Department of Political Science

Political Science
1414 Social Sciences Building
267 19th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Phone: 612-624-4144
Fax: 612-626-7599
E-mail: polisci@umn.edu

Chair: Raymond D. Duvall

Applying

Ph.D. Application Information

Thank you for your interest in graduate work in the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota.

Most students admitted to the Ph.D. graduate program expect to pursue scholarly careers in college teaching and research. The Ph.D. curriculum begins in the Fall semester of the academic year. We do not permit new students to begin the Ph.D. program at other times.

Admission to the Ph.D. program is competitive. The admissions committee looks closely at the following material in an applicant's file: official transcripts and grade point average; Graduate Record Examination scores; a curriculum vitae; letters of recommendation (3 required); statement of purpose; and sample(s) of written work. Candidates for admission are then evaluated according to the strength and quality of all the application materials. In recent years to secure a class of twelve to fourteen students we have admitted about thirty applicants. Usually there are around 250 applicants to our Ph.D. program. In early March prospective students are notified of initial decisions on admission. Students must make final decisions on accepting admission offers by April 15.

Information about funding for our program can be found here.

In order for you to be considered for admission and financial aid for the Ph.D. program, the application material requested by the Department of Political Science must reach us by December 15th .

(Some of the application information requires Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Reader to view. You can download it for free.)

Please feel free to contact the department to discuss your application and matters concerning admission to the Ph.D. Program in political science at (612) 624-4144 or papply@umn.edu