Compare 33 PhD Programs in Political Science

Whether you want to explore issues facing the public officials who caucus in buildings just blocks from campus or master international relations, political science students receive broad exposure to the discipline, while gaining an understanding about how politics, government, and governance shape the world and its quality of citizenship.

What to Expect

As a political science major, you will be selecting courses from fields such as American politics, comparative politics, international relations, public administration and policy, and political theory, while also developing one or two individualized areas of interest.

You will learn how to research the answers to important questions related to politics, political values, and public policy. You will benefit from a wide variety of course offerings and have the opportunity to complete a public service internship to gain hands-on experience.... [-]

The PhD in International Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University (KSU) currently has students from around the world, creating a dynamic, yet intimate, educational environment. International Conflict Management is a field that currently has few opportunities for advanced training. This PhD program offers several key elements unavailable in most other doctoral programs in this field to top-quality, advanced graduate students. Each doctoral student, after completing the core courses, is given the flexibility to focus their studies in their desired area.

The PhD in International Conflict Management is one of only a few such programs available in North America. PhD students accepted into the program receive broad interdisciplinary training and opportunities that draw on an array of academic disciplines. Graduates will be able to address problems from a sophisticated knowledge base of substantive, theoretical, practical, and methodological approaches.... [-]

The UCD Clinton Institute invites applications for its PhD programme. We seek high-quality doctoral candidates of proven academic excellence and welcome PhD projects in areas in which the Institute can provide expert supervision:

Program Overview

The Doctor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Gratz College is designed for students already holding a graduate degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, history, or another related discipline. Doctoral students will engage in a meta-study of genocide to understand the phenomenon from a comprehensive range of academic approaches—historical, sociological, geographical, psychological, legal, theological and scientific—to inform their dissertations while reviewing the significant literature and conducting in-depth original research in the field.

Curriculum Map

Total Degree = 48 credits

Required Core Courses = 21 credits

The Doctoral Program in Public Policy is a specialized track in the Political Science Ph.D. The program run by the CEU Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy, and International Relations. CEU is an English-language graduate school in Budapest, Hungary that is accredited in the United States and Hungary.

Modern policymaking, devoted to the principles of good governance, transparency, accountability, and effectiveness, needs to be based on a sound academic analysis. The Doctoral Program in Public Policy is designed for scholars interested in conducting research on the cause, function, nature, and outcome of public policy.

The program prepares graduate students for careers in both academic and applied research institutions. Core courses focus on the development of professional level research and analytical skills in the fields of European and international public policy, comparative policy analysis, and political economy.... [-]

As a combination of urban management and governance, this Ph.D. program provides a unique academic experience that is highly relevant to today’s world.

The Ph.D. program focuses on creating an academic-to-practice environment which will prepare students to be experts in their field. While students are required to be at IHS for three months a year during which they will form the base of their skills and knowledge, they are also allowed to conduct research elsewhere for the rest of the year.

The Ph.D. Program in Politics: History, Theory, Science, in collaboration with the Center for Ethics and Global Politics (CEGP), since 2004, is aimed to offer an interdisciplinary perspective on contemporary global political studies. The faculty includes both Italian and international professors. The program has enrolled more 30 students in the last three years, with more than fifty percent of foreign students. Recently the program has been enriched by the collaboration of the International Center on Democracies and Democratizations (ICEDD) and the Italian Center for Electoral Studies - Centro Italiano Studi Elettorali (CISE).

Our doctoral plan is designed to provide you with:

For this plan, you must complete the following 78-81 units:

To accommodate individual plans of study, you may be required to:

You must choose between three emphases:... [-]

Offering supervision in most subject areas, the School of Politics and International Relations is a thriving and dynamic center for PhD study.

A PhD is the most advanced form of postgraduate study. It is awarded on the successful completion of supervised research, verbal examination, and final thesis.

We encourage our students to play an active role in the school's research centers and institutes as well as the activities of the school as a whole.

The school runs a weekly colloquium for postgraduate research students, giving you the opportunity to present your work in front of other research students and staff with similar research interests.

