WELCOME TO THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
The Department of Political Science at Michigan State University has long been a leader
in the discipline. Founded in 1949, the Department was a pioneering center of activity during the
behavioral revolution that swept the social sciences in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, it continues
to serve as a role model in promoting high-caliber research and teaching. MSU’s political
scientists are highly-productive and widely recognized scholars who publish on a regular basis in
top-ranked professional journals and prestigious university presses; they are actively engaged in
a range of externally-funded research projects; and they hold prominent leadership positions in
major professional organizations.
The Department’s reputation and impact within the political science community is clearly
reflected in the caliber of its doctoral program. Our Ph.D. program prepares students to become
active members of the academic political science community. Given the diversity of the
discipline, this necessarily encompasses a wide variety of subsidiary orientations. But, MSU’s
Political Science faculty have reached a high level of consensus regarding the skills and traits
that we would like our Ph.D. graduates to possess.
First, and foremost, we want our Ph.D.’s to be well-prepared for successful academic
careers at major research universities. This is reflected in the strong research focus of the
required curriculum and in the high level of professional mentoring we provide through research
collaboration, teaching activities, and professionalization seminars. It is also evidenced in our to
ability to successfully place program graduates in tenure-track positions at doctoral institutions.
Tangible evidence of our success is manifested by the placement of our Ph.D.’s in tenure-track
positions at excellent institutions, such as the University of Kentucky, the University of Georgia,
the University of Pittsburgh, the State University of New York at Buffalo, and many others.
Although the primary focus of the MSU Department of Political Science is on academic
research, we do recognize that many students are also interested in employment at teaching
institutions, in governmental offices, and in other, more applied settings. Our doctoral program
has plenty of flexibility to meet the needs of this important student constituency. Interest in these
alternative career paths varies across subfields, but the job placement rates for our Ph.D.
graduates in these settings are excellent.
The Department of Political Science at Michigan State University considers graduate training to be one of its primary objectives. We invite you to learn more about our program by viewing the information provided on this website or by contacting us directly. We think that you will find our Ph.D. program to be one of the strongest in the nation!