Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Science

The formal requirements for the Ph.D. are listed below. Please consult the designated sections for additional details. Thirteen courses completed with a grade of B or better of which eleven of those courses must be taken in the Department of Political Science. All courses must be 2000-level graduate seminars. You may take up two courses in a related discipline without prior approval. The following courses are required: POLS2000 Research Design (required in the first year) POLS2580 Qualitative Research Methods (required in the first year) Two of the four pro-seminars: POLS2100 American, POLS2110 Theory, POLS2120 Comparative, POLS2130 IR (take them as soon as they are offered) One POLS graduate level political theory course of your choosing A year long prospectus writing seminar worth one course credit: POLS2050 and POLS2051 (required in the third year) Passing preliminary examinations in two of the four general areas (American, Comparative, International Relations, and Political Theory). Completing twelve courses (all except the prospectus course) and passing the preliminary exams (both written and oral) constitute the requirements for formal admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. Teaching experience under the supervision of a member of the faculty in both the main field of expertise and in a second field. A minimum of two semesters as a Teaching Assistant are required. A written prospectus and a public defense of the proposal for the dissertation. Completion and successful defense of the Ph.D. dissertation.