Ph.D. in Political Science
Description
The Ph.D. degree provides students with an intensive knowledge and research skills for practicing contemporary political science. The objective of the degree is to prepare students for careers as political scientists in university, community college, government, or research settings.
Minimum Total Credit Hours: 78
Course Requirements
A student enrolled in the doctoral program will be admitted to candidacy when the following requirements have been satisfied: (1) a minimum of 54 semester hours of graduate-level course work in political science have been completed, including course work for the M.A. (done at The University of Mississippi or elsewhere), but excluding credit for the thesis or internship; (2) the methodology requirement has been met; and (3) the written and oral portions of the comprehensive examination have been passed. Each student working for the Ph.D. is required to complete three semesters of methods/tools courses, including Pol 550, Pol 551, and Pol 552.
Each student working for the Ph.D. is required to take a comprehensive examination consisting of two parts, one written and one oral. The written examination shall cover both the student’s major field and minor field. The oral portion of the examination will be a rigorous, comprehensive test of the student’s knowledge of the discipline of political science with special emphasis on the selected subfields.
Both a dissertation prospectus and a dissertation exhibiting original research and demonstrating mature scholarship and critical judgment, as well as familiarity with the tools and methods of research, are required.