Politics and international relations research areas include:... [-]

EUCLID (Pôle Universitaire Euclide | Euclid University), an international intergovernmental organization with university mandate, offers to select students from the general public its flagship external (distance or online) degree program called the EUCLID Online Doctorate in Diplomacy and International Affairs (DDIA). (Note: This field of study or specialization is sometimes called "International Relations.") It is the only online Ph.D. program in diplomacy organized by an international intergovernmental organization and officially used by active diplomats over 4 continents.

In the application of international standards, EUCLID's Doctorate in Diplomacy and International Affairs represents 90 US credits (120 ECTS) of coursework beyond the Bachelor's. In practice, students typically enter the DDIA with a relevant Master's degree, complete 30 to 35 US credits of core doctoral courses, followed by the actual writing of the dissertation in 5 phases. The resulting thesis should be a publishable book offering a clear contribution to the field and establishing the author as a subject-matter expert. Among the suggested areas of focus are:... [-]

The Doctoral School of Political Science of the Corvinus University was founded in 2002 by Professor Attila Agh. By the end of 2016, 23 students have received their doctoral degrees, many of whom are now teaching and doing research at various universities, think tanks, and academic institutions. Annually, we admit 6-8 new students from a diverse field of interest, including political theory, party politics, government studies, public policy, local politics, Hungarian and comparative politics. The School is supported by the Institute of Political Science and the Department of Public Policy and Management. Its current Head is Professor Andras Körösényi.

The curriculum of the two-year period of studying is constantly adjusted to the needs of the students which makes this program come close to a tutorial system. Students are strongly encouraged to work on their individual projects, and to participate in conferences, workshops, colloquia both at home and abroad. This is the main priority of the School. Its financial autonomy enables us to support students to launch their individual careers as early as possible.... [-]

The programme boasts an impressive staff that includes political scientists, social and political theorists and historians. International and interdisciplinary research projects and collaborations are regularly undertaken and staff members are supported to build upon the existing expertise within the Department of Politics and European Studies (DPES) at Palacký University.

The three – year PhD program in political science is profiled as a modern political science study accentuating four key pillars:

PhD in Political Science and International Relations

The mission of the PhD program in Political and International Relations at Koç University is to educate world-class academics and public policy professionals. The objective is to equip our students with the training that will enable them to contribute to topnotch research and teaching in respectable institutions in Turkey and abroad. The faculty members of the Department have active research agendas and are internationally renowned for their research and expertise in a wide variety of areas including the list below. In addition to reflecting these strengths, the program and curriculum are designed to endow students with firm foundations in comparative politics, international relations, and political theory, and with cutting-edge qualitative as well as quantitative research skills. During their studies, students have generous opportunities to gain international experience through exchanges with prestigious institutions. They also become active contributors to the research activities of the department and gain teaching experience through assistantships.... [-]

Official qualification awarded by the Menéndez Pelayo International University, in collaboration with the Instituto Universitario de Investigación Ortega y Gasset .

The Doctoral Program in Economics and Government aims to train researchers capable of making independent, innovative and significant contributions to scientific knowledge in the field of economics and government.

Director: Dr. Salvador Rus Rufino

Title: Doctorate in Economics and Government

Face-to-face modality

Price: 5,000 euros * (UIMP rates). Renewal of IUIOG registration for extension request: 250 euros / course.

Duration: 3 years (full time) or 5 years (part time). With the possibility of requesting a maximum of two extensions of one year (full-time) or two years and one more (part-time)... [-]

We are an unusual department, a department that has resisted the trend pushing political science research away from questions that are relevant to citizens and political actors. Though we are particularly strong in the humanistic and qualitative approaches to politics, we celebrate methodological diversity. Twenty-six full-time faculty members (both senior and junior) teach in the department. We are also fortunate to have colleagues in a variety of other research and practice positions. This results in a considerable range in subject matter and academic approach. What unites our nationally renowned faculty is the recognition of the primacy of political problems and the conviction that these problems should determine the methodology that is appropriate in each case.... [-]