RICHARDSON, Texas (May 22, 2003) - Beginning this fall, The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) will offer a Ph.D. in political science, bringing the total number of doctoral programs at the university to 22 and all degree programs to 104.

The 90-credit hour, three-year doctorate, which was formally approved last month by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, will require a dissertation and will be administered by UTD's School of Social Sciences, whose political science faculty has expertise in democratic development, political institutions, public management and decision-making and social science data analysis and collection.

The new Ph.D. program will include such courses as decision-making, public management and risk management beyond the traditional political science track offerings. Geared toward students who are pursuing careers in academe, government and industry at both the local and national levels, the new program also is unusual in that it aims to produce graduates in three years instead of the more common four to six years.

"This new program means that UTD will become one of only a few universities to offer a doctoral degree in political science that relies on real-life experiences to educate cohorts," said Dr. Marianne Stewart, political science program director for the School of Social Sciences.

For more information about the program, please contact Stewart at mstewart@utdallas.edu or (972) 883-2011.

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 13,000 students. The school's freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university's Web site at http://www.utdallas.edu.