phd political science acceptance rate

Political Science: PhD Admissions and Enrollment Statistics

Ph.D. Admissions

Apply here . 

Preparing to Apply

Before starting the application process please read the information about the graduate program requirements  and read our  Frequently Asked Questions . You may also find the Guide to Getting Into Grad School helpful. 

The Political Science department recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

All questions regarding graduate admissions should be directed to politicalscience [at] stanford.edu (subject: Admissions%20Enquiry) ( politicalscience[at]stanford[dot]edu ) .

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.  

Admission to the graduate program in political science is highly selective. About twelve to fifteen students, chosen from a large pool of applicants, enter the program each year. The small size of our student body allows more individual work with members of the faculty than most graduate programs. It also makes possible financial assistance in one form or another to most students admitted to the Ph.D. program. 

Graduate Admissions FAQ

Please visit our list of  frequently asked questions.

You may also find the following links useful if you have general questions about student life and graduate study at Stanford University:  

Vice Provost of Graduate Education (VPGE)

• Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures Handbook (GAP)
• Graduate Life Office
• Stanford Bulletin
• Explore Courses

Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Join dozens of Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences students who gain valuable leadership skills in a multidisciplinary, multicultural community as Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS). KHS admits up to 100 select applicants each year from across Stanford’s seven graduate schools, and delivers engaging experiences that prepare them to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders ready to address complex global challenges. As a scholar, you join a distinguished cohort, participate in up to three years of leadership programming, and receive full funding for up to three years of your PhD studies at Stanford. Candidates of any country may apply. KHS applicants must have earned their first undergraduate degree within the last seven years, and must apply to both a Stanford graduate program and to KHS. Stanford PhD students may also apply to KHS during their first year of PhD enrollment. If you aspire to be a leader in your field, we invite you to apply. The KHS application deadline is October 11, 2023. Learn more about KHS admission .

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 .

For Prospective Graduate Students

The Department of Government. Calling all researchers, leaders, and changemakers.  

When you join Harvard University’s Department of Government, you become part of a highly-recognized intellectual community of scholars, researchers, visionaries, leaders, and changemakers. Our strength in teaching and research in all fields of political science is reflected in both our faculty and our curriculum. 

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

• American Government
• Comparative Politics
• International Relations
• Political Methodology/Formal Theory
• Political Philosophy and Its History

Our innovative curriculum reflects a diverse range of fields and methodologies. The vibrant graduate student body receives hands-on training by conducting supervised dissertation research and working with our faculty in research projects and undergraduate teaching. 

Here, scholars have access to unparalleled resources.  They have the opportunity to define and formulate their own research questions and to apply a variety of research methodologies. 

• Graduate students research is greatly facilitated by the exceptional resources offered by the Department of Government and the University.
• Harvard has the  largest university library in the world .
• Harvard expansive network of research centers and top international studies centers bring together scholars and researchers from around the globe.

Scholars can also take advantage of Harvard’s generous financial aid program.  In addition, there is just no match to the energy and excitement that accompanies student life in the Cambridge/Boston area.  

Harvard University does not discriminate against applicants or students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry or any other protected classificiation.

PhD Requirements

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.

Admissions 

The graduate program of the Department of Government is designed to train students for careers in university teaching and advanced research in political science. The department does not offer an independent master’s program, the master of arts in political science being reserved for PhD candidates on the way to their final degrees.  Click here  to visit the Graduate School of Arts and Science’s page on admission to the Government Department to learn more about the application process. 

Application for Admission

The application for admissions is available at  http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/apply .

The application fee is $105. Applicants can determine eligibility for a fee waiver by completing a series of questions in the Application Fee section of the application. Once these questions have been answered, the application system will provide an immediate response regarding fee waiver eligibility.

Application information and instructions are available at  www.gsas.harvard.edu . Applicants with admissions questions should call 617-496-6100 from 2-5pm EST or email  [email protected] .  Applicants with financial aid questions should call 617-495-5396 or email  [email protected] .

Financial Aid and Fellowship Opportunities 

Financial aid is administered under the direction of the  Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) .  The department intends that all graduate students should have support adequate to enable them to complete their studies while enrolled full-time. Prospective students apply for financial aid at the same time they apply for admission and are also required to submit a Statement of Financial Resources.  The financial aid package for government students typically includes tuition and fees plus a stipend and a summer research grant for the first two years; tuition and fees plus guaranteed teaching fellowships and a summer research grant for years three and four; tuition and fees in year five; and tuition and fees plus a stipend for the completion year.

In addition to  funding from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences , graduate students are encouraged to apply for outside fellowships and grants. Please visit the  website of the GSAS Fellowships Office  for more information.  

