Community of Scholars

Students share a conversation in a political sciences classroom
Here are just some of the benefits our students enjoy as scholars in the Department of Political Sciences: 

  • We foster a culture of collaboration. Our faculty work closely with graduate students on their research. Faculty regularly coauthor with graduate students, publishing research in highly-ranked general and sub-field journals.  Our students successfully publish in a broad variety of field journals and publications, in collaboration both with faculty and with other students in the program.

  • We offer our graduate students a generous financial support structure. Students in good standing are guaranteed five years of financial support including a stipend. All of our first-year students receive a fellowship with no work obligation, so they can focus on their studies. Upon successful defense of a dissertation overview, there are ample opportunities to apply for additional research fellowships that allow many of our students to focus solely on dissertation writing and research in their fourth and/or fifth years. 

  • We offer synergies with the University Center for International Studies (UCIS), the university’s path-breaking multidisciplinary institute that houses centers for area studies and centers on topical specializations in international studies. These centers include, but are not limited to, one of only 10 European Union Centers of Excellence in the United States, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Global Studies Center, the Center for Russian and East European Studies, and more.

  • We provide assistance with academic placement, and consistently place our students in highly-ranked departments in the U.S. and abroad.