The program is balanced, enabling the student to acquire both methodological sophistication and substantive knowledge in a variety of fields. It is also flexible so that many kinds of student needs and wants can be accommodated. The Department of Political Science at the University of Kentucky offers graduate work leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Students completing the program acquire sophisticated methodological research skills, substantive knowledge in a variety of fields, and valuable teaching experience. The emphasis in our program is on the Ph.D. degree.
Most students completing the degree intend to teach at the college or university level.
The strength of any graduate program depends largely on the quality of its faculty. The Department is currently composed of 19 faculty members. Our faculty members have compiled outstanding records of research, publication, and professional activity. Recent analyses of scholarly publications have consistently rated Kentucky's department among the top five political science departments in the country in terms of per capita rates of publication in leading scholarly journals. Several members have served prominently in the public life of the community, and several hold significant University administrative posts.