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Political Science  Doctoral

Overview

What is Political Science at WVU like?

Description

Political Science is built on the core aspects of the great liberal arts tradition. Our strengths are logic, appropriate data, analysis and communication.

Explaining the outcomes of political processes and events involves developing theories, using scientific methods to gather relevant evidence and test those theories and then using strong communications skills to explain the research. Honing these skills, and learning the knowledge that is shared in our classes, prepares graduates of our department for careers in law, politics, government, the military, academia, private enterprise and nonprofit service.

American Politics examines questions related to the activities of all the branches of the federal government (legislative, judicial, executive), as well as all the levels of government (local, state and federal).

Comparative Politics examines the differences between states. Why do some states achieve high levels of economic growth while others fall behind? Does the process used to seek justice after conflicts have an influence on whether people think justice was achieved? In short, why do similar states turn out very differently (and why do different states turn out similarly)?

International Politics is about the interactions that states have with each other. From overlooked but critical activity like international trade and finance, to rarer and more violent interactions like war and coercion, this part of political science seeks to understand the forces that cause states to behave like they do to each other.

Political Theory examines the moral and ethical questions surrounding politics. What is the best form of government? What is justice? What are the moral reasons for us to prefer democracy to other forms of government? This part of political science has links to philosophy, and asks similar questions, just with a directly political focus.

Application Deadlines

Each graduate program sets their own term of admission and application deadline. Applicants can only apply for admission for the term displayed below. Any questions regarding the application deadline should be directed to the graduate program representative.

Fall: January 15

At a Glance

Next Steps

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Requirements

What are the requirements to apply for Political Science at WVU?

University Requirements

To be eligible for admission into a graduate program at WVU an applicant must submit official, bachelors degree transcripts from a regionally accredited institution and hold a GPA of at least 2.75.

WVU operates decentralized admissions. Decentralized admissions allows each graduate program to set its own application requirements in addition to the University requirements.

Program Requirements

To be eligible for admission into the Political Science graduate program an applicant must submit the following documentation:

  • Letters of Recommendation - Three
  • Résumé /CV
  • Statement of Purpose
  • GRE

Additional application considerations:

  • Applicants to the master’s program must have an overall undergraduate and/or graduate grade point average of 3.0 or better to be considered for admission as a regular graduate student.

Certain application requirements may be waived based on a preliminary review of an application by program.

International Applicants must also submit the materials outlined here.

Contact Information

Who do I contact if I have questions?

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