A Commitment to Excellence

The Ph.D. program in Politics seeks to train students to assume faculty positions at a range of institutions of higher education and supports students pursuing a range of substantive research in the discipline. If you ask graduate students to identify the program’s strengths, they will mention:

• An across-the-board commitment to excellence in research and teaching.
• Respect for a variety of methods and approaches to political research.
• A strong sense of community among both faculty and graduate students.
• Unparalleled institutional support for research, ranging from one of the finest university libraries in the world to abundant resources for data collection, field work and conference travel.

• English Language Programs
• Postdoctoral Affairs
• Training Grant Support
• Request Information

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

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Political Science

Degree requirements.

Learn more about the program by visiting the Department of Political Science

See related Interdisciplinary Clusters and Certificates

Degree Types: PhD

The Political Science PhD Program is designed for students whose primary concern is a mastery of theories, methods of research, and substantive literature of the discipline of political science.

The program reflects an effort to address big questions in politics by combining multiple social science methodologies including quantitative, qualitative, experimental, interpretive methods. Committed to excellence in research and teaching, methodological diversity, and interdisciplinary collaborations, the department offers a stimulating intellectual community that is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity for students and faculty of all backgrounds.

We offer field training in American politics, comparative politics, political theory, international relations, and methods. Our graduate training strengths include:

• Race, Ethnicity and Politics
• Conflict Studies
• Law and Politics
• Public Opinion, Political Communication and Political Participation
• American Political Development
• International Theory
• Comparative Historical Analysis
• Feminist and Gender Studies

Students in this program are also encouraged to participate in TGS’s Interdisciplinary Initiative program. For more information on how you can have a second intellectual “home” outside of your department or program please visit the Interdisciplinary Clusters page .

Additional resources:

• Department website
• Program handbook(s)

Program Statistics

Visit PhD Program Statistics for statistics such as program admissions, enrollment, student demographics and more.

Program Contact

Contact Justine Zhao Graduate Program Coordinator

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in  The Graduate School Policy Guide .

Total Units Required: 18

Political Theory students are occasionally exempt from the requirement to take POLI_SCI 403-0 Introduction to Probability and Statistics and POLI_SCI 405-0 Linear Models .

Other PhD Degree Requirements

• Research Paper Requirement:  Scholarly paper in first or second year
• Second Field Requirement :  Five courses in a student's second field, or optional qualifying examination
• Examination:  One written qualifying examination in student's first field; optional examination in student's second field
• Prospectus:  Dissertation research design presented during the quarter after passing the qualifying examination
• Final Evaluations:  Oral defense of dissertation
• Other:  Teaching requirement begins in second year in an undergraduate course

Last Updated: September 12, 2023

Applying to the Ph.D. Program

All applicants should upload unofficial transcripts from all academic institutions into the Application for Graduate Admission.  Department of Political Science is currently not accepting hard copies as staff are working remotely.  Graduate Students who are admitted into the program will be asked to submit official hard copy transcripts after admissions decisions are released.

Note: The application and all supporting documents must be submitted by December 1st, 2023. No extensions will be granted. Please read the instructions prior to contacting the graduate office.

Application Instructions

To apply for admission to the UCLA Political Science Department’s Ph.D. program, you must use the form on the Graduate Division website ( http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/gasaa/admissions/applicat.htm ). That online form will guide you through the process. Be sure to select “Political Science” as your academic program in the “Plans for Graduate Study” section in the online admissions form. Note that the department does not have a separate  master’s degree  program, so if you’re interested in doing graduate work in our department you must apply for admission to the Ph.D. program.

As part of the application process, we are going to need three  letters of recommendation . You should not ask your recommenders to send their letters directly to the department. Instead, you will provide names and contact information online for three people who have agreed to write letters for you. The letter writers will be contacted directly via email, and will also submit their letters electronically. This procedure is described in more detail on the application form website. For this purpose, you will not use the application form but will instead click into the link for “Recommendations” on the lower left-hand side of the online application form.

You must submit a statement of purpose and a writing sample. The section on  “Statement of Purpose”  in the application form will give you a good sense for what the Statement should be. It should be about three to five pages, double-spaced, in length.

Your  writing sample  is another requirement that will be taken into account when your application is assessed. We are not interested simply in seeing how well you write English, although that of course is important. We are also interested in getting some sense for your analytical abilities. Normally, the writing sample would be a paper you did in college or in a master’s program that you are particularly proud of, but one that is not purely descriptive in nature. An applicant will sometimes send in a copy of his or her senior thesis or master’s thesis. The sample should be at least five pages and at most 25 pages long (double-spaced).

You are also required to send in your official transcripts from previous academic work you have done. Upload transcripts onto the application form and mail official hard copy transcripts to the department. The one exception has to do with applicants who have gotten their undergraduate degree from UCLA. Those applicants do not have to provide an official transcript, but they will still need to submit an unofficial copy of their final transcript after they graduate, which they can get from the registrar’s office, to prove they have actually gotten their degree. If your undergraduate transcript does not show explicitly that you have been awarded a bachelor’s degree, at some point before you actually enroll you will need to send us a copy of your  diploma , as officially issued by your university registrar. If that diploma is in a foreign language, you should also submit, in hard copy, an official English language translation of the diploma which you would get from the registrar (or equivalent office) at the institution that awarded it.

Finally, an international student who has been admitted and has decided to enroll in our program will have to send us a copy of his or her  passport  by April 11, so that the visa-issuance process will have enough time to run its course. All hard-copy material should be sent to:

Graduate Students who are admitted into the program will be asked to submit official hard copy transcripts after admissions decisions are released.  Please send them to this address below.

ATTN: Graduate Advisor, UCLA UCLA Political Science Department BOX 951472, 4289 Bunche Los Angeles, CA 90095-1472

You will also have to take the  General Graduate Record Examination  and have the results sent directly to the department. You should take the GRE’s no later than November 1 so that we receive the test results before your application is processed. UCLA’s institution code for this exam in 4837 and the department code is 1902. The Educational Testing Service, which administers the exam, should be provided with this information so it knows where to send the results of the test.

Applicants from abroad whose native language is not English must take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam and have the results reported directly to the department. UCLA’s institution code is 4837 and the department code is 89. More details can be found at  https://grad.ucla.edu/admissions/english-requirements/ . The minimum scores you would need to get are described on that webpage. We recommend that you take your TOEFL or IELTS exam by November 1st so that we can receive the results by the time applications are reviewed. Since it is very important that we know that your English is good enough to do graduate work in our department, we may at some point arrange for a Skype interview. Please note that in order to work as a teaching assistant, non-native speakers will also need to get a passing score on the University’s Test of Oral Proficiency examination.

When your application is complete you will be automatically prompted to pay the application fee. The fee is to be paid via credit card. If you think you’ve completed the form but are not prompted to pay the fee, click the link for “Check Your Application” on the lower left-hand side of the online application form to see what is missing. As you’ll see on the “Fee Waiver” section of the application form, certain applicants are eligible to have that fee waived. More information on fee waivers is available on the Graduate Division website at  http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/gasaa/admissions/admisinfo.html#Fees .

The application for students planning to enter in the fall of a given year will be available by mid September of the previous year. (Our department accepts applications only for students planning to enter the Ph.D. program in the fall). The application is due on December 1st, 2023. Note that the application has to be complete in order to be submitted, so please plan accordingly. The applications will be reviewed by the faculty in December and January, and for those students who are admitted, acceptance letters will generally go out in early February. Those letters will also include information about the financial package an applicant is being offered. Students who are offered admission will normally have until early April to let us know whether or not they are going to come.

If you have additional questions about our program, please first read the section on the graduate program on the department website here and also the department’s graduate handbook, which is available  here  (new hyperlink should be:  http://www.polisci.ucla.edu/content/graduate-handbooks ). If after reading this material you still have questions about the program or about the application process, please feel free to contact the graduate advisors in the department’s graduate office  [email protected] .

Financial Aid Information

The department tries to provide whatever financial support is needed to enable a student who is accepted into the program to make satisfactory progress toward the Ph.D. But this is just a goal, and, if you are offered admission, what we will actually be able to promise you will be outlined in the offer letter.

You will need, of course, to find some way—generally with the department’s help—of covering both your living costs and tuition and fees, if those costs exceed what you were promised in the offer letter. Here are some basic facts that relate to this problem. What you would have to pay, in theory, for tuition and fees depends on whether you have California residency. California residents pay only in-state tuition (formerly called the “Educational Fee”). U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are not California residents must in addition pay “Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition” (NRST) in the first year in the program. They can, however, be reclassified as California residents for tuition purposes after the first year, and, if approved, will no longer be charged for NRST. For more information about this, go to  http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/Fees-Residence/Residence-Requirements .

International students cannot become California residents for tuition purposes and must continue to pay non-resident tuition until they advance to Ph.D. candidacy (i.e., until they have completed all course and program requirements except the dissertation). Thereafter, there will be a 100% reduction of NRST (but not of basic Tuition) for a total of three years after they advance to candidacy.

Thus for the academic year 2023-2024, California residents paid a total of about $18,136 in tuition and fees. The corresponding figure for non-residents (both from out-of-state and abroad) was about $33,238. Students, however—and this applies to both California residents and non-residents, including international students—who work as teaching assistants, research assistants, and in many cases as readers (i.e., graders) receive substantial fee remissions. For more information, including current figures, see the “Graduate Student Fees and Fee Remissions” page on the Graduate Division website ( http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/gss/library/feesintro.htm ).

Living costs will be covered by a stipend you receive from the department, by the salary you receive by being a teaching assistant, or in other ways (e.g., by various fellowships or mentorships you are awarded after you are enrolled).

Note that you do not have to apply separately to be considered for financial aid. If you are accepted into the program, you will automatically be considered for a fellowship and the offer you receive will include provisions relating to financial support. If, however, for one reason or another you might not need any, or much, financial support from the department, you should let the graduate advisors ( [email protected] ) in our graduate office know about this as soon as you apply. If, for example, you are getting funding, or have a good chance of getting funding, from some source outside of UCLA (like a foundation or a government agency), we would need to know about this so we can take it into account in the admission process. This also applies to students who are prepared to pay for their own education. If you are an international student with external funding that will cover NSRT, you should make this clear in your application.

If you’re interested in being considered from one of the special Graduate Division fellowships listed on the application form, you will simply need to fill out the corresponding section on that form. But please don’t check the box for any of the fellowships listed there that you don’t really feel you’re qualified for.

The most important of the Graduate Division fellowships is the Cota-Robles fellowship, which “is intended to help ensure access to graduate study for students who have experienced significant socioeconomic disadvantages or overcome other major educational or physical disadvantages in their pursuit of higher education.” More information about this program is available on the Graduate Division website at  https://grad.ucla.edu/ . As noted above, you apply for it directly on the application form.

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Department of Political Science

• Graduate Program

PhD Admissions

The deadline for applications is January 8, 2024. The application fee is $70. To request a fee waiver or for any questions about the application process, please contact the Department of Political Science by email at [email protected].

How to Apply

For your application, you will need to complete the following items. Your application is complete only when you submit the online application and we receive the other required items.

Online Application

To complete the online application , you will need to identify your recommenders and prepare a personal statement. Three recommenders and the statement are submitted as part of the online application. In the personal statement, you will provide information about yourself, your aims and plans for the future, reasons for choosing graduate study in political science, areas of specific interest, and experiences in the field (300-750 words). You should include the names of specific professors, if any, with whom you especially wish to study.

Diversity Statement

The University of Rochester motto of Meliora—or “ever better”—deeply integrates critical core values into all that we do. These core values of equity, leadership, integrity, openness, respect, and accountability define not only who we are, but also who we hope to become. Based on our motto please share something about your background, lived experiences, or viewpoint(s) that speaks to how you can contribute to your intended field of study, your community, or the University of Rochester to make it “ever better”. The uploaded statement should be no more than 500 words.

Standardized Tests

GRE general test is required. GRE scores should be sent to department code 1902, school code 2928.

English Language Proficiency Policy: All international students are required to provide proof of English language proficiency through the submission of official test scores from one of the following exams. Scores more than two years old from the application deadline are not valid.

• IELTS: University of Rochester, Graduate Studies - AS&E, 500 Joseph C. Wilson Blvd, P.O. Box 270401, Rochester, NY 14627
• TOEFL or TOEFL iBt Home Edition: submitted using the code 2928
• Duolingo: students completing the Duolingo exam can select the University of Rochester as the recipient of the scores

The English proficiency test requirement is waived for citizens of the following countries:

• Commonwealth Caribbean Nations
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• Virgin Islands

The requirement may also be waived if a student has completed at least three years of postsecondary study in one of the countries listed above or the United States. We reserve the right to require demonstration of English proficiency, even if you have received your degree from one of the above mentioned countries.

Transcripts

You may scan transcripts to the online application. An original transcript will be required upon admission.

Letters of Recommendation

The Department of Political Science requires three letters of recommendation. In filling out the online application, you will be asked for the names of your three recommenders, each of whom will be sent an email with a link giving them instructions on how to submit their letters electronically.

Writing Sample

You may upload a writing sample in the application. This must be a sample of your own original academic writing in English. (Translations are acceptable, provided the translation is your own work.) Please indicate the original purpose of the writing sample, and when and to whom it was submitted.

Curriculum Vitae (optional)

You may also upload a brief resume listing any additional information you believe to be relevant to your application for admission.

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Graduate program.

The Department of Political Science at Northwestern offers exceptional resources for the advanced study of politics in its various forms. Committed to excellence in research and teaching, methodological diversity, and interdisciplinary collaborations, the department offers a stimulating intellectual community that is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity for students and faculty of all backgrounds.  Our graduate students benefit from the opportunity to work closely with leading scholars in the field; enjoy access to first-rate libraries on a beautiful lakefront campus next to a world-class city, participate in a variety of research centers and institutes, and enjoy strong support for their research and scholarship – from fieldwork, to methods workshops, to conference travel in the United States and abroad. 

