprehensive methodological training in quantitative techniques, formal modeling and game theory, and qualitative techniques (such as interviews and archival research).  Students are trained in state-of-the-art methodologies such as experiments, spatial econometrics, and techniques to collect and analyze big data (including automated data collection and text analysis).   We are looking for promising students to help us answer important research questions with the most advanced techniques.  

At Mizzou, we provide opportunities for collaborative research projects with faculty members who are experts in their area.  Our vibrant program  features professors who publish their research in top academic journals and university presses, edit leading journals in the discipline, and teach classes on advanced techniques at international methods institutes.  The result is that our PhD students consistently publish in top academic journals while in graduate school.  Nationally, it is somewhat rare to see students graduate with multiple publications, both solo and co-authored with faculty members; at Mizzou, it is the norm.   

Coursework in our program consists of small seminars, allowing for intensive study of political science concepts and research, close interaction with faculty, and individual attention to student progress. Advised by graduate faculty, students at MU are encouraged to become active scholars capable of conducting independent analysis and research of political and social phenomena. 

Mizzou Political Science maintains a low graduate student to faculty ratio, a commitment to student success, and a high rate of retention and graduation. 

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The COVID pandemic has been extremely hard on students, especially for students from the developing world, rural backgrounds, or from groups that are underrepresented in academia.  The significant disruptions caused by lockdowns, health issues, and local ordinances mean that it may be difficult to prepare for the GRE exam, or even travel to the testing facility.  In the interests of fairness, we have removed this requirement for applicants for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle.  We hope that this small step makes it easier for a diverse group of students to reach their goals at Mizzou.  

We don’t have minimum scores for the GRE.  As for the GRE averages, the above figure shows admitted students from a previous application cycle (circled) across quantitative and verbal percentiles (50th, 75th and 95th percentiles).  As you can see, higher GRE scores improve your chances of being admitted.  At the same time, it is not a perfect relationship.  Unlike other top schools, we prefer to take a comprehensive or holistic approach to evaluating applicants.  

Keep in mind that we have waived the GRE requirement for applicants for Fall 2023, so it your choice as to whether to provide GRE scores or not. 

The Truman School strives to be a diverse and inclusive environment where students are encouraged to pursue their research interests in vibrant intellectual community.  As such, we take a holistic approach to  admissions .  This means that we look for students with unique backgrounds, exceptional academic performance, research interests that overlap those of our faculty, strong letters of recommendation, and experience conducting political science research.  Exceptional performance in one area could certainly compensate for less experience in another. 

More specifically, the best personal statements are those that a) describe your post-PhD employment goals, b) lay out your skills and tools—such as experience with data analysis, statistical software, language skills, and conducting independent research—that will help you succeed in graduate school, and c) show why Mizzou’s graduate program appeals to you—this includes noting how your research interests overlap with those of our faculty. 

No, there is no need to secure a professor’s approval before noting in the personal statement that you would like to work with them.  If you would like to chat with a particular professor, contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Laron Williams, and he would be happy to establish the connection and get the conversation going. 

While having an MA helps demonstrate that you are familiar with the intellectual demands of graduate school, it is not a requirement for admission.  In fact, the majority of our PhD students choose to begin the program immediately after graduating from their undergraduate institution.  In short, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds: applying straight from undergrad, after pursuing an MA, and mid-career applicants. 

All Ph.D. students have graduate assistantships and receive a tuition waiver and a health insurance subsidy.  Remaining expenses include course fees which—depending on the number of credit hours—typically do not exceed $1,000 a semester.  

Our graduate student stipends are highly competitive (over $18,000) and quite generous when one factors in the low cost-of-living of Columbia ( example ).  Historically, our students have won multiple university fellowships that provide additional funding (often $11,000-16,000). 

The Truman School is also unique in guaranteeing funding for the five years it takes students to complete their PhD requirements, rather than make acquiring funding a competition between students.  We have found that our approach reduces student anxiety about their economic situation.  When students don’t compete with each other for their funding, they are free to build lasting friendships and connections.      

Graduate assistants typically work 20 hours a week as either a teaching assistant or a research assistant.  Graduate students in RA positions are paired with faculty members with similar research interests, so promising research assistantships often evolve into full-fledged co-authored projects.  Teaching assistant duties vary according to the class, sometimes involving mostly grading while other times involving leading discussion sections. We also have opportunities for students interested in applied policy research to work as an RA with the  Institute of Public Policy .   

Students are allocated to either TA or RA positions based on a mixture of departmental need and the strengths and preferences of students.  

Most of our PhD alumni work in academia as professors, so a critical part of the graduate training at Mizzou revolves around teaching.  The ideal sequence is for students to serve as teaching assistants in substantive courses for a few semesters and then become lab instructors.  As a lab instructor, TAs build teaching experience by providing one-on-one and small group instruction to a lab.  We also encourage students to pursue guest lecturing opportunities so that they can strengthen their teaching skills.  Moreover, our students have taken advantage of the additional training offered by the  Teaching for Learning Center  and the  Minor in College Teaching . 

Advanced graduate students are allowed to take the reins and teach their own independent courses.  The goal is for our graduates to have a diverse teaching portfolio of classes so that they can hit the ground running in their first post-graduation academic job.    

Yes!  The professors in the Truman School believe that a critical part of training graduate students is collaborating with them on  research projects .  So much of the research process can only be learned by getting your hands dirty, brainstorming with coauthors, and writing on interests that you share with faculty.  Graduate education is certainly less rewarding if you don’t have these experiences.  

These collaborative opportunities arise organically, and often come out of a research assistantship position or as the result of a research paper for a graduate course.  The result is that the vast majority of students go on the academic job market with multiple publications—often with faculty and other graduate students as coauthors—which places them in a stronger competitive position than their peers.  Nationally, it is somewhat rare for graduate students to have multiple publications; at Mizzou, it’s the norm. 

