Political Science

Head of the Department: Peter F. Nardulli
Director of Graduate Studies: Michael A. Krassa
361 Lincoln Hall
702 South Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-2575
E-mail: m-krassa@uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Political Science offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of master of arts and doctor of philosophy. Students are not normally admitted to a terminal master’s degree program.

Admission

The Graduate College admission requirements apply for all programs. The student should have a minimum of 20 hours of undergraduate work in political science and cognate disciplines such as economics, psychology, finance, sociology, or history. All applicants are required to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores and an example of written work. A minimum paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language ( TOEFL) score of 590 (243 on the computer-based test) is required of all international applicants whose native language is not English. Students are not normally admitted in the spring semester.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in this program and is essential for students whose career goals include college teaching.

Master of Arts

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program can usually earn a Master of Arts in Political Science within one year. It entails the completion of 32 graduate hours and the achievement of a 3.0 GPA in all courses taken. A master’s paper is required.

Doctor of Philosophy

The course of study leading to a Ph.D. in Political Science requires a minimum of three years of full-time study, culminating in the successful defense of a doctoral dissertation. A minimum of 96 graduate hours of academic credit is required, 32 of which may be graduate hours of dissertation research. At least 64 of the 96 graduate hours must be taken in residence.

In addition to meeting Graduate College requirements, the Department of Political Science requires that students complete a "scope and methods" sequence, acquire proficiency in analytic skills, and demonstrate expertise in several subfields within the discipline. The progress of doctoral candidates is monitored at various points in the program. In addition to an interim evaluation, students must pass a set of qualifying examinations and present a dissertation proposal. Once the doctoral dissertation is completed, the candidate must successfully complete an oral final defense.

Doctoral candidates concentrate in two of three fields of political study: American government and politics, comparative government and politics, and international relations. Expertise in a cognate field and appropriate research methods is demonstrated through advanced coursework.

Financial Aid

Students accepted into the department’s graduate program are eligible to apply for financial aid. Most incoming students with good credentials and continuing students demonstrating satisfactory progress will receive some type of financial aid, but the type and amount will vary. The Department of Political Science provides, on a competitive basis, aid packages up to $17,000, plus waivers of tuition and some fees. Financial aid is usually a combination of fellowship money and assistantships. Limited amounts of aid are also available for dissertation field research, internships, and the presentation of papers at professional meetings. The University of Illinois is also a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, which provides predoctoral grants to facilitate research in developing countries.