Political Science Ph.D.

Milton_Roark
Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:45:42 +0000

I’ve searched many of the threads on this site, and have found little information pertaining to admission into Ph.D. programs for Political Science. I have a few questions:

1. How much of a quantitative background does one need to have to be a competitive candidate for most sub-fields in political science (excluding Formal Theory and Political Economy, as I have a better idea of the requirements in those fields, aka somewhat close to what is needed for admission into Econ Grad schools)?

2. In general, do the schools expect one to show potential in their specific sub-field by their grades in courses related specifically to that sub-field (aka if you’re planning on specializing in American Politics is your performance in American Politics classes given the most weight)?

3. Are there any general courses which are given more weight than others?