We expect our students to produce high-quality, innovative political science research, so we provide the funds that help them along the way.  We group these funds into three categories: 

• All students receive  funding  to attend and present at academic conferences.  Academic conferences are a great way to network with others who share your passions, stay current on cutting-edge research, and receive feedback on your own research projects.  We encourage students to begin attending smaller or regional conferences early on so that they are comfortable with presenting research at national conferences later on in the program.  
• For some students, their research and teaching interests require additional training.  This could include immersive language training in other countries or classes on advanced methodological topics.  For example, in the past few years, we have funded students to receive additional training on Political Psychology, qualitative methods, and a variety of quantitative methods at American and international summer schools.  
• During the research process, students often discover that their project requires data that has never been collected before.  Whether the data comes from fieldwork in other countries, through experiments, or surveys, we are happy to provide small grants to get the ball rolling. 

Students choose to spend their summers in a variety of ways, whether it is taking a course or two, doing fieldwork or original data collection, gaining language training in an immersive environment, or attending summer schools in methodologies.  These decisions are made by the student in consultation with their advisor and committee. 

Departmental assistantships are based on 10-month appointments (you can spread payments over 12 months), but there are limited opportunities for 1- to 2-month summer research assistantships.  Any student with a departmental assistantship receives a tuition waiver for summer classes. 

Full-time PhD students take three classes a week and each class meets for 2.5 hours once a week.  We make sure that these graduate courses don’t conflict with the undergraduate courses related to your teaching assistantship.  

Students select a primary and a secondary field out of American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations and Public Policy/Public Administration.  Students must take four classes from their primary field, three from their secondary field, and four methods classes.  Besides that, we encourage students to take classes outside of their two fields and outside of the Truman School.  For more information on these courses—as well as available syllabi— click here . 

Here is a rough outline of the 2.5 years of coursework. 

Fall  Methods Core I, Primary Core, Secondary Core 

Spring  Methods Core II, Substantive (Primary), Substantive (Secondary) 

Fall  Methods, Substantive (Primary), Elective from outside TSGPA 

Spring  Methods, Substantive (Primary), Substantive (Secondary) 

Fall  Methods, Core, Substantive (Primary) 

Spring  Comprehensive Examinations and Dissertation Proposal Defense 

Fall  Dissertation Research 

Spring  Dissertation Research 

Fall   Dissertation Research and Job Market 

Core Courses:  each field has a broad seminar that introduces the fundamental topics and big questions in that field: Public Policy, Introduction to International Relations, and Introduction to Comparative Politics.  American Politics offers two core courses: American Political Behavior and American Political Institutions. 

Methods Courses:  each PhD student must take at least 13 hours of advanced methods courses.  The two core courses include Introductory Statistics for Political Science (and its 1-hour lab) in the Fall of Year 1, and Linear Models in Politics in the Spring of Year 2.  After that, students can take two other 3-hour courses on topics including Maximum Likelihood Estimation, Time Series Analysis, Formal Models, and Qualitative Research Methods.  Students are also encouraged to pursue methods training from other departments at Mizzou and at summer methods schools. 

Substantive Courses:  each field offers at least one substantive course per semester on an important topic in that field.  Click on this  link  to see the substantive courses we’ve offered in the last few years.   

Elective:  students are free to take classes outside of the Truman School at Mizzou.  Oftentimes students will want to gain expertise or learn some methodological skill that is found outside of political science.  In the past, students have taken courses in Black Studies, Statistics, Economics, Philosophy, Communications, and Sociology, to name a few. 

Comprehensive Examinations:  in the Spring of Year 3, students take comprehensive examinations in both their primary and secondary fields.  The examinations take place over two days (one for each field) and assess whether students understand the foundational research on big questions in their field.  After passing comprehensive examinations, students start writing their dissertation proposal. 

The Graduate Association of Political Scientists ( GAPS ) is the student organization for graduate students involved in political science degree programs.  It hosts monthly meetings with informational sessions, seminars on health and wellness, professional development activities, and social activities. 

GAPS also runs the Truman School’s mentoring program, which connects all first-year students with an advanced student in the program with similar research interests.  The mentors provide advice and guidance about how to navigate the PhD program.  We have found that this eases the transition to full-time graduate student and improves student retention. 

Since we recruit students from diverse backgrounds, there is considerable variance in students’ previous academic experiences.  To help the transition from undergraduate education (or full-time employment) to a PhD program, we provide a comprehensive professional development program.  The goal is to train students on all the tools and skills they’ll need to make the most out of the PhD program.  The professional development program is made up of three main components: 

• Boot camp :  This 3-hour graduate class (POLS 9010: Research Design and Analysis) is offered immediately prior to the start of the fall semester and is required for all first-year PhD students.  The primary objective of the course is to make sure that all students have the necessary skills to succeed in the first year of the program, regardless of their prior training or academic experiences.  The class provides a strong foundation in mathematics, statistics and probability theory so that students have the knowledge required for the methods sequence.  Other topics covered include professionalization, writing for a political science audience, the typesetting program LaTeX, and an introduction to Stata.  
• Methods workshops : 3-4 times a semester the Truman School offers a 2- or 3-hour methods workshop for graduate students.  The workshops focus on a topic that is not covered in our graduate methods sequence, but is useful for students wanting to produce high-quality research.  While these classes are typically taught by Mizzou faculty, we are happy to give advanced graduate students the opportunity to teach their peers in their area of expertise.  Over the last four years there have been almost 30 different workshops, ranging from Race and Ethnicity to Python, to Text Analysis and Network Analysis. 
• Mini-conferences : Presenting at academic conferences is a critical part of success in graduate school.  Of course, some people might be stressed at the thought of finishing their paper, producing their presentation, and presenting it in front of strangers.  We get it, as we were students at one point too.  To help our students become more comfortable with academic conferences, we host a number of mini-conferences through the year.  These mini-conferences typically take place about a month before a major political science conference and they give students the opportunity to practice presenting and receive feedback before they attend the conference.  We have found that presenting the project in a low-stress environment not only improves the overall research quality, but also puts students in the best chance to succeed. 

Degree Options 

Doctoral students identify a primary and a secondary field among four areas of study offered in the Political Science: 

• American Politics 
• Comparative Politics 
• International Relations 
• Public Policy and Administration 

The PhD program of study consists of 45 hours of graduate course work, including: 

• 12 hours in a primary field of study 
• 9 hours in a secondary field of study 
• 13 hours in methodology 

Up to 24 hours of courses from a student's master's program may be counted toward the doctoral degree, at the discretion of the student's doctoral committee. The doctoral degree requires a minimum of 72 hours of course credit including reading and research hours. 

