PhD in Political Science - Comparative Politics in Chestnut Hill United States | Boston College

The department's curriculum is structured around four primary disciplines: Political Theory, American Politics, International Politics, and Comparative Politics. These disciplines are further divided into specialized subfields, detailed below. Students select one discipline as their primary focus (major) and one as a secondary focus (minor). A major requires completion of eight courses within a chosen discipline, covering at least three subfields (four if Political Theory is the major). A minor requires four courses. Additionally, students must complete two elective courses that can be distributed freely - these may include courses from other departments or contribute to an optional second minor, which only requires two courses.

While students have significant flexibility in selecting courses for their major and minor fields, they must demonstrate mastery of core concepts in their chosen fields during comprehensive examinations, in addition to knowledge from their specific coursework.

The program requires fourteen courses (42-43 credits) for students entering without prior graduate work or a master's degree. Students typically enroll in three courses per semester. Among these fourteen courses, three may be independent study projects and two (with a maximum of one per semester) can be undergraduate-level courses. Graduate students taking undergraduate courses usually need to complete supplementary work beyond standard requirements.

Students entering with a master's degree must complete at least ten courses (30 credits), with up to two independent study courses and two undergraduate-level courses permitted. The exact course requirements for master's degree holders will be determined based on how closely their previous academic work aligns with our program's expectations.