PhD in Political Science - Methodology and Modeling in Irvine United States | University of California Irvine

The Political Science Department leverages the extensive resources of UCI's School of Social Sciences and other academic units to establish itself as a leading institution for studying formal modeling and diverse methodological approaches. Notable faculty members like Bernard Grofman, Marek Kaminski, Charles A. Smith, and Carole Uhlaner specialize in game theory and decision theory, while Graeme Boushey focuses on diffusion models. Rein Taagepera, an emeritus professor still engaged in teaching, is internationally renowned for developing models inspired by physical sciences. Additional faculty, including Matthew Beckmann, Sara Goodman, Davin Phoenix, and Michael Tesler, incorporate methodological approaches—including experimental methods—into their courses.

Although political science faculty teach specialized courses in game theory, research design, and methodology, and methodological coursework is required in Comparative Politics and American Politics, the department's graduate program structure permits students to take six of their eighteen required courses outside the discipline. This flexibility, combined with the School of Social Sciences' interdisciplinary culture, enables students to master advanced analytical techniques through external coursework. Collaboration with the Department of Economics and the UCI Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences—home to multiple National Academy of Sciences members—provides training in game theory and formal modeling. Political science graduate students with suitable qualifications can also enroll in the Institute's M.A. program in Mathematical Behavioral Sciences. Quantitative methodology training further benefits from courses in econometrics (Economics Department), statistics (Statistics Department), and offerings in Sociology and Social Ecology, including social networks and geographic information systems (GIS).