The Graduate Program offers rigorous training in the discipline of political science, equipping students to undertake original research in their area of interest. The program is overseen by the Graduate Faculty of Political Science, a diverse community of scholars drawn from our department, as well as political scientists from across the university in other departments, schools, and colleges. Students may also take advantage of the broader resources in the Boston area. The Ph.D. program enrolls around six new students a year and includes about 35 students at various stages of their graduate studies. Questions about financial aid are addressed on the department’s financial aid webpage. A full list of graduate courses can be found in the GRS bulletin.

For a list of recent PhD placements see our Placement page.

To take a look at our program profile, visit our page here.

MA Degree:

The Department of Political Science awards MA degrees to students who successfully complete our BA/MA program and to those students in the Ph.D. program who have completed all the requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation. The department does not have a stand-alone MA program and does not accept applications for that degree.

**This program is not accepting applications for the 2025-2026 academic year. Please reach out to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at grsphd@bu.edu with any questions.**

Graduate Program Contacts

Rosella Cappella Zielinski

Associate Professor of Political Science; Director of Graduate Studies

cappella@bu.edu