The Department of Political Science at the University of Utah has a long and proud tradition of training graduate students in diverse approaches to the study of politics and governance. Our awarding-winning faculty include nearly thirty scholars who use a variety of epistemological and methodological approaches to research, including quantitative, qualitative, interpretive, ontological, historical, and theoretical.

Every year, 5-10 new master’s and PhD students are enrolled into our selective program, maintaining a 2:1 student to faculty ratio that enables close mentorship and partnerships among our faculty and graduate students.

We strive to provide generous funding packages to admitted master’s and PhD students in the form of stipends and tuition waivers. Both masters and PhD students have opportunities to work as teaching and research assistants with our faculty.

At U of U Political Science, graduate students can choose among four subfields of study: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory. Our department is notable for encouraging and supporting collaboration across subfields and disciplines. As of Summer 2024, the Public Administration subfield is no longer available in our degree programs. The Public Administration program is under the new Division of Public Affairs. 

Faculty and students in our program produce important scholarship not only within political science, but also in cross-disciplinary collaboration on topics related to environmental studies, health and health policy, and more. This research is published in diverse peer-reviewed journals—including the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, Public Administration Review, World Politics, and more—as well as in top academic presses.

We pride ourselves on the diversity of careers our program’s students enter after graduation, including within academia, the private sector, and federal, state, and local government.