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The difference is emphasis. UChicago has a great poli sci program, but its particular strengths are political theory and American government and policy. Professors usually specialize, not only into broad divisions of political science (generally speaking, American universities recognize four: political theory, American politics, comparative politics, and international relations, but there’s some variation to this) but right down into the minutiae of fields. I have a comparative politics professor who specializes in fascism and far right studies in contemporary Europe. You wouldn’t ever catch him teaching a course on political theory or American government. Some departments choose to select a well-rounded faculty that can cover a broad range of areas, some choose to become dominant powerhouses in a single field. UChicago can offer great instruction in virtually any area, but its faculty clusters around its core strengths and largely leaves IR to the schools who specialize in it.</p>