The Department of Political Science offers MA and PhD programs for students seeking teaching, research, and public service careers involving the study and practice of politics and government.
Our Faculty: The twenty-five members of our faculty enjoy national and international reputations for their research and have won numerous teaching and advising awards. Scholarly output is the primary reason that a recent ranking of doctoral programs in Political Science places KU's doctoral program 6th in the nation. These results are reported in an article in the electronic issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education dated January 12, 2007. To find out more about our award winning faculty, please review our Faculty Roster.
Our individualized & stimulating atmosphere: Our medium size allows faculty to teach seminars on a variety of topics with individualized mentoring in and out of the classroom. Many graduate students work closely with faculty on research and themselves publish independent papers and win fellowships and awards. This productivity is complemented by a diverse group of students, many coming from around the world.
Connections with the broader KU and Lawrence community: KU is an exciting place to be for the study of politics. Graduate students in our program have access to the nationally-recognized centers for African Studies, East Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies, Environmental Studies, Women's Studies, the Institute for Policy & Social Research, and the Dole Institute of Politics. Put your stereotypes about the Wizard of Oz aside; Lawrence is a wonderful place to live, with an interesting political history, and a lively arts and cultural scene. For more information on KU and Lawrence, please visit http://www.ku.edu/about/.
Funding: Most of our PhD students and many of our MA students are funded as graduate teaching assistants. Others find funding through faculty research grants and university fellowships. Once in the program, graduate students have opportunities for summer research funding, university and departmental dissertation fellowships, and conference travel support. Please see our Financial Aid section for more details.
Students wishing to be considered for departmental funding or Graduate School fellowships must have a complete application file for Fall 2009 admission to the department by January 9, 2009. Applications are accepted for Fall 2009 admission until April 15, 2009. Visit How To Apply for details on application procedures and admissions criteria. If you have any questions about the application and admission process, please visit our FAQ page.