Doctoral Program

Welcome! We take great pride in our Ph.D. program. We have an outstanding group of students in our program and an impressive list of alumni. If you are looking for a collegial and intellectually stimulating environment, this might be the right program for you.

While all PhD programs prepare their students for a career in research and teaching, our program differs from other programs in three important ways.

Our program is designed to give personal attention to each student. Our curriculum provides many opportunities for faculty and students to work together on projects. We strive to be flexible and responsive to students' interests in designing their program of study. We expect every student we admit to complete the degree and consider it our personal mission to aid in that success.

We welcome students who have interests that span more than one field. Our program focuses on answering central questions about institutions, behavior, and processes that lie at the core of political science, regardless of field. Although students concentrate their research interests in traditional fields such as Comparative, American, International Relations, or Public Policy, we encourage students to think and work beyond the field boundaries and speak to these larger research questions.

We provide students with the research skills they need to launch their own research agendas and successful careers. Our curriculum provides a core of theoretical, mathematical, statistical, and research design skills that allow students to fully pursue their own research interests by their second year. This is important for the long-term success of students because it prepares them to build a strong, visible record of research that will attract attention from potential employers.

If you would like to receive more information about our program or to be contacted by a faculty member or current student, please fill out our inquiry form and email it to our Academic Coordinator, Jerry Fisher (jfisher@fsu.edu).

Here are our answers to the important questions you may be asking about Ph.D. Programs: