Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Political Science

Our doctoral program prepares students to do innovative research and teaching in institutions of higher education as well as for careers in government and with a range of non-governmental organizations and research foundations. Work toward the degree proceeds in two stages. In the first, students do course work to develop expertise in two chosen subfields in which he or she will take Ph.D. exams. Our subfields currently include: American politics, international relations, comparative politics, political theory, and public law. nce the student has completed his or her scope, method, and elective requirements and successfully passed the Ph.D. exams, he or she becomes ABD (or all but dissertation) and constitutes a dissertation committee with which he or she prepares a dissertation proposal outlining an original research project. When this project is complete, he or she defends the dissertation.