Ph.D. in Political Science: Program Overview

The Ph.D. program in Political Science is intended to provide students with a broad and thorough training in the theories and methods of the discipline so that they can be successful professionals in a variety of scholarly, academic, and applied settings. Our graduate program is explicitly designed to respond to the realities of a highly competitive job market. Many of our Ph.D. graduates have gone on to work within academia – indeed, nearly all of those who applied for such posts between 1989 and 2002 were successful – while others have sought jobs in high-level policy and applied research positions (see placement information on this website). Although this does not mean that the program is without particular strengths or emphases (which are reflected in our preliminary examination fields listed further on), the principle feature is a rigorous core training in theory, methods, and applied research that makes our graduates distinctive, and sought-after, in the job market. The program is competitive; for example, in 2003, we admitted approximately 40% of applicants.

The program does not embrace or promote any particular school of theory or method of analysis. Our ethos is one that values theoretical diversity, methodological pluralism, analytic rigor, and scholarly excellence. Although we are a relatively small faculty, areas of expertise cover all the traditional subfields of political science, and students in the program have the opportunity to have a broad training across them. The typical size of our graduate seminars is fairly small and allows for intensive interchange between faculty and students. In addition, we provide regular opportunities for close contact between faculty and students including research symposia, guest speakers, collaborative research projects, work on research grants, etc. We strive to maintain a friendly but serious atmosphere in which students are valued as contributors and potentially future colleagues. Many of our graduates have continued their collaborative work with our faculty into their academic careers.

The Ph.D. program in Political Science at Washington State University also emphasizes, unlike many other similar programs, the acquisition of pedagogical and teaching skills. We commit to providing classroom teaching opportunities for all those in the Ph.D. program, and have a rigorous system of mentoring, evaluation, and feedback. By the time that they graduate, students in our Ph.D. program will almost certainly have taught one independent lower-division course and, in certain circumstances, it is not unusual for them to have upper-division teaching experience. The quality of our graduate instructors has been recognized in recent years through college and university awards, and has proven to be a major asset for those wishing to continue their careers in academia.

Finally, our program also emphasizes close and consistent collaboration between students and their committee. In our committee-driven system, students are encouraged to form a committee as soon as possible within their program. Initially, the committee oversees the construction of the individual program and guides the student to, and through, the preliminary examination process. Once that marker has been passed and the student achieves ABD (All But Dissertation) status, the committee (usually but not always the same faculty members) works closely with the student to make sure the dissertation is completed in a timely and satisfactory manner. The goal to which we aim is for students to produce original, high quality research that is potentially publishable as a monograph. The close collaboration between faculty and students is reflected in the high number of conference papers and research publications that have been jointly authored, and which have also contributed to a great extent to the success of our graduates in the job market.

In sum, the Ph.D. program at Washington State University emphasizes the acquisition of strong theoretical, methodological, and applied skills in a small and collegial department setting. Students in Political Science can draw upon the skills and expertise of the faculty in the Criminal Justice Program (see Ph.D. Track in Criminal Justice) and may engage in cross-disciplinary research through some of the preliminary examination fields. The intellectual environment is enhanced through the relationship the department maintains with the Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Service and Public Policy (speakers, programs, scholarships, etc.), the Division of Governmental Studies and Services (applied research, survey methodology, program evaluation, etc.), and our faculty on the urban campuses in Vancouver and Spokane.