We provide comprehensive training in political science theory and in multiple methods of analysis including quantitative, qualitative, experimental and interpretive methods. Subfield training includes  American politics , comparative politics , international relations , political theory , and methods .

All Northwestern graduate students receive five years of guaranteed funding. We also provide generous support for professional development, including workshops on publishing, grant-writing, dissertation prospectus development, conference participation, work/life balance, and success on the academic and non-academic job markets. 

We have our own experimental laboratory . The Buffett Institute for Global Studies supports working groups and funds graduate student’s preliminary field research. Certificate programs in Comparative-Historical Social Science and Critical Theory offer unique interdisciplinary training opportunities.  Northwestern also offers a social science oriented Masters in Statistics , and dual degrees with Sciences Po and the Faculty of Law at Northwestern University Law School and the University of Copenhagen. The Program of African Studies and Equality, Development and Globalization Studies (EDGS)  and the Institute for Policy Research  greatly enrich our scholarly community.

We have an excellent placement record , with recent graduates accepting positions as assistant professors at Tulane, Johns Hopkins, University of Michigan, University of Chicago, University of Arizona, University of Pennsylvania, Williams College, Kenyon College, William and Mary, and the University of Montreal.

Learn more about our graduate program

• Program overview Learn about the yearly progression and our PhD program requirements, as well as affiliated programs.
• Courses Find course requirements and key links.
• Apply If interested in applying to our program, learn about the application procedure and admission qualifications.
• Fellowships and grants Discover information about funding available to current graduate students.
• Information for Current Students   Review resources about graduate student life, downloadable forms, and Department policies.
• Information for New Students  
• Biographies of our current graduate students

Department of Political Science

The Political Science Ph.D.

The Vanderbilt Ph.D. program in political science ranks among the top programs of its kind, both overall and by subfield (American Politics, Comparative Politics, with International Relations on the rise).

Our faculty and students study many varied subjects using a diverse slate of methodologies. Vanderbilt’s political science department is known for its deep expertise in several areas of excellence that cross subfield boundaries, including bureaucracies, political violence and conflict, the politics of gender, democracy in middle-to-low-income countries, mass political behavior, survey methodology, and formal theory.

Our graduate program offers intensive training in three fields of political science: American Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Relations. We admit between eight and twelve doctoral students per year and prepare them for successful careers in academia, government, international organizations, or research-centered jobs.

While we admit a small percentage of applicants for our program, we aim to bring the most diverse, talented, and innovative students in the world to Nashville to study political science. As a student in our program, you are joining a supportive intellectual and social community.

Some of the key benefits of Vanderbilt’s political science Ph.D. program are:

• A top-ranked faculty with deep expertise in substantive political science and the methodologies needed to answer important questions about our political world
• Access to research-supporting resources like the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions , the Latin American Public Opinion Project Lab, the Research on Conflict and Collective Action Lab, and the Research on Individuals, Politics, and Society Lab
• A nearly 1:1 student: faculty ratio, allowing for close mentoring and support
• A rigorous program of coursework and research milestones that pair deep substantive knowledge with cutting-edge methodological and data science skills
• Membership in a community of smart, hardworking, and supportive doctoral candidates who prioritize collaboration and discovery
• Residence in Nashville, a fast-growing mid-size city with a high quality of life and wide array of entertainment and recreational offerings

Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Like Vanderbilt University, the Department of Political Science defines diversity broadly to include experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, and identities. We believe such diversity among our faculty and students enhances the intellectual experience and achievements of this academic community. As such, we are committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action, and we encourage individuals from diverse, under-represented, and traditionally excluded populations to apply to our program.

Our graduate program seeks to:

• Continually strengthen the climate for current students and faculty from traditionally excluded groups and foster a welcoming and vibrant community of scholars.
• Recruit more graduate students from underrepresented and traditionally excluded groups to the department and discipline.
• Give all students and faculty the tools to succeed and support one another in a diverse discipline.

Applying to the Program

The application deadline for the Ph.D. program is December 15 for the coming fall semester. We welcome applicants from all institutions, backgrounds, and experiences with a passion for research in political science. The application fee is $95.00.

When you apply, you are applying to the program as a whole and the faculty decides together who would be the best fit. Individual faculty members do not review and accept individual doctoral students they want to advise. There is no need to secure a faculty mentor ahead of your application .

Please direct all Ph.D. admission inquiries to Director of Graduate Studies, Sharece Thrower .