Students typically take comprehensive exams in the spring of the third year. After passing the comprehensive examination, students work on independent research and a dissertation under the advisement of a doctoral committee.   

PhD Placement 

Our assistance to students doesn’t end when the student gets their PhD.  Each student pursuing a job on the academic job market goes through the placement program, where we review job market materials, discuss strategy, and offer interview prep.  We also offer seminars on how to succeed in non-academic careers, and have placed recent graduates in all levels of government, think tanks, and the private sector. 

The Truman School is extremely proud of its recent placement efforts (see below). In addition to placing students in tenure-track professor positions in research-dominated universities, we have an excellent track record in students gaining employment at small state universities and liberal arts colleges.  Professors in the latter type of universities can engage in their teaching passions while still having the opportunity to conduct research. 

Tenure-track Assistant Professor Placement Institutions: 

• Knox College
• Anderson University
• University of Louisiana-Lafayette
• Luther College
• Mount St. Mary's University
• Texas Tech University
• University of Macau
• University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley
• Lincoln University
• Baylor University
• State University of New York—Geneseo 
• University of South Carolina 
• Arkansas State University 
• University of Stavanger (Norway) 
• Georgia Southern University 
• University of Reading (UK) 
• University of South Carolina—Aiken 
• University of York (UK) 

Post-Doctoral Fellowships Placement Institutions: 

• Stanford University
• University of Kentucky
• Dartmouth College
• Korea University
• University of Georgia
• Ohio State University
• University of Gothenburg 
• Arizona State University 
• University of Copenhagen 
• Columbia University
• Vanderbilt University

Our PhD in Political Science covers four fields: American government, comparative politics, international relations, and public policy. The curriculum introduces students to all four fields, though each student will concentrate on a primary and secondary field.

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The curriculum introduces students to all four fields: American government, comparative politics, international relations, and public policy and additionally, develops their research skills through a series of interdisciplinary methodology courses.

Our students learn how to develop and conduct ground-breaking research in their own chosen areas of specialty. They master the relevant literature and engage with a range of theories central to political processes, institutions, actors, and ideas in the core scholarly areas of political science. They also have the opportunity to develop expertise in a range of methods from archival research and interviews to statistical analysis and machine learning.

Learn more about the PhD program in Political Science from the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.

• All doctoral students receive a five-year stipend graduate assistantship
• “PoliTea” – doctoral student-led professional development sessions, often in collaboration with departmental faculty, to enhance student publishing, research and teaching
• Departmental and University funding is available for doctoral students’ participation in professional conferences and other skills training programs in the U.S. and abroad
• Opportunities for students to participate in internships, field research, and other experiential learning activities

Our graduates pursue careers within academia and beyond.

Tenure Track: • Bentley University • Beloit College • Simmons University

Non-Tenure Track: • Emmanuel College • Merrimack College • Northeastern University

Postdocs and Research: • Center for Policy Research • The Fletcher School at Tufts University • Wesleyan University

Other Opportunities: • Journal Editor of International Journal of Urban and Regional Research • US Congress

Application Materials

Application.

• Application fee – US $100
• Personal statement
• Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended
• English proficiency for international applicants
• Three letters of recommendation
• Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) – Optional
• Writing sample

Admission deadline for Fall term: December 1

• Program Website

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Government (Ph.D.)

About the program.

The mission of the Government Department Ph.D. program is to provide students with the analytical skills and substantive knowledge needed to both generate and evaluate research in political science, preparing them for careers at the highest levels of scholarship and teaching. A Georgetown Ph.D. in Government signifies theoretical, methodological, and substantive expertise in various topics of political significance, as well as the research and communication skills necessary for productive scholarship.

The degree indicates that the recipient has acquired extensive knowledge in one of the four major fields of political science, but which may also include related fields such as history, security studies, or public policy. Doctoral-level seminars taken during coursework are designed to familiarize students with the scholarly literature in their major field of study and in other disciplinary fields. Students gain a broad understanding of the development and major topics of research as well as expertise in several more specialized areas. Students learn to evaluate and engage with the major scholarly debates in their field of study, both in classroom discussion and in written work. All students learn the methodological skills needed to carry out original research in their respective field.

A Georgetown Ph.D. in Government is granted only to students who have demonstrated the ability to synthesize large quantities of information and rigorously evaluate the merits of competing theoretical and empirical arguments. Degree holders have obtained the analytical and methodological skills to design and conduct original research of the highest quality, and have the written and oral communication skills necessary to engage with debates at the leading edge of the field. Individuals holding a Georgetown Ph.D. in Government are also equipped with the knowledge and skills to teach political science at the university level in both survey courses and specialized seminars.

Degrees Offered

• Ph.D. Government

Joint Degree Programs:

• Ph.D. Government (any concentration)/J.D.
• Ph.D. Government (Comparative)/M.A. Arab Studies
• Ph.D. Government (Comparative or International Relations)/M.A. German and European Studies
• Ph.D. Government (Comparative)/M.A. Latin American Studies
• Ph.D. Government (International Relations)/M.A. Security Studies
• Ph.D. Government (Comparative)/M.A. Russian and East European Studies
• Ph.D. Government (American, Comparative, International Studies)/M.P.P. Public Policy

Admissions Requirements

For general graduate admissions requirements, visit the Office of Graduate Admission’s Application Information page. Review the program’s website  for additional information on program application requirements.

• Application Form
• Non-refundable Application Fee
• Academic Statement of Purpose
• Optional: Statement on Diversity, Personal Background & Contributions
• Writing Sample
• Letters of Recommendation (3)
• Transcripts  – Applicants are required to upload to the application system copies of official  transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended. Visit the Office of Graduate Admission’s Application Information page for additional details and FAQs.
• GRE: Optional
• TOEFL = 80 minimum
• IELTS = 7.0 minimum

Application Deadlines

• Fall: December 15

Degree Requirements

• Forty-eight hours of course work
• Each student will select one major and one minor field
• A satisfactory appraisal by department faculty at the end of the second semester and a cumulative average of “B+” or better
• A first-year workshop
• Five courses in theory and methods, except for those in Political Theory
• Research competence in a second language must be proven by students in Comparative Politics, International Relations and Political Theory. Native speakers of foreign languages may fulfill the language requirement by showing fluency in English.
• Successfully pass a Ph.D. written comprehensive examinations — students may also be required to pass an oral examination in their major field.
• Presentation of a thesis proposal and the subsequent completion of a doctoral dissertation.
• Up to 24 hours of work from another accredited university may count toward the Ph.D. degree. Students with a previously earned M.A. degree, which directly prepares them for the department’s Ph.D. program, may apply for advanced standing for up to 18 credit hours.

