Doctor
of Philosophy in Political Science
http://www.utdallas.edu/epps/political-science/
Faculty
Professors: Thomas L. Brunell, Anthony
M. Champagne, Harold D. Clarke, Euel Elliott, Edward J. Harpham, L. Douglas
Kiel, Robert Lowry, Marianne C. Stewart
Associate Professors: Patrick
T. Brandt, Jennifer S. Holmes, Linda Camp Keith, Gregory S. Thielemann
Assistant Professors:
Brandon Kinne, Banks Miller, Clint Peinhardt
Senior Lecturers:
Brian Bearry, Karl Ho
Mission Statement
The Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science provides a
rigorous, disciplinary program with strong multidisciplinary links. The Program
consists of innovative, state-of-the-science graduate education in political
methodology and the fields of Comparative Politics and International Relations;
Political Institutions and American Politics; and Law and Courts. In the first two
years of the program, students acquire basic research skills and tools and work
on research projects. Later, they have opportunities to develop their
instructional and presentation skills, to participate in summer methodology
programs, and to interact with highly regarded scholars and practitioners in
their fields of study.
Objectives
•
Students
will engage in critical and constructive thinking, effective communication to
academic audiences, and rigorous design and execution of research projects.
•
Students
will describe, classify, and analyze the causes and consequences of the
unprecedented unfolding of democracy on a global scale, its successes and
failures, and its opportunities and problems during an era of globalization and
of ongoing subnational, national, and transnational conflicts and negotiations.
•
Students
will describe, classify, and analyze the major theories, methods, and findings
that are used to explain the participation of individuals in a variety of
institutional settings in the United States and elsewhere, how public
institutions can be designed to promote both collective goods and individual
gains, and how changes in institutions have consequences for individuals and
public policy.
•
Students
will describe, classify, and analyze the major theories and empirical findings
about the behavior of judges, interactions between the judiciary and other
institutions, and the role of courts in the evolution of public policy and the
definition and protection of human rights around the world.
•
Students
will acquire the professional socialization necessary to teach and to conduct
research in American, comparative, or international government and politics;
democratization, globalization and international relations; governmental and
political institutions and processes; and public administration, decision
making, and risk management.
Facilities
Students have access to the computing facilities in the
School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the University’s
Computing Center. The School has three computing laboratories which house over
50 computers that are network linked and equipped with major social science
software packages, including E-Views, R, RATS, S-Plus, SPSS, and STATA. Computerized
geographic information system software (e.g. ARC-GIS), the Lexis-Nexis Database,
and WestLaw are also available for student use. The
University’s Computing Center provides personal computers and UNIX
workstations.
Many important data and reference materials are available
online from professional associations or at U.T.Dallas
via the Library’s and School’s memberships in the American Political Science
Association, the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), the
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), the
Roper Center, the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science
(UCGIS), and other organizations. The Library has a substantial number of political
science journals and access to journals via loan from the University of Texas
System.
Students have opportunities to participate in research
programs directed by members of the faculty. As appropriate, some students may
become involved in methodological development activities offered by the
School’s membership in the ECPR, ICPSR, and UCGIS. In addition, some students
may be eligible to participate in the professional development activities
provided by faculty who co-edit the journal Electoral Studies.
To attract the best students, editorial, research and
teaching assistantships are available. Prospective students interested in
teaching assistantships should apply for admission to start in the Fall by February 15. Editorial assistantships are available
through several of the professional journals supported by the University.
Research assistantships may be available with individual faculty
who have funding from external sources. Other assistantships are
provided to work with faculty at the Center for Texas Politics or on
instructional activities.
Admission Requirements
The
University’s general admission requirements are discussed here.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science Program seeks
applications from individuals with a baccalaureate, Master of Arts, or Master
of Science degree in Government and Politics, Political Science, Public
Administration, Public Affairs or a relevant discipline. The degree must be
from an accredited college or university. An undergraduate grade point average
of at least 3.2 and a combined quantitative and verbal Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) score of 1200 are desirable for students who expect to
progress satisfactorily towards graduation. An analytical writing score of at
least 4.5 in the GRE is considered desirable. Applicants also may submit their
score from the writing component of the GRE as additional evidence of their
admission eligibility. Applicants should submit all transcripts, three letters
of recommendation (preferably from individuals who can evaluate the applicant’s
potential for graduate study and research), and a one-page essay describing
educational and professional objectives. Grade point average, GRE score, and
other information pertaining to the applicants’ educational background and
professional goals are among the factors that are considered in determining
direct admission. Applications are reviewed by the Political Science Program
Committee in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.
Students who lack the necessary background to start the
Program are advised to take courses that strengthen their preparation, but
these courses do not receive credit towards the Ph.D. Program.
Undergraduate students who are interested in completing their
undergraduate degrees while simultaneously taking graduate courses in the
Political Science Ph.D. Program are expected to meet the School’s
“fast-tracking” requirements.
Degree Requirements
The
University’s general degree requirements are discussed here.
