Political Science, Ph.D

Contact Information

Xiaoyu Pu, Ph.D., Director of Graduate Studies
Thompson Building 211
(775) 682-7759
xpu@unr.edu
http://www.unr.edu/cla/polisci/

Program Focus and Objectives

The university confers the Ph.D. degree only for work of distinction in which the student displays decided contributions of original scholarship, and only in recognition of marked ability and achievement. The specific goals of the Political Science Ph.D. program include:

• to develop research skills through the advanced study of research design and methodology, political processes and problems, and policy issues
• to prepare individuals for careers in research and teaching institutions of higher education, public administration, and public policy
• to support university‐based research involving issues of politics and public policy.

Students accepted into the Ph.D. program are expected to have a major and minor field in the areas the department offers as specializations:

• American Politics
• Comparative Politics
• International Relations
• Public Administration
• Public Policy

The Ph.D. program’s general focus is to provide students with a curriculum rich in knowledge of the discipline and methodology. The activities of the Department concentrate upon both undergraduate and graduate education, research, and public service. As a smaller program, our students are able to work more closely with faculty members. Our graduate students routinely present research at major conferences and publish on their own or with faculty members.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the PhD program is competitive; a limited number of applicants are accepted into the program each year. For the Graduate Committee to consider any application, the applications and supporting documentation must be complete. Please note that the Graduate School, which has to approve all applicants, has its own deadlines and regulations. Students are expected to know these and meet and follow them.

APPLICATION DEADLINES:

The Graduate Committee reviews admission applications yearly:

• Deadline: January 15. Both for Fall admission and graduate assistantship application. We do not have Spring admission for PhD program. 

MINIMUM SCHOLASTIC REQUIREMENTS:

• Undergraduate Degree (B.A./B.S.)
• Minimum overall GPA of 3.25 or higher (on a four‐point scale) for all prior coursework (graduate and undergraduate)
• GRE: GRE scores must be from an examination taken in the previous 5 years. The GRE scores are required by the department and the Graduate School and cannot be waived. The department is willing to accept GMAT scores in substitution.
• 18 credit hours (6 courses) in Social Science classes.

Please note that these are minimum requirements; meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. We take into consideration a student’s overall record, as well as fit with departmental faculty areas of expertise and research/teaching interests.

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS:

• Undergraduate and Graduate School transcripts (if applicable)
• Test Scores:
  • GRE scores: The department is willing to accept GMAT scores in substitution
  • For international students studying under a student visa, the Test of English as a Foreign Language test (TOEFL) is required and you must have a minimum TOEFL score of 500 on the paper‐based exam; 79 on the internet‐based exam, or 173 for the computer‐based exam. Students must also meet all other requirements for International Students, as established by the Graduate School and the Office of International Students and Scholars/ 0074, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557‐0074. If admitted, International Students should contact the Office of International Students and Scholars immediately to make sure that all needed paperwork is processed as quickly as possible. Some paperwork needed, such as application for Social Security cards, can take weeks to complete, so students are encouraged to start this process once they are informed of their admission to the university.

The Political Science Department reserves the right to request that the English skills of incoming International Students be evaluated by the Intensive English Language Center on campus. The results of that evaluation will be used to determine if the student needs to take additional English or other classes to facilitate their success in the program.

• Three letters of recommendation of which at least one are from professors with whom the student has completed coursework. People with 5 years of work experience may submit all three letters from people in a position to judge your work experience and aptitude for graduate work.
• Personal Statement or Statement of Purpose: the 500-word statement should explain to the Graduate Committee why the student has chosen the department for their graduate program, their career and educational goals, their potential research agenda and interests, how their research fits with the department’s research focus and any faculty members with whom the student has an interest in working.
• All statements should be printed with a standard 12 pt font and have the student’s name at the top of each page.
• Students applying for departmental assistantships must complete the department specific application for an assistantship.
• All applicants must begin the application process by creating an electronic application account with the Graduate School of the University of Nevada, Reno.
• All additional application materials must be mailed to the Graduate School by the appropriate application date.

University of Nevada, Reno
Graduate School/0326
Reno, NV 89557-0326

Please do not mail application material to the department without consulting with the department’s Director of Graduate Studies. The Graduate School evaluates all applications for completion and then electronically forwards them to the department’s Graduate Committee for evaluation and admission decision. We cannot guarantee that materials sent directly to the department will be included in the student’s application file.

REGULAR ADMISSION

Completed applicant files are reviewed by the department’s Graduate Committee and forwarded to the Graduate School for final approval. The Graduate Committee reserves the right to specify additional application material if necessary. It is possible that the Graduate Committee may recommend admission for a student contingent upon the student taking additional coursework to make up for deficiencies in the student’s record. Such make‐up coursework can generally be completed while the student is pursuing an approved program of graduate study.