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Program Contact: [email protected]

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The Bush School of Government & Public Service

Public Service is a noble calling.

PhD in Political Science

PhD in Political Science Courses | Fields of Study | Requirements | Funding | Admissions

The PhD in Political Science program emphasizes theoretical and methodological rigor and is designed to train applied social-scientists for careers in research. To this end, the program mandates that all students complete a common core of applied formal theory and statistical modeling coursework in addition to the general substantive requirements. Though malleable apart from this core sequence, program requirements are designed to give all students: (1) a firm grasp of the general field of political science; (2) a sophisticated understanding of the theoretical and methodological foundations of the discipline; and (3) a thorough familiarity with the literature and intellectual problems of the fields each student chooses to emphasize.

All fields of study involve the role of incentives, institutions, and strategies in the aggregation of preferences and ultimately the allocation of resources. Major fields of study mirror the disciplinary norm: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, and Public Administration/Public Policy. All students must also declare two minor fields from the list above or substitute Advanced Research Methodology or Race, Ethnic, and Gender Politics.

Fields of Study

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Phd in political economy & government.

The PhD in Political Economy and Government is designed for students interested in the impact of politics on economic processes and outcomes, and the reciprocal influence of economic conditions on political life. It is appropriate for students whose academic interests are not served by doctoral studies in Economics or Political Science alone.

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Politics and Policy

Phd in political science.

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Through rigorous research and applied curriculum, the PhD in Political Science provides an in-depth understanding of politics and government and the underpinnings of national and global civil society.

In the contemporary world, understanding politics and policy is one key to successful, peaceful, and prosperous national and global civil society. The PhD program in Political Science equips you with the politics and international studies expertise to make an impact not only in American political life and thought but also in political arenas around the globe. You will develop the analytical ability and practical experience for both academic and research-based positions. Our highly engaged faculty-scholars conduct research on a range of contemporary issues, such as voting rights, non-state war, the rise of China, conserving liberty, environmental justice, state capacity, data visualization, citizen participation, globalization, corruption, the administrative state, and immigration. Our program prepares scholars for academic careers, teaching, and research as well as government and public service.

Program Highlights

• PhD students typically complete the 72-unit program in five years.
• All students choose two areas of concentrated study from American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Politics, International Political Economy, Public Policy, and Research Methodology.
• Our graduates work in government and the private sector, at NGOs and international institutions; they are also found teaching at prestigious universities across the world.
• Pursue your PhD in Political Science in conjunction with another degree, such as an MA in Psychology. You earn a diploma for each degree and  “double count” some units from one program to the other to decrease your required total units.

Program at a Glance

UNITS 72 units

*Actual completion times will vary and may be higher, depending on full- or part-time course registration, units transferred, and time to complete other degree requirements.

COURSES BEGIN Fall | Spring | Summer

DEPARTMENT Politics & Policy

DIVISION Division of Politics & Economics

DEGREE AWARDED PhD in Political Science

Featured Courses

This seminar provides a thorough overview of the current research on political behavior. We will survey the literature on party identification, political sophistication, voting, ideology, information processing, tolerance, participation and turnout, and public opinion. In addition, students will explore the various methodological strategies for scientific inquiry in this area, develop important and innovative student research programs and prepare for qualifying examinations through comprehensive reviews of the literature.

Explores how policy analysis can help us devise better public policies—and then make them work in practice.

This class will review current theories of international and domestic conflict including proposals that lead to their resolution.

This course deals with more advance topics in the use of statistical methods beyond ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation, with emphasis on applied analysis of political data in the R computing environment.

This course introduces major topics in comparative politics and provides basic training for comparative politics graduate students. The main purpose of this course is to introduce key questions as well as classic and modern approaches in comparative politics. The course focuses not on facts but on the task of causal (positive) explanation.

This course is about political institutions and economic development. In recent years, there has been a surge of literature on political and economic development, at the very heart of which is the relationship between political systems and economic performance.

Areas of Concentration

The study of American Politics examines political institutions and political behavior in the United States. Courses cover all levels of government: national, state, and local.

Scholars of Comparative Politics investigate similarities and differences in patterns of politics across the world. The field of Comparative Politics includes, among others, the study of political institutions and regimes; electoral behavior and procedures; identity, ideology, and culture; public policy; political economy and political and economic development; social movements and organizations; and protest and revolution.

Explore the intersection of global politics, security, and economic development through advanced computational methods and a comprehensive study of political and economic theories. This concentration emphasizes the role of international and domestic political and economic processes, institutions, and relationships in shaping national security, economy, international conflict and peace, as well as the global economic landscape.

Develop an interdisciplinary approach to address complex social challenges and analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of policy and program-based solutions to those challenges. Inform evidence-based policy decisions to promote social justice and wellbeing; enhance public services, health, technology and infrastructure; protect the environment and ameliorate the effects of climate change; and guide economic growth and sustainability. Pursue a career in academia, government agencies and nonprofit organizations, or think tanks and consulting firms focused on decision-making, policy analysis, and program evaluation.

Become an expert in political science by studying and solving real-world problems through research design, data collection and management, and data analysis and interpretation. Apply a wide variety of statistical tools—from big data and machine learning to computational analytics and data visualization techniques—to political experimental, quasi-experimental, and observational data. Pursue a data science career in academia or at public and private organizations focused on the analysis of sociopolitical, economic, and policy data.

Research Spotlight

Faculty & research.

