We shall focus our attention today on the schools that offer the best online PhD in Political Science. Before we provide you with the list of these schools, let us briefly consider what PhD in Political Science entails.
What Is PhD In Political Science?
Political science is a broad topic that covers the study of governments and political behavior. With a PhD in political science, you could find career opportunities in colleges, research firms, government departments and nonprofit organizations.
If you are considering pursuing a PhD degree in political science, here are some reasons why this might be a good move for you:
- Career opportunities
- Salary
- Skills developed
University of Texas at Austin
If you’re interested in the University of Texas at Austin, here are some things to know:
- It’s a public university founded in 1883.
- The university offers a PhD in Political Science.
- It is ranked 15th nationally and 12th worldwide as a top university.
Duke University
Duke University is a private university that was established in 1838. It has an enrollment of 6,700 and is located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke University ranks #8 in the nation.
Princeton University
- Princeton University offers a PhD in political science that has created a great deal of new knowledge in the field.
- The university is known for its interdisciplinary research and teaching, which includes collaborating with departments like history, economics, sociology, psychology, philosophy and classics.
- The government department is at the center of a vibrant university community.
Stanford University
Stanford University is a private research university in Stanford, California. Stanford was founded in 1885 by Leland Stanford, former Governor of and U.S. Senator from California and leading railroad tycoon, and his wife, Jane Stanford, as a memorial to their only child, Leland Jr., who had died of typhoid fever at age 15 the previous year.
The university is organized around three traditional schools consisting of 40 academic departments at the undergraduate level and four professional schools that focus on graduate programs in law, medicine, business, and education. Stanford also has land and facilities elsewhere. The university was founded as a coeducational institution (in fact it was the first on the US West Coast), admitted its first female students in 1891.
Harvard University
Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was founded in 1636 and is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Harvard has about 2,400 faculty members and over 6,700 undergraduates and 14,500 postgraduates. The university has an endowment of about $36 billion.
Harvard has several graduate schools: a law school (1817), a medical school (1782), a business school (1908), a dental school (1912), and several other professional schools. In addition to its main campus in Cambridge, Harvard owns several properties including research centers throughout the Boston area; it also owns property outside New England in other states as well as abroad.
PhD Admission Requirements
- An undergraduate degree in political science or a related field
- A master’s degree in political science or a related field
- A GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
- GRE scores
- Letters of recommendation from three individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic work and research potential
- Personal statement describing career goals, research interests, and scholarly strengths to be developed through the doctoral program
- Writing samples of academic work completed at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, if applicable
- Prior research experience
How Long Does It Take to Earn a PhD in Political Science?
To earn a PhD in political science, you’ll need to finish a minimum of four years of graduate coursework and research. In this time, you’ll be required to pass qualifying exams and write your dissertation. The time it takes will vary from student to student as everyone has their own unique academic path.
The first step in earning your PhD is completing coursework through your university’s core curriculum requirements. This typically takes four years to accomplish but can take longer if you choose an accelerated program or require additional time for some courses.
The second step is passing the qualifying exam that allows you to continue on the path towards earning your degree. This is a written exam that can take anywhere from one year to several years depending on how long it takes for you to pass it successfully and meet all of the requirements necessary for advancement in the program.
Following successful completion of both coursework and qualifying exams, most students begin working on their dissertation research project which will become their major work during their remaining tenure at graduate school before graduation occurs at last with all requirements having been met.
What Is the Difference Between a PhD and a Doctorate in Political Science?
The name can be confusing; the PhD, or doctor of philosophy degree, is a specific type of doctorate. The name comes from the Latin “philosophiae doctor” and in medieval times was used to denote a person who had studied philosophy and religion. Over time it came to include other areas of study such as science, literature, music and the arts. Today a PhD is awarded in most fields other than medicine where an M.D., or doctor of medicine, is still awarded instead of a PhD.
A Doctorate in Political Science is a terminal degree which indicates proficiency in research methods along with specialized knowledge in political science theory, methodology and/or core fields including international relations/global politics, American politics and comparative politics-area studies
A political science doctoral degree takes five years to complete.
A doctoral degree in political science typically takes five years. While the timeline is set for the first two years (courses and core exams), how long you take to finish your dissertation depends on your background, research interests, and the requirements of your committee members. Some students with master’s degrees (some even from outside fields) are able to complete their coursework and exams within two years so that they can focus on their dissertation earlier than other students. Likewise, not all areas of political science require extensive field work—which can take considerable time—and some fields may demand more quantitative analyses than others. In sum, it is difficult to generalize about how long a program will take for any one student.
