The PhD in Political Science at UMass Amherst emphasizes an eclectic approach to the discipline that is based on the assumption that the study of politics cannot be reduced to any one theory or a single set of methods.

Our more than thirty faculty members' diverse set of interests covers a wide array of methodologies and research interests, including the study of theory, institutions, political behavior, and political development. Faculty research spans all of the traditional subfields in political science, with distinctive research clusters around which faculty and student research interests coalesce.

PhD students must be in residence full time for two consecutive semesters. UMass Amherst welcomes applications from students with and without previous graduate study, as well as those who do and do not come from an academic background in political science.

UMass Amherst offers a concentration in Political Science & Research Methods (PSRM) for students who wish to emphasize methodological development within the PhD program for their political science research.