Mark Abdollahian

Full Clinical Professor

Research Interests

Strategic Decision Making, International Political Economy, Sustainable Development

Heather E. Campbell

Thornton F. Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy Director, Division of Politics & Economics

Public Policy, Urban Environmental Policy, Environmental Justice

Luther Lee Jr. Memorial Chair Professor

International Political Economy, International Relations, Political Economy of China and Latin America, Quantitative Methodology

Robert Klitgaard

University Professor

Public Policy, Economic Strategy, Institutional Reform, Corruption

Jacek Kugler

Elisabeth Helm Rosecrans Professor of International Relations

Causes and Consequences of War, Political Performance, Power Transition

Assistant Professor

Development, political behavior, urban politics, digital technology

Javier Rodríguez

Associate Professor Field Chair for Policy

Public & Health Policy, Social Inequality, Quantitative Methods for Social Science Research

Melissa Rogers

Associate Professor, Politics & Policy Co-Director, Inequality and Policy Research Center Field Chair, Comparative Politics Field Chair, American Politics

Comparative Politics, Political Economy, Economic Inequality

Jean Reith Schroedel

Professor Emerita of Political Science Former Thornton F. Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy

Native American voting rights, American political development, women and politics, religion and politics, and congressional policy-making

Sallama Shaker

Senior Fellow of Middle East & International Studies

Power Politics, Religion, and Culture in the Middle East; Feminization of Poverty and Global Challenges; Globalization

Where You Can Find Our Alumni

Oregon Supreme Court

Associate Justice

U.S. Embassy, Panama

Chargé d'Affaires

Indiana University

Associate Professor of East Asian Languages & Culture

University of New Hampshire

Associate Professor of Political Science

The American University in Cairo

College of Europe

Fulbright Professor

California Research Bureau

Policy Analyst

U.S. Embassy, Sudan

Chief of Mission

Pepperdine University

Professor of Public Policy

Rice University

Professor in Political Science

Institute of Southeast Asia Studies

Senior Fellow

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Thank you for considering the Ph.D. program at the University of Maryland! Our focus is on training Ph.D. students to conduct research that creates new knowledge in political science on the path toward a successful career as a professional political scientist, as faculty members at an academic institution and in policy and private industry. We offer rigorous training in the major subfields of political science and the methodological tools necessary to conduct cutting-edge research. We facilitate faculty and student interaction by pairing each incoming student with a faculty mentor from their area of study and by maintaining small class sizes. The Department has a culture that supports faculty and student collaboration that leads to publications in the top political science journals. In the last few years alone, articles that faculty and students have co-authored appeared in the following journals:  American Political Science Review ;  American Journal of Political Science ; The  Journal of Politics ;  International Studies Quarterly ;  Journal of Conflict Resolution ;  Legislative Studies Quarterly ;  Political Behavior ; and  Public Opinion Quarterly . 

In addition to access to the renowned scholars, workshops, dissertation research grants, and speaker series in the Department of Government and Politics, our Ph.D. students have access to outstanding programs throughout our world-class university, and the wider research community that includes top-notch universities in northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. We have strong relationships with faculty at the other area programs and students have the opportunity to establish their own connections with these faculty and their Ph.D. students. Being in the DC area also affords our students access to governmental agencies, and major domestic and international organizations, allowing our students to collect unique and invaluable data.   It is an especially exciting time to be part of our program. Our recent efforts to strengthen existing areas of research and expand into new areas have been extremely successful. We hired a number of outstanding faculty members all of whom produce cutting edge research and share our dedication to training the next generation of scholars.

We are highly selective but offer the top applicants a variety of multi-year funding packages (assistantships, fellowships, and internships). For more information about the application process, requirements, funding, and our regularly held online Q&A sessions, please see our admissions page .

Kathleen Gallagher Cunningham Professor and Co-Director of Graduate Studies

Ernesto Calvo Professor and Co-Director of Graduate Studies

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Doctoral research in politics and government

Mres/phd in political science.

We are proud to offer a doctoral programme that provides world-leading methods training, participation in a lively and open research culture, and the opportunity to be part of an internationally respected department in political science and political studies.

About the programme Find out about the MRes/PhD in Political Science

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Graduate programs, phd in politics and international affairs.

The doctoral degree in politics and international affairs is an interdisciplinary program designed to prepare students to teach at the university and college levels and to conduct high-level research in the academic and nonacademic sectors. It combines a broad focus on international relations, comparative politics, American politics, and political theory with a critical understanding of institutions, rights, citizenship/identity, governance, global policy, and justice. Students work closely with faculty to frame their dissertation research and to advance their knowledge of their chosen fields of specialization. The program’s interdisciplinary approach to a variety of global issues provides a rich and open-ended opportunity to research current and past problems, movements, and transformations in politics.

We welcome your interest in our doctoral program. The department's deadline for fall admission is January 5. The School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies only admits for the fall semester. Students must apply online through the Office of Graduate Admissions. For a listing of the admission requirements, students should consult the Graduate Catalog . 

*Effective starting with the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, GRE test scores are no longer required for applications to our doctoral program in Politics and International Affairs*

*International students should review the Office of Admissions International Students website for additional information and requirements.

*International students are also encouraged to contact the Office of International Services for information on visas, international travel, etc. 

PLEASE NOTE: International students whose native language is not English and who want to be considered for a teaching assistantship must show proficiency in spoken English even if their TOEFL has been waived for admission to a graduate program. More information on the TOEFL requirement can be found under Admission Requirements in the graduate catalog.

Program Requirements

For the Doctoral Degree in Politics and International Affairs degree requirements, students should consult the Graduate Catalog. Students should adhere to the requirements within the Graduate Catalog under which they were admitted.

• Degree Requirements Beginning 2023-2024 Catalog

*Students can elect another catalog following the one they were admitted under. More information on this policy, and other policies, can be found in the Graduate Catalog.

*Students must request approval from the graduate director for any course not pre-approved and listed under the degree in the Graduate Catalog.

Additional information on program requirements:

Student can also select POS 6933/6747 Advanced Topics in Quantitative Political Analysis or another graduate course approved by the graduate director for the methods requirement. The Capstone Seminar will be conducted with doctorial students in Sociology and History and focus on dissertation proposal. 

