Political Science

Fields include American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political economy, political theory, quantitative empirical methods, qualitative and archival methods, and formal theory.

Terminal Degrees Offered
  • PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
  • Combined PhD
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Programs and Policies

Admission Requirements

Standardized Testing Requirements

GRE is required.

Program-Specific Application Requirements

The prompt for the Statement of Academic Purpose for applicants to Political Science is as follows: 
In a succinct statement of no more than 1,000 words, please (1) discuss your motivation for conducting research, (2) provide a detailed summary of your research experience and training and how it prepares you for doctoral study in your proposed program (the standalone Ph.D. in Political Science), (3) the topic(s) you plan to study in graduate school and how you would approach those questions, and (4) why Yale is a good fit given your interests.

English Language Requirement

TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic is required of most applicants whose native language is not English.

You may be exempt from this requirement if you have received (or will receive) an undergraduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction, and if you have studied in residence at that institution for at least three years.

Combined Degree Program Application Deadline

*The deadline to submit an application to a combined program is always the earlier deadline of the two individual programs, or December 15, whichever comes first.

Academic Information

Combined PhD Information

Political Science offers a combined PhD in conjunction with African American Studies and Statistics and Data Science.

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