PhD Political Science at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Programme overview

The course of study leading to a Ph.D. in Political Science requires a minimum of three years of full-time study, culminating in the successful defense of a doctoral dissertation. A minimum of 96 graduate hours of academic credit is required, 32 of which may be graduate hours of dissertation research.

Faculty: College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | Study mode: full-time | Location: Champaign, IL, United States

What you will study

Required courses listed include PS 521 Phil Bases of Pol Inquiry; PS 522 Research Design and Techniques; PS 598 Dissertation Design Seminar; PS 599 Thesis Research (min/max applied toward degree).

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

to the Ph.D. Program The Graduate College admission requirements apply. The student should have a minimum of 20 hours of undergraduate work in political science and cognate disciplines such as economics, psychology, finance, sociology, or history. All applicants are required to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, a personal statement, and an example of written work. Applicants whose native language is not English must submit the TOEFL iBT or IELTS score. The Ph.D. program typically admits students for the fall semester. Application deadline is December 1st. Admission to the Master of Arts with Concentration in Civic Leadership Admission is restricted to students who were accepted to the Civic Leadership Program as undergraduates at the University of Illinois. Application deadline is December 1st. Applicants who wish to obtain a joint MA-JD degree program must

Domestic applicants: USD 14,908 a year (2026-27). Illinois resident rate. Tuition only for new and continuing graduate students, Fall 2026-Spring 2027 at full-time (12 credit hours per term). Non-Illinois U.S. resident tuition for this programme: $32,204. Excludes campus and mandatory fees, health insura Source

International applicants: USD 32,204 a year (2026-27). International rate. Tuition only for new and continuing graduate students, Fall 2026-Spring 2027 at full-time (12 credit hours per term). Excludes campus and mandatory fees, health insurance, housing and other expenses as the source states them separately Source

Not all graduate programmes offer admission in all terms; term availability is set by each programme of study.

Graduate applicants apply online through the Graduate College application; deadlines and term availability are set by each programme. Medicine, law and veterinary medicine applicants apply directly to their colleges.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/apply

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