Qualifications

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in any major and show evidence of a passion for research in political science. The most successful applicants demonstrate mathematical or statistical proficiency and experience in original research. There is no minimum score for the GRE, TOEFL, or minimum required GPA. It is optional for applicants to submit their GRE scores. Strong letters of recommendation (generally from faculty members) are essential. Finally, but most importantly, we look for a fit between the student's intellectual interests and our faculty's scholarly expertise.

Information to Submit

The Graduate Studies Committee reviews all aspects of an applicant's file. We try to get a sense of an applicant’s many facets, skills, and experiences across the different materials:

• Statement of purpose (see details below)
• Official transcripts from each college or university attended
• 3-5 letters of recommendation speaking to academic abilities
• Writing sample of 15-25 pages (preferably a paper from a course that illustrates the candidate's ability to write and to conduct research)
• Unofficial or official GRE scores are optional
• Students from non-English-speaking countries should also submit a recent TOEFL score; students graduating with a degree from a four-year English-speaking institution are exempt from this requirement.

Statement of Purpose

Successful applicants should use the personal statement to clearly articulate their interest in pursuing a doctorate in political science and their research objectives. There are no required elements, but some questions that can help guide the statement include:

• What questions or puzzles in political science fascinate you?
• What approaches do you think will help you answer those puzzles?
• Why do you want to earn a Ph.D., and why in political science?
• How have your studies and experiences prepared you for a challenging Ph.D. program?
• Why do you think the Vanderbilt program and its faculty are the best place for you to study your questions of interest and develop needed skills?

Visiting Campus

We hold a recruitment visit in March for all applicants who receive offers of admission to the program. Visits consist of meals with current graduate students and faculty, group meetings to learn about program requirements and benefits, and one-on-one meetings with those faculty members and students you are most likely to work with.

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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

Request Information for PhD in Political Science

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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

Graduate Program

Phd requirements.

The Political Science department at UC Berkeley admits students only for the Ph.D. degree. The Ph.D. program has two major phases: coursework and examinations, and dissertation research and writing. The two phases typically take approximately five or six years (three years to candidacy and two or three for dissertation research and writing).

The coursework and examination phase requires 40 units (typically 10 classes) of graduate-level coursework and competence in three of nine  Subfields . Subfield competence is demonstrated through written exams offered each semester. The Field Exams are typically taken in the student's second and third years of the program. All students must pass one exam in a major subfield (Comparative, American, International Relations, or History of Political Theory). Competency in a second and third subfield may be demonstrated by taking a prescribed series of courses in that field with a combined GPA of 3.5.

The particular sequence of courses that a student takes in preparation for the comprehensive exams is not prescribed. Rather, the faculty assist students with selection of courses that best meet their intellectual and academic interests. There are no formal foreign language or statistics requirements although many students will find that their program of study and dissertation research will require the engagement of particular foreign language or methodology coursework.

When the coursework and examination requirements have been met, the student prepares a prospectus for dissertation research. The student convenes a committee known as the Qualifying Exam (QE) committee. The Qualifying Exam committee advises on the prospectus and examines the student on specific research plans. Berkeley is highly committed to interdisciplinary scholarly engagement and this is codified in the requirement that both the Qualifying Exam committee and the dissertation committee include a faculty member from another department at Berkeley. Engagement with members of the faculty from other departments should commence during the coursework stage so that the advisement and input of the "outside member" is represented in the prospectus.

When sufficient preparation for the proposed research has been demonstrated to the Qualifying Exam committee, the student is advanced to doctoral candidacy. It is expected (and for most funding packages, required) that students advance to doctoral candidacy by the end of their third year.

Doctoral candidacy initiates the second phase of the program during which the student normally devotes full attention to the research and writing of the dissertation. The student's dissertation committee is typically comprised of the members of the Qualifying Exam committee although there are sometimes changes in committee membership as the research evolves. The doctorate is awarded when the student submits a satisfactory dissertation to the dissertation committee. A reasonable estimate of the research and writing phase of the program is approximately two to three years although students whose dissertations require more extensive research may take longer to earn their degree.

• Second year
• Sixth year and beyond

The second year is used to further narrow down one's interests and to continue exploring ideas and potential advisors for a dissertation topic. Coursework continues as students prepare for the M.A./Second Year Paper and Field Exam.

Students who plan to continue in the Ph.D. program are expected to engage in advanced topical research leading to a research paper to be completed by the end of the second year, together with any additional coursework appropriate to their topical focus. Three faculty members (one of whom is selected by the student and serves as principal advisor for the paper) will review this paper. This paper, which continuing students will submit at the end of their second year, also serves as the M.A. project.

