Political Science Graduate Degree Program

Description
The Department of Political Science offers flexible programs of graduate study leading to the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Our aim is to provide the highest quality graduate training for students who go on to academic teaching and research positions, and occasionally to non-academic careers in the public and private sectors. Our graduate students benefit from an active, engaged faculty, extensive methodological training, a focus in the department on inter-disciplinary thought, and close work with a faculty mentor under our apprenticeship model of faculty-student relationships.Doctoral students are trained in primary and secondary fields, in addition to methods. The primary field is chosen from the department's four traditional sub-fields (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory) and is completed via coursework and a written comprehensive exam. The second field may be chosen from the four main sub-fields, or from the department's three cross-cutting research foci (Political Communication, the Politics of Identity, and Politics of Public Policy), or may be defined by the student. The second field is completed via coursework and by either a written comprehensive exam or a field paper.

General Information
Website http://www.polsci.ucsb.edu/
Address Department of Political Science
University of California, Santa Barbara
Ellison Hall, Room 3834
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9420
(USA)
Phone (805) 893-3626
Email polsgrad@polsci.ucsb.edu
Degrees Offered MA, MA/PhD, PhD
Requirements
  • Online application: https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/eapp
  • Statement of Purpose with completed coversheets (2 copies)
  • Statement of Personal Achievements/Contributions (2 copies)
  • Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV) (2 copies)
  • Three Letters of Recommendation (Submitted online. Note: if submitted via postal mail, please attach required coversheets)
  • Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (2 copies)
  • GRE General test scores
  • TOEFL scores 600 Paper-Based Test (PBT), 80 Internet-Based Test (IBT) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Overall Band score of 7 or higher (if applicable)
  • Writing Sample
Pre-Application Pre-Application is required for international applicants.
Deadlines Fall Only - January 1, 2010
Optional Emphases Feminist Studies; Global Studies; Quantitative Methods in the Social Science; Technology & Society (Ph.D. Only)
Specializations Comparative Politics, American Politics, International Relations, Political Theory, Methodology