The Department of Political Science and International Relations offers both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The graduate program is a Ph.D.-focused program consisting of coursework during the first six semesters followed by dissertation research and writing. The M.A. degree is a two-year, 39-credit program. The Ph.D. program is a 57-credit program.
Graduate study in the department is organized around four major subfields within the discipline of political science: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. Ph.D. students are required to pick one of these major subfields within the discipline as their primary field and a second subfield as their secondary field. Students may also choose methods as their secondary field, in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and the Methods Field Chair.

