The doctoral program in Political Science provides students with the in-depth knowledge of domestic and international politics and the analytical skills required for careers in academia, the public sector, or private enterprise.  Rigorous training and the applied nature of the courses and fields instill analytical expertise and practical experience for both academic and research-based positions. Students are prepared for academic careers, teaching, research, government and public service, and positions in the private sector where an in-depth knowledge of domestic and international politics, economics, and business is of vital importance.

Six fields are offered by the department of Politics and Government : American Politics, Comparative Politics, Political Philosophy, Public Law, Public Policy, and Research Methodology.

Admission requirements are detailed in the Admission section of the Bulletin.

Degree Requirements

Coursework.  A minimum of 72 units are required for the doctorate degree.  In addition to the tools requirements, students are required to complete six-course sequences in two of the program’s field offerings.

Research Tools.  Satisfactory completion of research tool requirements through our core methods courses.

Transdisciplinary Requirement. Doctoral students are required to complete a Transdisciplinary course (T-Course) within the first two years of their program or by the completion of 48 units in their program. The course will count as 4 units towards the doctoral degree requirement. It will not add any additional units to the student’s degree requirements nor count against the total number of transfer units from previous graduate coursework.

Practical Experience Milestone

 Qualifying Examinations.  Successful completion of the written qualifying examinations in each of two major concentrations. Qualifying examinations are offered once in each of the fall and the spring semesters. An oral examination, if required, is administered within two weeks of the written examination.

Dissertation.  Campus policies and procedures are detailed in the Doctoral Degree Regulations section of the Bulletin and on the registrar’s Completion of Degree webpage.

University Policies.  University policies detailed in the Academic Policies section of the Bulletin apply.

Coursework

Research Tools (16 units)

General Tool #1:     

• PP480 Nature of Scientific Inquiry (4 units) AND 

• PP481 Introduction to Statistical Analysis (4 units) 

 

Specialized Tool #2: Two more courses within suggested tracks below. You are expected to take courses for the methods you will be using for your dissertation, even if that means you need to take more than two additional tools after your qualifying exams.  Any substitutes need to be approved by a faculty advisor and the Chair. 

 

• PP482 Multivariate Regression Analysis (4 units), AND an additional qualitiative course (4 units) such as: 

• PP483 – Legal Research Methods 

• SP&E 485 – Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research (offered every 2 years) 

• Another qualitative course such as: Oral History, Archival Analysis, Text and/or Content Analysis, Field Research and Ethnographic Methods, Corpus Linguistics, a foreign language, etc. must be approved by your advisor 

 

FIELDS

American Politics (24 units)

Core Course Requirement (4 units):  

• PP300 American Politics & Institutions 

Choose Five (5) additional courses from the following subfields (20 units) 

One (1) course from American Political Thought & Development 

• PP 301 - American Political Development 

• PP 319B - Perspectives in Judicial Power 

• PP 319E - Judicial Review, Democracy, and the Constitution 

• PP 315 - Deliberative Democracy 

• PP 451 - The Federalist 

• PP468 – American Political Thought and Development 

 

Two (2) courses from American Institutions 

• PP 306 - The Legislative Process and Public Policy 

• PP 307 - Modern Presidency 

• PP 315 - Deliberative Democracy 

• PP 326 - American Constitutional Law I: Civil Liberties 

• PP 327 - American Constitutional Law II: National Powers 

• SP&E 351 – Comparative Institutional Analysis 

 

Two (2) courses from Individual & Collective Behavior 

• PP 301 - American Political Development 

• PP 302 - American Political Behavior 

• PP 308 - Political Psychology 

• PP 309 - Women, Politics, and Policy 

• PP 313 - Representation and Elections 

• PP 314 - Political Parties in the United States 

• PP 323 - Racial & Ethnic Political Behavior 

• PP 329 - Public Opinion 

• PP 341 - US Immigration Policy 

 

Substitutions must be approved by your advisor and reported to the Program Coordinator. 

 

Comparative Politics (24 units)

Core Courses (12 units)

• SP&E 350 - Theories and Issues in Comparative Politics
• SP&E 351 - Comparative Institutional Analysis
• SP&E 352 - Comparative Political Economy

Complete at least 3 additional classes with Faculty Advisor approval from the following (12 units):

• PP 353 - Comparative Parties & Elections
• PP 354 - Politics of Developing Countries
• PP 356 - Politics of Non-Democratic States
• SP&E 364 - Democracy & Development
• PP 366 - Latin American Politics
• POST 225 - Politics of Africa
• TNDY 405C - Wealth, Poverty and Inequality
• Other courses can be taken with the approval of the field chair
  • Note: Consult with Faculty Advisor to select best courses for your goals. Pre-approval of electives is required.

International students may take American politics courses as electives with approval of your advisor. 

 

Political Philosophy (24 units)

 Core Course Requirement (4 units)

• PP 450 - Major Works in Political Philosophy

Subfields (12 units)

Choose one course from each of the following subfields listed below:

Ancient & Medieval Political Philosophy (4 units)

• PP 304 - Ethics and Politics
• PP 456 - Topics in Ancient Political Philosophy
• PP 456a - Plato’s Laws 
• PP 456b - Thucydides  
• PP 461 - Ethics and Politics: Aristotle and Cicero
• PP 461a -  Ethics and Politics: Aristotle  
• PP 461b - Classical Political Philosophy: Cicero
• PP 465 - Medieval Political Philosophy
• PP 466 - Basic Concepts in Political Philosophy: Plato’s Republic

Modern Political Philosophy (4 units)

• PP 451 - The Federalist
• PP 453 - Idealism and Nihilism
• PP 457 - The Political Philosophy of John Locke
• PP 457a - The Political Philosophy of Rousseau
• PP 457b - The Political Philosophy of Machiavelli
• PP 457c - Political Philosophy of Montesquieu
• PP 458 - Machiavelli’s Discourses on Livy
• PP 459 - Individualism and Communitarianism
• PP 468 - American Political Thought and Development 

Contemporary Political Philosophy (4 units)

• PP 454 - Contemporary Figures in Political Philosophy: Ortega y Gasset and Arendt
• PP 455 - Feminist Theory and Epistemology
• PP 462 - Contemporary Political Philosophy
• PP 463 - The Political Philosophy of Heidegger 
• PP 464 - Comparative Political Philosophy

Expertise in Depth (8 units)

Complete two courses in one of the subfield areas.  One course should be a thematic or issues course.  The second course should focus on the work of one theorist.