Research Fields

The Doctorate in Politics and International Affairs specializes in the following four fields of research:

International Relations In the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies, the International Relations (IR) faculty focuses on four areas of study: international relations theory, global political economy, international security, and human rights. We stress the importance of cutting-edge scholarship in our teaching of the graduate seminars as well as bridging the many emergent gaps in theory and practice in the various subfields that comprise International Relations, including American foreign policy, international ethics, global governance, and international law and organizations. One of our central aims is to advance innovative applications of the central theoretical perspectives (and their variant strands) in International Relations, namely, realism, liberalism, critical theory, constructivism, Marxism, international political theory, and gender. These applications involve in-depth theoretical and empirical analysis of key global issues, such as Asian security, moral accountability, the enforcement of human rights, immigration, and political and economic inequality. The International Relations faculty have published numerous books and peer-reviewed articles on these issue areas. These include monographs on the political tensions on the Korean Peninsula or North Korea’s nuclear arms buildup, the political cosmopolitan character and shifting dynamics of the International Criminal Court (ICC), hegemony and inequality in the global political economy, and China’s rapidly increasing support of intervention in African states. Together our published research emphasizes the production of critical theoretic knowledge, or the advanced methodological analysis of the contradictions and tensions informing the substantive debates in International Relations. This not only requires the particular mastery of concepts, methods, and claims but also an open-ended and historical understanding of the changing social forces shaping the behavior of states and the relations among global and local actors. It is this scholarly approach that we adopt to train our graduate students specializing in international relations, particularly as they advance their dissertation research and empirical knowledge of the global and regional contexts of problems and issues. One of the outcomes we strive for, then, is to encourage our doctoral students to develop rigorous theoretical and contextual analysis from which they can devise solutions and prescriptions to global issues.

Comparative Politics Comparative Politics in the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies is committed to theory-driven, empirical research from an interdisciplinary perspective that is situated in a political, historical, cultural, and economic context.  The Comparative Politics faculty employ a variety of methodological approaches from both the social sciences and humanities, which utilize qualitative and quantitative research methods to study the patterns of similarities and differences. In particular, we conduct comparative and case study research to inquire into these patterns and to develop our theoretical propositions. One of our aims is to produce knowledge about the changing social, political, and legal conditions affecting the lives, development, cultural practices, and customs of underrepresented peoples. In meeting this aim, our research focuses on several themes of comparative politics, including social movements, democracy/democratization, citizenship, decolonization, genocide, hegemony, race and identity, development, legal systems and customary law, social justice, and indigenismo or the political ideology focusing on the changing relations of state and local peoples. Much of our published research draws creatively on social, critical, and political theory to advance knowledge of the laws, changing social relations, and attitudes in several countries, which includes Brazil, Ecuador, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Iran. Our research strengths lie in the areas of race and citizenship, social movements theory, human security and law (or legal custom) in Eastern Africa, indigenous rights in various Latin American countries, and security relations in the Middle East. With these thematic foci, we encourage graduate students to create and develop their own research by selecting a region of the world as their emphasis and adopting theoretically informed research and comparative methods that allow them to analyze the changing social and political conditions in the countries of this region.

American Politics The study of American Politics in the doctorate program in politics and international affairs provides a comprehensive overview as well as an in-depth analysis of American politics. Our faculty focus on various aspects of American politics, including theoretical foundations, federalism, institutions (Congress, the executive branch, the bureaucracy, the judiciary), political behavior (political parties, the media, interest groups, social movements, and elections), and public policy (foreign and domestic), and employ a range of methodological approaches such as historical development, legal doctrine, institutional rules, and quantitative analyses of the behavior of political actors and the mass public, to advance the student's research skills.  Our core class, Seminar in American Politics, for instance, surveys the key foundations, institutions, and behavior in American politics, introducing students to both qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches for analyzing and testing the changing trends and outcomes in American politics. Special topics courses provide opportunities to gain in-depth knowledge on new research on a range of themes, including political development, the social bases of politics, and the global impact of American politics. The faculty in American politics have made important contributions in the areas of race and ethnicity, the judiciary, the presidency, Florida government, civil liberties, health care, environmental justice, economic inequality, and animal rights. Our strengths lie in economic inequality, animal rights, the Presidency, Judicial Behavior, Race and Ethnicity, and State and Local Government. In these specific areas, we have published several cutting-edge books and articles in leading peer-reviewed journals, which examine the emergence and implementation of nonhuman animals' regime of rights, the changing directions of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank and its impact on world politics, and alternative strategies for natural disasters in the United States. Our scholarship is thus distinctive for the ways in which it addresses American government and politics in a global context. This is how we seek to train our doctoral students on the rapidly changing, nuanced linkages between local, state, federal and global institutional politics.  

Political Theory Political Theory introduces students to the core normative issues in the study of political science. These normative issues provide the bedrock assumptions on which much of the study of political science depends. For example, while nearly everyone agrees that democracy is the best form of government, why do we place such faith in it? In addition, the long tradition of political thought offers multiple versions of democracy, each with its own strengths and limitations. How are we to identify the best version for our needs? Similarly, while we might extol non-violence in politics, is it always the best path for political movements? How are we to justify its alternatives? Clarifying our moral commitments, sharpening our conceptual tools, and outlining pathways for transforming theoretical knowledge into action requires philosophical, historical, and conceptual capabilities. The political theory faculty at the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies trains students to develop these capabilities. To that end, political theory classes not only familiarize students with many of the canonical texts that were read by generations of prominent political thinkers (from Aristotle to Martin Luther King Jr), they also teach students to read these texts critically and with an eye towards contemporary political developments. As such, training in political theory is a critical supplement to graduate work at School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies. The faculty’s expertise in feminist theory, postcolonial theory, the role of emotions in politics, environmental political thought, and Indian political thought complements the terminal degrees offered in American Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Relations.

Financial Assistance 

Most of our successful applicants qualify for funding offered by the department or the Office of Graduate Studies. Funded doctoral students will receive a graduate assistantship that includes:

• a stipend for the academic year (9 months)
• a tuition waiver (not including school fees)
• the option of health insurance mostly paid by the department (the student only pays a small amount towards insurance).

All applicants for the doctoral degree are considered for a graduate assistantship - they do not need to complete a separate form.

The graduate assistantship is guaranteed for four years but is based on maintaining satisfactory annual academic progress. It requires each student to work 20 hours per week, in which case the student would be first assisting professors of the department with their teaching and class preparations and later, after having passed the doctoral comprehensive exams and completed teacher training seminars, teach a class at the University of South Florida. 

Please visit the graduate assistantships page for further information. The department also provides funding for conference travel or the presentation of research at conferences upon approval.