Completion of a yearlong graduate seminar (Research & Writing 290A and 290B) during the second year is strongly recommended.  Each student taking this course is advised by a faculty advisor external to the course (who will also serve as one reviewer of the second-year paper) as well as the two co-instructors of the seminar. The goal of the seminar is to assist students in preparing a high-quality research paper, which will serve as the M.A./Second-year paper as mentioned above.

All students are reviewed at the end of the second year of study on their continued overall academic performance. This overall evaluation will include GPA, successful completion of all required units, and successful completion of the M.A./Second-year paper. The Graduate Studies Committee will take these factors as well as the rigor of the academic program and the number of incompletes into consideration when determining whether to invite the student to continue in the PhD program.

Students in their second year also usually serve as a Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs), which are 20-hour per week positions

During the third year, most students continue to teach as GSIs and complete their coursework in addition to taking their Field Exam. Political Science graduate students must show competency in three Subfield specialties to be eligible to sit for the oral prospectus defense (known formally as the Qualifying Exam). Instead of sitting for three Field Exams, students have the option to "course out" of two field specialties by taking a prescribed set of three-four courses in the Subfield.

Students may sit for the Field Exam as early as the beginning of the second year, but if desired, students may sit for an exam in their second year or in the third year. Field Exams are offered at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters. All students are expected to have completed their Field Exam, to have “coursed out” of a two fields, and to have written and defended their dissertation prospectus (passed their Qualifying Exam) by the end of the third year. It is highly recommended (and essential to most funding packages) that students advance to Doctoral Candidacy by the end of the third year. The third year is also when students should begin to apply for extramural fellowships to support their dissertation research.

Department of Political Science

Graduate Program

Yale’s Ph.D. program has a strong historical record of producing leading scholars in the field of Political Science. (Please note: The department does not offer a stand-alone MA in Political Science. Information about the Jackson Institute MPP in Global Affairs .) Many Yale graduates have also had successful careers in government, politics, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. This historical strength is matched by a strong faculty deeply engaged in training current graduate students to succeed in contemporary Political Science.

One of the Department’s strengths is substantive and methodological pluralism—there is no single “Yale way,” and our students and faculty are motivated by a range of questions in and across the subfields of Political Science. At the same time as we acknowledge this diversity of interests, the Department’s curriculum is designed to ensure students have adequate opportunities to master the core tools of contemporary social science research, including a four-course sequence in quantitative methodology and research design (statistics), a two course sequence in formal theory, courses on experimental design, implementation, and analysis, and a training program in qualitative and archival methodology.

The Department also offers training in five substantive subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Economy, and Political Theory. In each of these subfields, faculty regularly teach courses that expose students to both the foundational work in these areas and current active research topics. In many subfields, this training takes the form of formal or informal “sequences,” for example Comparative Politics I and II are taught each year. These classes are supplemented by topical seminars on selected and advanced topics.

In addition to regular courses, the Department and affiliated institutions (in particular, the MacMillan Center and the Institution for Social and Policy Studies) host a variety of (near-)weekly workshops in which outside speakers and Yale affiliates present and discuss work. These workshops provide a unique opportunity for students to observe the work of leading scholars, as well as to develop their own research in conjunction with faculty and student review. Information about these workshops is available here.

Students will also take two courses as a cohort. The first, Introduction to Politics, is for all Ph.D. students in their first semester. The second, Research and Writing, spans the second year and is centered on students producing a publishable quality research paper prior to embarking on the dissertation. Students in Research and Writing present their final paper in the Department’s mini-APSA conference in April.

About eighteen students enter the Ph.D. program each year. The total number of students in residence at any one time, including students working on their dissertations, is approximately 100, of whom about 40 are taking courses.

The Director of Graduate Studies for the Political Science Department is Hélène Landemore . Professor Landemore’s DGS office is located in Room 234  in Rosenkranz Hall, 115 Prospect Street. To contact Professor Landemore or sign up for DGS office hours, email her at dgs.polisci@yale.edu .

The Graduate program registrar is Colleen Amaro.  Her office is located in Room 230 in Rosenkranz Hall, 115 Prospect Street. She can be contacted by email at colleen.amaro@yale.edu .

Political Science

Political Science Ph.D.

Headline info.

The Department of Political Science at the University of Iowa offers a rich program of graduate study that has as its foundation a group of faculty members who are committed to first-rate research and teaching. The University of Iowa Political Science Department ranks among the best in the country in terms of scholarly quality as measured by faculty publications in the leading professional journals.

Students receive graduate training through seminars, through collaborative work with other faculty, and through daily interaction with other students. The result is that graduates from the University of Iowa frequently enter the job market with publications in hand. According to our past experience, after obtaining the doctoral degree, graduates can expect to find employment in high-quality colleges and universities.

