PhD Political Science at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Programme overview

The Department of Political Science offers graduate study leading to a Doctorate of Philosophy in Political Science. The department admits students only for the PhD program, but a master's degree may be obtained en route to the PhD. The PhD is earned through a combination of coursework and dissertation and the program is designed to provide students with both general training in political science and the opportunity to specialize in their areas of interest.

Department: Political Science | Duration: 51 credits | Study mode: full-time | Intake: Fall (deadline December 15) | Location: Madison, WI, United States

What you will study

The degree requires a minimum of 51 credits. Courses listed in the requirements include POLI SCI 817 Empirical Methods of Political Inquiry; POLI SCI 801 Dissertation Proposal Research and Writing Seminar; POLI SCI 812 Introduction to Statistical Methods in Political Science; POLI SCI 990 Research and Thesis.

Career pathways

Department of Political Science PhD students are encouraged to participate in our weekly workshops and colloquia. The workshops and colloquia offered in the department are the American Politics Workshop , Comparative Politics Colloquium , International Relations Colloquium , Political Economy Colloquium , MEAD – Models and Data Workshop , and the Political Theory Workshop .

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Not required. English Proficiency Test Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241 . Political Science has higher English proficiency requirements for applicants who need to prove proficiency through a valid English proficiency test: TOEFL (before January 21, 2026): 100 TOEFL (on or after January 21, 2026): 5.0 IELTS: not accepted Duolingo: not accepted Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) n/a Letters of Recommendation Required 3 Applicants to the Political Science PhD program must apply online by the deadline for admission the following fall. The online application requires you to complete the Graduate School application, Political Science supplemental application, and provide the names and email addresses of three references who can attest to your success as a graduate student.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Entry terms (spring, summer or fall) vary by programme and are listed on each programme's Graduate Guide admissions tab. An applicant may have active applications in only one entry term at a time.

Application deadlines vary by programme and are listed on the programme's Graduate Guide admissions tab. Applications are submitted through the Graduate School application portal. The application fee is $75 US, non-refundable, payable by credit card (MasterCard or Visa) or debit/ATM; international applicants pay an extra $6 processing fee. Up to three programmes in the same entry term can be applied to for one application fee.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/

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