Admitted students will receive an email welcoming them to the department, but the official letter of admission will come directly from the Dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate Dean’s letter is the official offer of admission. To accept the offer of admission, students must contact the Director of Graduate Studies by email to acknowledge that they are accepting the admission offer. This communication will allow the department to establish department records and to add the new student to the department’s list serves. If the student does not respond to the department’s offer of admission by the established deadline, they will forfeit their seat for the incoming class.

GRADUATE SPECIAL ADMISSION STATUS

For students who are not sure about Graduate School and want to try a few classes before submitting a full application, the Graduate School allows students to apply for Graduate Special status. This status allows students to take up to 12 credits without being formally admitted to the program. For those who have had a long absence from the classroom, graduate special status will provide a re-introduction to the classroom environment. It can also slowly introduce students back into the classroom environment for those that may have had a long absence from the classroom. The 12 credits can be applied to a degree program once a department admits the student.

Application for Graduate Special Status must be made directly to the Graduate School, not through departments. Students can find additional information and an application status from the Graduate School’s website.
Students admitted as a Graduate Special should get in touch with the Director of Graduate Studies immediately to discuss which courses the student should take, given the student’s background and objectives.

FINANCIAL AID AND GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS

The Political Science Department offers a limited number of graduate research and teaching assistantships. Assistantships are competitive and available only for full‐time students. Application forms and information can be obtained from the Political Science website.  Rules established by the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada, Reno limit student to five years of state funding for students entering the PhD program without an MA degree and four years for students entering the PhD program for students with an MA degree.

All funding is renewable on a yearly basis and contingent upon evaluations.In addition to satisfying the minimum requirements of continuous enrollment by the Graduate School, all funded students must satisfy departmental expectations to receive continuous funding.

To retain funding, students will be evaluated on the following dimensions:

1. minimum GPA for department funding (3.30 or above);
2. sufficient, timely progress toward degree;
3. satisfactory performance in the Graduate Assistantship position to which they have been assigned.

In addition, unprofessional behavior and misconduct (such as plagiarism) might also lead to termination or non-renewal of graduate assistantship. 

The University provides a range of financial assistance options for graduate students. Interested applicants should contact Financial Aid. Students should also explore other sources of scholarships from private foundations and government agencies where available. Discuss these opportunities with your advisor or the Director of Graduate Studies.

I. Program Requirements

The Ph.D. degree requires 72 units beyond the B.A. degree. Of these units, 30 must be at the 700-level. Of the 30 units of 700-level course work, 6 units are required for comprehensive examination.

Whether a student pursues the Ph.D. part-time or full-time, students must complete all requirements for the degree within the Graduate School’s 8-year limit. The course requirements that follow are the minimum standards established by the Department. Students may take courses beyond the minimum in preparation for comprehensive exams and their dissertation research.

The Ph.D. program requires all students to fulfill the following minimum course requirements:

II. Total Units (72 units)

72 credits beyond the B.A. degree

Notes

1. 700-Level Course Requirement: All students must take 30 units of 700‐level courses.
2. Graduate Grades and Grade Point Average Standing: Students must maintain a 3.00 grade point average (GPA) to remain in good academic standing in the Graduate School. If a student’s GPA falls below a 3.00 GPA, the Graduate School will give the student one semester to increase their GPA to a 3.00 level. If the student fails to do so, the Graduate School will dismiss them from graduate studies at the university; this decision is not made by the Department of Political Science. In graduate studies, generally grades below a “B” are considered failing by the faculty and are frowned upon. These grades can seriously affect your progress and will certainly affect a student’s ability to maintain departmental level funding. While the Graduate School uses 3.00 as their minimum threshold, the Political Science Department may terminate a student’s program if s/he receives six or more units of B‐ or lower grades, or three units of C or below grades. Ph.D. students with graduate assistantships must maintain a 3.30 grade point average (GPA) to renew their funding.
3. Transfer/Substitution of Units: A maximum of 24 semester hours of graduate credit MAY be transferred for units towards the Ph.D. degree. These units may be from another university or from a previous degree program at UNR. Up to twelve of the 24 transfer credits may be taken as “graduate special” courses at UNR (described above). The Director of Graduate Studies, the student’s committee chair and the Graduate School (where those courses are transferred in from another institution) must approve credit transfers. Only those courses that relate to a student’s particular program focus will be approved for transfer and/or substitution.
   Courses older than eight years, whether transferred in or taken in‐residence, cannot count toward the 72-credit requirement for the Ph.D., unless those courses were part of a student’s previously completed Master’s or J.D. program.
4. Timeframe: Students have eight years to complete all Ph.D. requirements, a timeframe that begins the date of your acceptance into the program. No courses taken in residence (including credits taken as a Graduate Special) in pursuit of the Ph.D. may be older than 8 years, at the time of graduation from the program.

Undergraduate Prerequisites

• Undergraduate Degree (B.A./B.S)
• Minimum 2.75 overall GPA (B.A./B.S.) or a 3.0 GPA for last two years of B.A./B.S.
• 18 credit-hours of social science courses taken at the undergraduate level