The Doctoral degree in Political Science is intended to prepare students for academic careers in research and teaching, and professional careers in public service or the private sector. It may thus serve the needs of both students and practitioners of government, politics, and business.
The doctoral degree requires a minimum of 72 semester hours beyond the bachelor’s degree if the student does not choose to earn a master’s degree.
If the student already holds a master’s degree in political science, a minimum of 60 hours beyond the master’s degree is required. With the consent of the Advisory Committee and Graduate Advisor, the required hours beyond the master’s degree may be reduced to as little as 42 hours.
The following are required for all doctoral students:
The student plans a program with an advisory committee that consists of a major professor, one professor from each of the student’s two other areas, and one departmental representative. The departmental representative is appointed by the political science graduate advisor. This committee advises the student on the program, arranges for all departmental examinations, approves the dissertation topic and judges the completed dissertation as a work of original research and writing justifying the awarding of the degree.
If a student elects a minor outside political science, it must be supportive of the study within the discipline. The outside minor cannot replace either of the political science areas for the qualifying exams. The areas available within political science are:
Expected April, July 2024
Start date
19 August 2024
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
General Academic Building 210,
DENTON,
Texas,
76203, United States
To be admitted to the PhD program, the following are required:
English Language Proficiency: Minimum TOEFL score requirement is 79; Minimum IELTS score is 6.0; Minimum PTE score is 53.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.