Information on eligibility for graduate assistantships can be found on the Graduate Assistantships Resource Center website. 

We also strive to fund our students in the fifth year, though this funding is not guaranteed. Depending on additional funds that become available, students may have the opportunity to extend their graduate assistantship to one, possibly two academic semesters. Students in the fifth year are also encouraged to seek external funding. For more information on this, please consult our Graduate Resources Page .

Outstanding candidates may also be nominated by the school’s director and/or graduate committee for prestigious and highly competitive university fellowships, including the Presidential Doctoral Fellowship , the Dorothy Auzenne Fellowship , and the University Graduate Fellowship. There is also the opportunity for minority students to be awarded a McKnight Fellowship, which provides annual tuition up to $5,000 for each of three academic years, plus an annual stipend of $12,000. The program also offers travel grants and other forms of financial support. For additional information on this fellowship opportunity, please visit the McKnight Fellowship's informational page.

• Politics and International Affairs Doctoral Handbook 2022 - 2023
• School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies Graduate Resources
• Independent Study / Directed Research Contract
• Office of Graduate Studies Forms
• Dissertation Proposal Approval Form
• Admission to Doctoral Candidacy Form
• Graduate Student Supervisory Committee Appointment Form
• Dissertation Checklist
• Electronic Thesis & Dissertation Certificate of Approval Form
• Comprehensive Exam Reading Lists
• Research Conference Travel Award Request
• Dissertation Defense Announcment

Spring 2024 Course Offerings

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For further information or questions about the PhD in Politics and International Affairs, please fill out this form . 

Undergraduate

The concentration in Government introduces students to the discipline of political science: the study of power in all of its many forms and consequences. The program aims both to prepare students to lead engaged civic lives and to introduce them to the ways in which political scientists explain and analyze the social and political world around them.

Harvard University’s Department of Government is dedicated to excellence in all fields of political science and encourages diverse approaches to scholarship. Students in the Department of Government pursue a wide variety of approaches to the study of politics and have the opportunity to define and explore their own questions about politics and government.

What Can You Do with a Political Science Degree?

In today’s political climate, it is nearly impossible to go a day without reading the news and considering how politics impact our present and future. If this piques your interest, political science programs can provide a deeper understanding of how leaders obtain and maintain power, how social movements originate and gain momentum and how governments and other institutions can operate efficiently and transparently.

These programs also help to explain why voters may prefer one political candidate over another and empower students to make informed predictions about the outcomes of democratic elections. But what can you do with a political science degree in your career?

A degree in political science can open up many career paths. It can help you start a career in politics, policy-making, nonprofit organizations, business, media or education. Political science is also a popular choice for undergraduate students who plan to go to law school. Keep reading to learn more about the degree and potential career paths.

What is political science?

What can you do with a political science degree.

• Specializations in political science

Make an impact with your political science degree

Politics and international affairs major at furman.

Political science studies politics, government, and people’s behavior in the political arena. Students majoring in political science study political theory, exploring fundamental concepts behind political systems and comparative politics, examining different political systems and their institutions. They study international relations, covering global politics and diplomacy, as well as American politics, to understand the workings of the US government. 

Earning a degree in political science often involves learning highly marketable quantitative skills related to data analysis and statistics. This field covers ethics, justice and democracy, examines government systems and political behavior and applies theory to current events, including critical political issues for college-aged students like student loan forgiveness, racial equity and climate change. 

Students can also study public policy, political behavior and research methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of the political world and its complexities as political science is increasingly becoming more data-driven. 

Politics plays a significant role in almost every aspect of our lives, such as education, housing, healthcare and international relations. Studying political science can provide a comprehensive understanding of the process of creating laws, including the differences in government structures across various nations. You will also gain insights into the development of public policies and how they impact the social and economic conditions of individuals. 

A major in political science can help you gain skills in research, communication and data analysis can be applied in various fields, both in the public and private sectors.

Politics and International Affairs Major

You can study the equivalent of political science at Furman to become knowledgeable global citizens through our Politics & International Affairs degree. By learning about political systems and cultures, we sharpen our communication, critical thinking and analysis skills. This helps us tackle political, social and economic problems.

Political science majors have many job opportunities in public, private and nonprofit sectors. Some work directly in politics and policy, while others use their skills in various careers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for political scientists are expected to grow by 7% between 2022 and 2032 , which is faster than average. Here are a few different fields to consider:

Government and public administration

• Public policy analyst. When studying the process of generating public policy, political science majors must have strong skills in critical thinking, writing and research to craft clear statements about the nature and impact of proposals for public policy. Policy analysts create a strong thesis and develop persuasive arguments for or against a particular policy initiative. Analysts use their knowledge of the political and legislative process to enlist the support of individuals who can help advance initiatives.
• Government official. Political science graduates can start their journey to becoming government officials at the local level, such as city council, and then advance to state or federal government positions, including becoming a senator. These roles involve public service, legislation and representing constituents. Political science graduates know how to navigate government complexities to create change in their communities. Internships, campaigns and civil service experience are essential stepping stones to impactful political roles.

International relations

• Diplomat. Diplomats promote their nation’s goals and maintain peaceful relations with other countries. Political science graduates with a strong foundation in international relations can excel in diplomacy. They start as foreign service officers and may become ambassadors, working on complex diplomatic issues to contribute to peaceful international relations. As ambassadors, they serve as key liaisons between their home country and the international community. 
• International non-governmental organization (NGO) worker. NGOs cover various causes such as human rights, environment, health and education. Political science graduates can work for NGOs to advocate for change, manage programs and mobilize resources to tackle global challenges. It is an opportunity to influence policy and collaborate with stakeholders while championing their causes.

Law and legal field

• Lawyer. Political science students can become constitutional lawyers by completing law school. Lawyers interpret and apply principles outlined in a country’s constitution to work on cases involving constitutional issues, civil rights and public policy. These lawyers ensure laws and government actions adhere to the constitution, protecting individual liberties and upholding the foundations of our society.
• Legal consultant. Legal consultants guide clients through complex legal matters and ensure compliance with regulations. Political science graduates provide strategic legal solutions, manage risk and contribute to client success and integrity within corporations or government agencies.

