What to Expect
As a student, you are required to complete 63 credit hours, PhD comprehensive examinations and a dissertation. The comprehensive examination calls for you to explain, critique, integrate and apply arguments of the leading works in your subfield of focus, to fully describe the evolution of the subfield and to propose new directions for research in that subfield. The purpose of this examination is to ensure that you have specialized knowledge in the field of political science.
Your last requirement is a dissertation that shows your ability to conduct independent research at an advanced level. A written study, typically 150-400 pages in length, your dissertation must draw on original research that makes a contribution to the field of political science. The entire dissertation, or a portion of it, should be suitable for publication in a respected academic journal or as a monograph.