Five fields of study are available: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, formal theory, and research methods . Each student chooses three fields of study for qualifying examinations. The Department of Political Science at the University of Iowa offers comprehensive study in each of these fields, provides training in a variety of methodological and theoretical approaches, and provides opportunities for individualized programs of learning. After having completed a sequence of study, each graduate student can expect to be prepared to teach and to conduct research in three fields. Because of the importance of statistical methods for the conduct of political science research, the first-year course curriculum includes a compulsory sequence in quantitative methods. Advanced graduate students have a wide array of seminars from which they can select and build a general program of study. The Department of Political Science at the University of Iowa focuses on training skilled researchers. Graduate students can expect to receive rigorous training and complete professional preparation.

Department rules and procedures described in the Guide to Doctoral Study together with the general University rules set forth in the University of Iowa Bulletin and the rules of the Graduate College set forth in the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College constitute the body of regulations which govern students pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Political Science.

NOTICE: The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is an operational name for the State University of Iowa Foundation, an independent, Iowa nonprofit corporation organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported charitable entity working to advance the University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement.

• Political Science Department
• Graduate Studies

PhD in Political Science

Shape the Future of Politics and Governance

As a Ph.D. student, you will analyze interrelationships between political, economic, social, cultural and historical forces in the field of political science and two sub-fields. This program prepares you to be scholars, educators or contributors to the private, public and nonprofit sectors, here and abroad.

Program Overview

The Ph.D. degree is awarded to students who successfully complete the required coursework, pass the qualifying examinations, and write and successfully defend a dissertation. Students working toward the Ph.D. will be eligible for the award of M.A. once they have completed the requirements for the M.A.

of political science Ph.D. students are women

are international students

of domestic students are students of color

Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. degree requires a total of 72 credit hours, including:

• at least 42 credit hours of graded graduate coursework,
• an additional 30 hours of dissertation credits,
• declared major and minor field or two major fields of study and,
• a passing score on a qualifying examination in the selected areas.

Students working toward the Ph.D. will be eligible for the award of M.A. once they have completed the requirements for the M.A.

Fields of Study

Students pursuing the Ph.D. must declare either a major field and a minor field or two major fields. For the first major field, the available options are American politics, comparative politics, international relations and political theory. For students pursuing a second major field, the options are American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and public administration and policy. For a minor field, the available options are American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public policy, security studies, and law and courts.

Meet Our Ph.D. Candidates

Erika Arias

Social movements, political conflict and violence, public opinion, political behavior

Uğur Altundal

Contemporary political philosophy, democracy, citizenship, immigration and open border

Nathan Carrington

Political psychology, United States Supreme Court, freedom of expression and judicial legitimacy

African politics with a focus on oil multinational corporations and Indigenous rights in Nigeria, African diaspora communities, feminism in international relations

Joel Kersting

Political parties, representation, public opinion, LGBTQ politics, race and politics

Looking for Ph.D. dissertations?

Collaboration drives innovation

Doctoral student Claire Sigsworth ’17 M.A. (PSc) co-authored with Professor Thomas Keck, the Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics, the recently published paper “Diplomats in Robes: Judicial Career Paths and Free Speech Decision-Making at the European Court of Human Rights” in Law & Social Inquiry. Their findings show that former career is related to judicial voting patterns in free speech cases.

Claire Sigsworth '17 M.A. (PSc) Ph.D. student, political science

Read the paper

Funding Opportunities

Merit-based financial aid awards are available to support study in the Ph.D. program in the form of fellowships and graduate assistantships. Financial support is renewed each year for five years of study, subject to maintaining satisfactory performance in the Ph.D. program. Admitted students typically receive stipends for their first three summers in the program as well. 

Fellowships

University fellowship awardees receive a stipend and a full-tuition scholarship for 24 credits in their first and fourth years of study and receive graduate assistantship in their second, third and fifth years.

Graduate Assistantships

Ph.D. students have the option to obtain teaching and research experience through graduate assistantships, which are renewed each academic year. Assistantships include a stipend, a full graduate tuition scholarship and a subsidy toward health insurance coverage for the year.

Future Professoriate Program

The Future Professoriate Program (FPP) aims to foster a sense of community among graduate students while allowing them to hone skills related to teaching, research and professional identity development. The purpose of the FPP is to help graduate students develop professionally by means of workshops, annual in-house conferences and a mentored independent teaching experience. Students who complete these activities and produce a teaching portfolio can receive the University’s Certificate in University Teaching. These endeavors are seen as complements to the training in scholarship and teaching that are regular parts of graduate education.