We offer several different options to students entering our program in terms of the traditional M.A. and Ph.D. tracks. However, we offer a unique “direct to Ph.D.” or Fast track program for a limited number of qualified students. For more information on this option go to Graduate Manual entry on the Ph.D. Degree and the FAQ page on our website.

 A large number of assistantships and scholarships are available.

The faculty, one of the most productive in the nation, has won numerous awards for research and teaching.   The combined departments of Political Science and International Affairs consists of 34 tenured or tenure-track professors.

The Department of International Affairs is in the School for Public and International Affairs; students therefore have access to over 50 faculty in the School without sacrificing strong collegial relations and diverse classroom and research opportunities.

Fields of Study

Comparative Politics

Using the comparative method, students working in this field examine such phenomena as behavioral patterns and systems, governmental institutions and structures, policy processes and outcomes, and political goals and strategies. These phenomena are considered both within and across national systems. Nation-states are taken as the primary, but not exclusive, units of analysis.

Students preparing for comprehensive examinations in this field should expect some general questions that deal with the comparative approach to politics:  its evolution, its major practitioners, its leading conceptual frameworks or paradigms, its utility, its contributions, the difficulties or problems in its application, and ways of surmounting these problems. In addition, students will be required to answer questions from two subfields. The principal subfields are Communist and former Communist systems, developed (Western, democratic) systems, and developing systems.

In order to qualify for the field examination in Comparative Politics, students are required to take a core seminar:  POLS 6350 (Comparative Analysis and Method). Additional courses will be selected in consultation with the student’s major professor and advisory committee.

International Relations

The field of International Relations focuses on the important agents and structures of international politics. These include nation-states, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Studies in this field examine the preferences and strategies of these actors, as well as the nature of the economic, military, political, and social interactions among them.

In preparing for the comprehensive examination in International Relations, the student should seek to understand the major actors on the international scene, their policies, and the sources of cooperation and conflict. Comprehensive exam questions will test the student’s general knowledge of these matters, as well as proficiency in selected subfields.

A course in the theory of international relations (normally POLS 6200, Pre-Seminar in International Relations) is required of each student. In addition, at least one course is recommended from each of the following subfields:  International Cooperation, International Conflict, International Political Economy, and Foreign Policy.