Media and journalism

• Political journalist. Political science graduates have a deep understanding of politics and government structures. They can work in journalism, delivering news and analysis that helps the public understand and engage with political issues. Political journalists are crucial in informing and educating the public, holding those in power accountable and shaping public discourse on important societal matters.
• Political analyst. Political analysts are experts in political systems, research and data analysis. They offer insightful commentary on complex issues, appearing on news programs, writing op-eds or participating in panel discussions. Their role is crucial in helping the public and policymakers make sense of current events, enriching public debates and decision-making.

Did you know?

Furman University has a rich history of producing graduates who excel in fields such as law, public policy, nonprofits and government. The Riley Institute , named after Richard W. Riley, former Secretary of Education under President Bill Clinton, was founded in 1999 at Furman University. Riley himself graduated from Furman in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Additionally, the Trone Student Center is named after David Trone ’77, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. If you want to learn more about Furman, we invite you to fill out the form below or schedule a visit today.

Further specializations in political science

What else can you do with your political science degree? Political campaign strategy, public relations and lobbying share the goal of influencing public opinion and decision-making. They involve persuasion, communication and advocacy in politics. These professions rely on well-crafted messages, targeted outreach and relationships with key stakeholders to achieve their objectives. These career paths are interconnected in shaping the political landscape.

• Campaign manager. Campaign managers plan and execute political campaigns, coordinate teams, set objectives, craft messaging strategies, manage resources and oversee operations. Political science graduates have a deep understanding of political dynamics, communication and data analysis, making them well-equipped to navigate the complex world of campaign management and ensure success.
• Political consultant. Political consultants advise candidates on campaign strategies, public relations, messaging and voter outreach. With a strong foundation in political theory and analysis, political science students can become trusted advisors to political figures, helping them navigate the complexities of the political landscape.
• Public relations specialist. Political science students can become public relations specialists by leveraging their expertise in politics, government and communication. Public relations specialists shape the public image of politicians, organizations or campaigns, crafting compelling narratives, managing media relations and developing strategies to maintain a positive reputation. Political science graduates understand political dynamics and policy issues and are well-suited to manage crises and build solid and influential relationships with the public and media.
• Lobbyists. Lobbyists influence government decisions by building relationships, researching legislation and advocating for their clients. Lobbyists excel at communication and strategy, playing a crucial role in shaping public policies and ensuring diverse perspectives are heard in government.

In today’s world, characterized by complex political challenges and global interdependence, the study of political science plays a vital role in shaping policies and institutions that influence societies on a local, national and international scale. It offers many diverse and socially significant career opportunities, allowing graduates to pursue roles in government, diplomacy, policy analysis, advocacy and international relations. 

Studying political science offers numerous benefits. Not only will you have the opportunity to think critically about important and complex topics, but this degree program is versatile and offers a range of job opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. From consulting to business, finance to journalism, advocacy law, non-profits to government and international affairs to academic research, the possibilities are endless. 

If you’re passionate about uncovering the inner workings of government, policy and law, then political science is the perfect major for you.

The Furman Politics and International Affairs department provides students with the opportunity to explore the realms of local, national, and international politics in both theory and practice. The courses, led by experienced faculty members, cover a range of subjects, including public law, Congress, political philosophy and the politics of China.

The small class size allows for better debates, hands-on learning and opportunities to connect with others through Furman’s award-winning Mock Trial program. Additionally, students can participate in national and international internships through faculty-led programs.

The perspectives and thoughts shared in the Furman Blog belong solely to the author and may not align with the official stance or policies of Furman University. All referenced sources were accurate as of the date of publication.

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Careers in Political Science

Political science is the traditional major for students who are interested in attending law school. While there is no undergraduate discipline that concretely prepares students for the case study method employed in law schools, Saint Louis University’s political science major provides the background to the political science system in which the United States' judicial system operates.

It is also the best preparation for the large percentage of law students who are intent on a political career. The government plays a central role in the United States' economy: fully one-third of the labor force is involved in some form of public service. Political science provides one of the best training, at the undergraduate level, for employment in this vast sector.

Through a rigorous research methods course and senior seminars, SLU’s Department of Political Science also offers excellent preparation for students who would like to continue their political science studies in graduate school. The honor's thesis is specifically designed for students motivated to pursue doctoral degrees.

Careers in Government

The following resources can assist you in your search for positions within the public sector.

• USAajobs.gov is the official site of the federal government. You can search for openings by agency, salary and other factors. You can find jobs at NASA, the Peace Corps and the departments of justice, labor, agriculture and more.
• CIA.gov is the official site of the Central Intelligence Agency. Political science students are good candidates for many of the analytic positions. There are also scholarships and internships available.
• GoGovernment.org is a website created by the Partnership for Public Service to help people looking for government jobs.
• PolicyJobs.net lists research-oriented policy jobs; you must register to access some of the postings but not for most of the entry-level positions. This is not necessarily working directly for the government but is closely related to government issues.
• The Pathways program offers federal internships and employment opportunities to students and graduates.

Careers in NGOs, IGOs and Nonprofits

There are many non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations and nonprofits that provide unique career opportunities. The key is finding the right organization to match your individual interests.

Here are some helpful links to find the organization that's right for you:

• Idealist.org posts job-openings at nonprofit organizations throughout the country. Registration is free, and they will send you a daily email with new job postings that match your interests.
• Wango.org , the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, includes a worldwide NGO directory. You can find NGOs that are interesting to you and link their websites to search for job openings.
• FoundationCenter.org , the Foundation Center, has information about philanthropic foundations.
• LearnHowtoBecome.org offers resources for people interested in volunteer work and careers in nonprofit organizations.
• FPA posts job openings with a wide variety of international relations and foreign policy organizations.
• UnivJobs.com hosts a search engine for administrative and research-oriented job openings at universities throughout the United States.

Graduate School

Many students choose to continue their education after receiving their undergraduate degree. Some popular choices consist of law school or master's degrees in political science, public policy, public administration or urban planning. In order to apply to graduate school, whether law or otherwise, it is necessary to take an entry exam.

Careers in St. Louis

Whether you're from St. Louis or not, the city is a great place to live and work for recent graduates thanks to its low cost of living. All political science majors are encouraged to upload their resume to Saint Louis University's career placement website, Handshake .