On admission to the Ph.D. in Political Science Program, the
student earns a minimum of 75 semester credit hours of coursework and dissertation
credit beyond the baccalaureate degree. Core hours include four courses in
Political Science Methodology and Theory, and three proseminars
in the Program fields. The three fields are Comparative Politics and
International Relations; Political Institutions and American Politics; and Law
and Courts. Additional coursework includes four courses in the major field, two
courses in the minor field, and three to six courses of freely chosen credit. Students
may use these electives to complete an optional concentration in research
methods. Prior to admission to doctoral candidacy and further work on the
dissertation or practicum, the student must pass examinations in the subjects
covered by the core and field courses. Students
must receive a grade of B- or better in all core courses and must maintain at
least a 3.0 grade point average to graduate.
On examination completion, the student proceeds to present a
doctoral dissertation or practicum proposal. The proposal must be approved by
his/her Advisory Committee not later than two consecutive semesters after
examination completion. Upon Committee approval, the student does further work
on the doctoral dissertation or practicum while enrolling continuously for
credit in research seminars and in dissertation or practicum research. The
dissertation has multiple chapters that consist of a clear statement of the
research problem, the theoretical framework and research design, the methods of
analysis and findings, and an appropriately developed conclusion. The practicum
consists of three papers that may or may not be thematically related and are
informed by the theories and methodology of the student’s major field. All
three papers must be suitable for presentation at a major professional meeting
and/or submission to a peer-reviewed professional journal.
Semester Credit Hour Requirements
Core
Courses in Political Science Methodology and Theory 12
Field Proseminars 9
Courses in Major Field 12
Courses in Minor Field 6
Freely Chosen Elective Credit 9-18
Dissertation or
Practicum Research 18-27
Total (Minimum) 75
Core Courses
EPPS 7313 Descriptive and
Inferential Statistics
EPPS 7316 Regression and Multivariate Analysis
PSCI 6300
Proseminar in Comparative Politics and International
Relations
PSCI 6311 Proseminar in Law
and Courts
PSCI 6347 Proseminar in Political Institutions and American Politics
PSCI 6350
Logic, Methodology and Scope of Political
Science
PSCI 6352 Empirical Democratic Theory
Students
who lack the math background for EPPS 7313 and 7316 may need to do additional
work before completing these requirements.
Comparative Politics and
International Relations
PSCI
6309 International Political Economy
PSCI
6310 Political Economy of Multinational Corporations
PSCI 6316 International Organizations
PSCI
6335 Institutions and Development
PSCI 6337 Comparative Institutions
PSCI 6357 Political Economy of Latin America
PSCI 6362 Political Development
PSCI 6363 Conflict and Development
PSCI 6365 Political Violence and Terrorism
PSCI 7330 Contemporary International Security
Political
Institutions and American Politics
PSCI
6314 Policy Processes, Implementation and Evaluation
PSCI 6324 Local and State Government and Politics
PSCI 6330 Campaigns and Media Relations
PSCI
6331 Executives, Legislatures and Public Policy
PSCI 6333 Political and Civic Organizations
PSCI 6336 Bureaucracy and Public Policy
PSCI 6337 Comparative Institutions
PSCI
6323 Public Choice
PSCI 6339 Election Law and Electoral Systems
PSCI
6343 Law and the Policy Process
PSCI 7344 Gender and Public Policy
PSCI 7350 Institutions and Citizen Behavior
PSCI 7352 Theories of Choice and Decision Making
Law and Courts
PSCI
6301 Constitutional Law
PSCI
6305 Workshop in Constitutional Law Studies
PSCI 6306
Human Rights and International Law
PSCI
6312 Comparative Courts and Law
PSCI
6339 Election Law and Electoral Systems
PSCI
6343 Law and the Policy Process
Research Methods
Concentration (optional)
Students
can complete a concentration in research methods by taking three courses from
the following list. Students must consult with the Director of Graduate Studies
in advance to determine which courses fit best with their research interests.
ECON
6306 Applied Econometrics
ECON
6309 Econometrics I
ECON
6310 Econometrics II
ECON
6311/GIS 6311 Statistics for Economists
ECON
6316 Spatial Econometrics
ECON
6320 Game Theory for the Social Sciences
ECON
6380 Experimental Economics
ECON
7315 Econometrics III
ECON
7316 Game Theory
EPPS
6304 Advanced Analytic Techniques
EPPS
6310 Research Design I
EPPS
6342 Research Design II
EPPS
6346 Qualitative Research Methods
EPPS
6352 Evaluation Research Methods in EPPS
EPPS 7304 Cost-Benefit
Analysis
EPPS
7318 Structural Equation and Multilevel (Hierarchical) Modeling
EPPS
7344 Categorical and Limited Dependent Variables
EPPS
7370 Time Series Analysis
EPPS 7380
Applied Multivariate Analysis
EPPS
7390 Bayesian Analysis for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
GISC
6301 Geospatial Data Analysis Fundamentals
GISC
6317 Computer Programming for GIS
GISC
7310 Regression Analysis with Spatial Applications
PSCI
6325 Decision Theory
PSCI
6353 Mathematical Models in Political and Social Science
PSCI
6364 Public Opinion and Survey Research
PSCI
7352 Choice and Decision Making
PSCI
7372 Game Theory for Political Scientists
Other
courses as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.