Public Policy (28 units)

Core Courses (24 units)

• PP 330 - Public Policy Process
• PP 331 - Policy Evaluation
• PP 338 - Policy Design and Implementation
• SP&E 313 - Microeconomics and Public Policy
  • Note: If students have an equivalent college-level course in Microeconomics, this requirement may be met, but units may only transfer if the Microeconomics course is a graduate-level course that meets the institutional transfer standards. See your advisor for details.
• SP&E 318 - Cost-Benefit Analysis (Prereq: college-level microeconomics) 
• SP&E 410 - Foundations of Political Economy

Substantive Track (4 units) 

Choose one course from the following substantive areas of emphasis: 

Policy Emphasis 1: Diversity Policy

• PP309 - Women, Politics, and Policy
• PP323 - Racial & Ethnic Politial Behavior
• PP408 Political Demography 
• PP341 - US Immigration Policy
• PP366 - Political and Economic Development in Latin America
• SPE371 - Globalization
• REL472 - Race and Religion in America
• ED699 - Educating Minority Students in Urban Schools: Policy & Practice
• EA86 - Environmental Justice (this Pitzer course requires instructor agreement to add
• additional work for graduate students)
• Or other courses approved by your faculty advisor

 

Policy Emphasis 2: Evaluation with Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences

• PSY326 - Foundations of Evaluation (2-unit course)^
• PSY315z - Comparative Evaluation Theory
• PSY315ee - Evaluation Procedures*
• SPE348 - Regulatory Policy OR another course approved by your faculty advisor

^ Note that a 2-unit elective is usually offered to complement PSY 326

* 326 and 315z should be taken before 315ee

 

Policy Emphasis 3: Education with School of Educational Studies

• ED 407 Public Policy and America’s Schools 

• ED 408 Education Finance Policy 

• ED 457 Economics and Finance of Higher Education 

• ED 630 Policy, Practice & High Performing Schools 

• ED 635 Special Education Trends, Issues & Policy Development 

• ED 640 Policy Making for Education 

• ED 642 Economic Analysis of Education 

• ED 650 Federal Higher Education Policy 

• ED 654 Legal Issues in Higher Education 

• ED 657 Access and Equity in Higher Education 

• ED 676 The Politics of Urban School Reform 

• ED 698 Teaching and Learning in Developing Countries 

• ED 699 Educating Minority Students in Urban Schools: Policy & Practice 

• Or another course approved by your faculty advisor 

 

Policy Emphasis 4: Health Policy  with School of Community and Global Health

• CGH300 Theoretical Foundations in Health Promotion and Education (Fall & Spring) 

• CGH302 Epidemiology (Fall) 

• CGH303: Health Services in the US and Abroad (Spring) 

• Or another course approved by your faculty advisor  

 

Policy Emphasis 5: Student-Designed Emphasis 

Select an emphasis in consultation with your faculty advisor. 

 

Public Law (24 units)

Core Courses (12 units)

Electives (12 units)

Choose three courses as electives from the following. Substitutions require Field Chair approval:

• POP 321 – Federalism 

• PP 303 – Religion, Law, and American Politics 

• PP 306 – Legislative Process and Public Policy 

• PP 307 – The Modern Presidency 

• PP 312 – The Supreme Court as a Political Institution 

• 319 – Special Topics (including Perspectives on Judicial Power, Women and the Law, Voting Rights) 

• PP 321 – Representative Democracy in the United States 

• PP 456 – Plato’s Laws 

• PP 468 – American Political Thought & Development 

• Psch 35D – Law & Psychology 

 

 

Research Methodology (28 units)

Core Course (4 units)

• PP 487 - Applied Data Analysis (must be taken after PP481 and PP482)
  • ​Note: The substantive focus of the course varies from semester to semester (e.g. categorical data analysis, machine learning methods, methods for causal identification, etc.)

Professional and Applied Courses (12 units) 

• PP 331 - Policy Evaluation
• SP&E 318 - Cost-Benefit Analysis
• IST 370 - GIS Essential Concepts OR IST 371 - Introduction to Solution Development AND IST 372 - GIS Analytics and Solution Development
• IST 344 - Data Analytics an dInformation Visualization
• IST 340 - Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
• IST 302 - Databases and Big Data
• ONT105 - Research Methods for Community Change
• Other applied methods courses as approved by your advisor

Foundational Courses for Social Science Research (12 units) 

• Econ 381 - Probability and Statistics
• Econ 382 - Econometrics I (prerequisite: Econ 381)
• Econ 317 - Game Theory and Asymmetric Information
• SP&E 485 - Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research
• PP 483 - Legal Studies
• PP 485 - Qualitative and mixed methods research  
• HIST 304 - Introduction to Oral History, Methodology, and Theory
• CLST 415 - Ethnographic Field Research Methods in Cultural Studies
• Psych 315J - Survey Research Methods (students must commit to both semesters of this course; 2 units per each semester)
• Other foundational methods as approved by your advisor
  • Note: In conferral with an advisor and as appropriate, students can take courses related to research methodology from any department at CGU.