PhD in Political Science - Comparative Politics in Irvine United States | University of California Irvine

UCI's Comparative Politics experts follow an academic tradition where the department categorizes faculty and courses into macro and micro political studies. As a result, our focus areas (and course selections) typically fall into macro-level topics like governance systems and political regimes (for example, Political Transitions in East Asia, Migration Patterns in Western Europe, and Comparative State Structures) alongside micro-level courses (including Cultural Influences in Politics, Electoral Behavior and Civic Engagement). Faculty research specialties encompass electoral studies, contemporary activism, environmental policy, human migration, healthcare systems, legal frameworks, social welfare, minority representation, policy analysis, voting systems, and parliamentary structures.

Professors maintain both regional and country-specific expertise, collaborating extensively with graduate students to develop their research into publication-quality work. Graduate students regularly participate in academic conferences, co-author publications with faculty, and conduct international fieldwork.

The department utilizes varied methodological approaches, incorporating sophisticated quantitative techniques (strategic modeling, statistical economics, decision theory) alongside qualitative research methods (opinion polling, historical analysis, cross-national economic systems, among others).