Department of Government

Letter to Prospective Ph.D. Students

Georgetown's Department of Government is one of the leading "full service" Ph.D. programs in political science in the United States. Our faculty have expertise and offer training in all major regions of the world including the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Antarctic. We also have a wide range of functional and substantive expertise, and offer training in international relations (security studies, international political economy, U.S. foreign policy, and international law, institutions, and ethics), comparative politics (comparative methodology, development theory, democratic transitions, state building, and the political economy of development), political theory (classical and medieval philosophy, early modern political thought, continental political thought, and federalism and early American political thought), and American government (the presidency, Congress, the judiciary, the bureaucracy, political parties, women and politics, and public opinion and political behavior). Our faculty also offer specialized training in the multidisciplinary fields of democracy and civil society, international law and government, and conflict resolution.

Government Department Goals for Ph.D. Students

The mission of the Government Department Ph.D. program is to provide students with the analytical skills and substantive knowledge needed to both generate and evaluate research in political science, preparing them for careers at the highest levels of scholarship and teaching. A Georgetown Ph.D. in Government signifies theoretical, methodological, and substantive expertise in various topics of political significance, as well as the research and communication skills necessary for productive scholarship. 

The degree indicates that the recipient has acquired extensive knowledge in at least two fields, both typically drawn from the four major subfields of political science, but which may also include related fields such as history, security studies, or public policy. A Georgetown Ph.D. in Government is granted only to students who have demonstrated the ability to synthesize large quantities of information and rigorously evaluate the merits of competing theoretical and empirical arguments. The degree indicates that its holder has obtained the analytical and methodological skills to design and conduct original research of the highest quality. It further certifies that its holder has the written and oral communication skills necessary to engage with debates at the leading edge of the field. Individuals holding a Georgetown Ph.D. in Government are also equipped with the knowledge and skills to teach political science at the university level in both survey courses and specialized seminars.

Goals of Government Ph.D.-level Seminars

Although the specific program of coursework completed by each student varies widely both across and within subfields, the goals of doctoral-level coursework are largely congruent.

• Doctoral-level seminars are designed to familiarize students with the scholarly literature in at least two fields of study. Students gain a broad understanding of the development and major topics of research within these fields, as well as expertise in several more specialized areas. Students learn to evaluate and engage with the major scholarly debates in their fields of study, both in classroom discussion and in written work.
• All students learn the methodological skills needed to carry out original research in their respective fields. For students majoring in political theory, this includes research methods particular to their field. For students in other subfields this includes required training in quantitative methods but may include work in qualitative or formal methods as well.

Other Graduate Training

• Doctoral students (except those majoring in American Government) must demonstrate competence in at least one foreign language.
• Ph.D. students are required to take comprehensive examinations in one major and one minor field. The purpose of comprehensive examinations is to demonstrate a student's broad familiarity with the literature in his or her fields of study. This prepares students both as professional members of a scholarly community and as future teachers at the university level.
• Doctoral students write dissertations that consist of rigorous original research that contribute to our understanding of a topic of empirical importance and theoretical significance to the field of political science. Once a dissertation of high quality is complete, there is a dissertation defense at which the student presents the results of his or her research and is questioned about the implications of the work for the field of political science by the dissertation committee.
• In addition to the formal requirements of the doctoral program, students are encouraged and expected to participate in opportunities for professional socialization and development. All four subfields of the department organize speaker series to host scholars from other universities and promote intellectual exchange. Doctoral students are also encouraged to attend our seminars on various aspects of the academic profession, including teaching, publishing, and the job market.
• Students acquire teaching skills in a number of settings. Many serve as teaching assistants for the larger undergraduate courses offered by the department, while others may have the opportunity to teach their own undergraduate-level seminars. Students may also take advantage of training seminars offered by the department, as well as the certification offered through the Apprenticeship in Teaching Program run by the Center for New Designs in Teaching and Learning.
• Doctoral students engage with the political science community outside of Georgetown by attending specialized seminars and presenting their research at academic conferences.
   

Please explore further each of our fields of expertise:

• American Government
• Comparative Government
• International Relations
• Political Theory

Click here for course scheduling and course information. Graduate Students should select "Government" or "All." You may also sort courses by professor or by type. Click here for Graduate Student Resources. Click here to hire a graduate student.