Overview
The Ph.D. curriculum in political science requires a minimum of 90 credits in total.
- General departmental requirements must be completed by all Ph.D. students and are aimed at the development of basic analytic and methodological skills
- Within each major concentration, there are core requirements and elective courses. Total credit requirements in the major vary by field
- Students also are required to take at least six hours, but preferably nine, in each of two disciplinary minors
- At least 30 credits must be taken in courses open only to graduate students, that is, in courses at the 7000-level and above
- All Ph.D. students must complete 30 hours of dissertation credit over four semesters (PS 9991, PS 9992, PS 9993, PS 9994)
A course may not be used to satisfy more than one requirement unless specifically approved by the graduate director.
General requirements
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 5630 | Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science I | 4 |
PS 6640 | Statistics and Data Analysis in Political Science II | 3 |
PS 7760 | Research Methods in Policy and Politics | 3 |
PS 8600 | Philosophical Problems of Social and Political Inquiry | 3 |
American politics and government
Core requirements (nine credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 7030 | American Political Processes | 3 |
PS 7040 | American National Institutions | 3 |
And at least one of the following:
American politics and government electives (six credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 5030 | African American Politics | 4 |
PS 5040 | Religion and Politics | 4 |
PS 5110 | Constitutional Law | 4 |
PS 5120 | Constitutional Rights and Liberties | 4 |
PS 6010 | Political Psychology | 3 |
PS 6020 | Intergovernmental Relations and American Federalism | 3 |
PS 6050 | Class, Race and Politics in America | 3 |
PS 7010 | The New Institutionalism | 3 |
Comparative politics
Core requirements (12 credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 7710 | Seminar in Comparative Politics | 3 |
PS 7711 | Advanced Seminar in Comparative Politics | 3 |
And two of the following:
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 7720 | Comparative Politics of Advanced Industrial Democracies | 3 |
PS 7730 | Comparative Politics of the Developing World | 3 |
PS 7740 | Comparative Political Economy | 3 |
PS 7711 | Advanced Seminar in Comparative Politics (may be taken more than once on different topics) | 3 |
Comparative politics electives (three credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 5999 | Special Topics: Applied Field Research/Mexico/Colombia | 3 |
PS 5999 | Special Topics: Divided Societies/Dubrovnik | 3 |
PS 7010 | The New Institutionalism | 3 |
PS 7720 | Comparative Politics of Advanced Industrial Democracies | 3 |
PS 7730 | Comparative Politics of Developing Countries | 3 |
PS 7740 | Comparative Political Economy | 3 |
PS 7711 | Advanced Seminar in Comparative Politics (may be taken more than once on different topics) | 3 |
PS 7470 | Comparative Public Policy | 3 |
Political theory
Core requirements (nine credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 7550 | Topics in the History of Political Thought | 3 |
PS 7650 | Contemporary Political and Social Theory | 3 |
PS 7580 | Political Theory of Public Law | 3 |
Political theory electives (six credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 5560 | Biopolitics | 4 |
PS 5999 | Special Topics: Law, Authority and Resistance | 3 |
PS 7550 | Topics in the History of Political Thought (may be taken more than once on different topics) | 3 |
SOC 6050 | Sociological Theory Before 1920 | 3 |
Public administration
Core requirements (21 credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 7300 | Public Administration and its Environment | 3 |
PS 7320 | Organization Theory and Behavior | 3 |
PS 7330 | Public Budgeting and Finance | 3 |
PS 7340 | Public Personnel Management | 3 |
PS 7350 | Managing Public Organizations and Programs | 3 |
PS 7410 | Policy Formation and Implementation | 3 |
PS 7480 | Policy Analysis for Administration | 3 |
Public administration electives (six credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 5899 | Dispute Resolution | 3 |
PS 6020 | Intergovernmental Relations and American Federalism | 3 |
PS 7250 | Seminar in Urban Administration | 3 |
PS 7460 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
Public policy
Core requirements (12 credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 7410 | Policy Formation and Implementation | 3 |
PS 7460 | Program Evaluation | 3 |
PS 7470 | Comparative Public Policy | 3 |
PS 7480 | Policy Analysis for Administration | 3 |
Public policy electives (minimum of nine credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 6860 | American Foreign Policy | 3 |
PS 7240 | Urban Public Policy | 3 |
PS 7300 | Public Administration and its Environment | 3 |
PS 7330 | Public Budgeting and Finance | 3 |
Urban politics
Core requirements (nine credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 6050 | Class, Race and Politics in America | 3 |
PS 7240 | Urban Public Policy | 3 |
PS 7250 | Seminar in Urban Administration | 3 |
Urban politics electives (six credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 5030 | African American Politics | 4 |
PS 6020 | Intergovernmental Relations and American Federalism | 3 |
PS 6440 | Regional, State and Urban Economic Development | 3 |
PS 7330 | Public Budgeting and Finance | 3 |
CRJ 7320 | Policing and Society | 3 |
World politics
Core requirements (six credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 7810 | Seminar in World Politics | 3 |
PS 7811 | Advanced Seminar in World Politics | 3 |
World politics electives (nine credits)
Course # | Title | Credits |
---|
PS 5850 | Human Rights | 4 |
PS 5855 | International Law | 4 |
PS 5999 | Special Topics: International Prosecution of State Actors | 3 |
PS 6100 | Introduction to Graduate Peace and Security Studies | 3 |
PS 6830 | Civil War and Conflict Processes | 3 |
PS 6850 | International Organizations | 3 |
PS 6860 | American Foreign Policy | 3 |
PS 6870 | U.S. Foreign Relations Law | 4 |
Minor field requirements
Students are advised to take at least six (but preferably nine) credits in each of their two minor fields, with an emphasis on courses that are listed above as core requirements.
Courses in other departments
In consultation with the graduate advisor, Ph.D. students are typically permitted to take up to two graduate-level courses in other departments, when appropriate to their plan of work.