Political Science
The Graduate Program
The Political Science department offers graduate instruction in the following fields:
- American Politics: the presidency, the judiciary, the legislative process, political parties, interest groups and social movements, American political development and political culture
- Comparative Politics: comparative political development, political economy and public policy in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, East Asia, and Latin America; theories of development, underdevelopment, and democratization
- Public Policy: U.S. national, comparative, urban, and methods in the study of public policy
- International Relations and Foreign Policy: history and theories of international relations, foreign relations of selected areas (United States, China, Latin America, the former Soviet Union, and Africa)
- Political Theory: historical and analytic approaches of the works of classic political philosophers; theories of justice, liberty, and authority
Cross-disciplinary work is encouraged, and graduate students may supplement the department’s offerings with courses in the departments of Economics, History, International Relations, Philosophy, and Sociology. Thanks to a consortium arrangement with Boston College, Brandeis University, and Tufts University, students may also take courses at those institutions and use their library resources.
Students interested in the areas of comparative politics and international relations draw on the resources of the African Studies Center; the Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology & Policy; the Institute for Economic Development; and interdisciplinary studies programs focusing on East Asia, Latin America, Russia, and Eastern Europe. Students with an interest in European politics may participate in lectures and seminars at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University, while those with an interest in American politics may participate in the activities of the Boston Area Workshop on American Political Development. The department’s regular offerings in political theory are supplemented by the Robert P. Benedict Lectures in the History of Political Philosophy, an endowed lecture series that brings a distinguished political philosopher to the campus for several weeks each spring.
Sixty-three students were registered in the graduate program in 2010—about one-half were taking courses, the rest working on dissertations. Typically, fewer than fifteen new graduate students enter the program each fall. Approximately 60% of our graduate students come from outside the United States, and many of our students regard the cosmopolitan character of the department—and of the Boston area in general—as an important factor in their graduate education.
Most of the department’s recent PhDs (approximately five graduate each year) are employed in academic or research institutions, in the United States or overseas. The others are divided, in roughly equal numbers, between the private and public sectors, working for consulting firms, business corporations, other nongovernmental organizations, and international, federal, state, or parastatal agencies.
More information is available from the department at 232 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215; 617-353-2540; email: pograd@bu.edu; website: www.bu.edu/polisci.
Admission and Financial Assistance Political science applicants are accepted for the fall semester only. Financial aid is limited to PhD candidates. Applications for September admission must be completed no later than December 1. Please note that applications, as well as credentials and supplementary materials, must be submitted by the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Please do not direct applications to the Department of Political Science.
Completed applications should be sent to the address below:
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
705 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 112
Boston, MA 02215
617-353-2696
Graduate student financial aid is merit-based. The department seeks to balance commitments to current students with the need to recruit outstanding applicants across the field of political science. The department’s principal source of financial aid takes the form of teaching fellowships. We are currently funded for a total of twelve teaching fellowships per year. Students entering the program with a BA are eligible for five years of financial aid. Those entering with an MA will be eligible for four years. Thus, the teaching fellowship financial aid is designed with the goal of supporting graduate students through to the completion of their dissertation, assuming the appropriate timetable. Competition for teaching fellowships is limited to PhD students. Awards are made on the basis of merit (defined primarily as scholarly ability but including potential teaching ability as well), rather than on the basis of need. MA candidates are not eligible for financial aid from Boston University. Decisions to renew teaching fellowships are made annually by the Political Science Department faculty and are contingent on the student’s academic and teaching performance.
