The doctoral program in Political Science provides students with in-depth knowledge of domestic and international politics and the analytical skills required for careers in academia, the public sector, think tanks, and 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. 

Five fields are offered by the Department of Politics and Government : American Politics, Comparative Politics, Public Law, Public Policy, and Research Methodology. All students select two fields

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

Degree Requirements

 

Coursework.  A minimum of 72 units is required for the doctorate degree.  

Research Tools.  Satisfactory completion of research tool requirements through methods courses, as detailed below. If you completed a research tool at another institution, you may petition to apply the tool to your CGU degree program. Non-CGU tools must meet the following qualifications: 1. Transfer credit requirements apply – that is, graduate level achievement from an accredited institution and documented on an official transcript 2. In compliance with transfer credit policies, grades received in non-CGU coursework must be B or better. 3. Tools completed at another institution must have been accomplished within three years of the date you of your petition.

Transdisciplinary Requirement. CGU requires all Doctoral students 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 of 72 units. 

Practical Experience Milestone. Please see below

Qualifying Examinations.  Successful completion of the written qualifying examinations in each of two fields. Qualifying examinations are offered once in each of the fall and the spring semesters. An oral examination, if required, is administered as soon as possible, that meets the scheduling needs of both the student and faculty, after the written examination is graded

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. Policies detailed in the current Policies and General Information Bulletin apply.

Admission. Admission requirements are detailed in the Admissions section of the current Policies and General Information Bulletin.

Coursework

Research Tools (16 units)

General Tool #1:     

• PP480 Nature of Scientific Inquiry (4 units) AND 

• PP481 Introduction to Statistical Analysis OR INST 481 (4 units) 

 

Specialized Tool #2: At least two more courses from those 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 a qualitative course  (4 units) such as: 

  • PP483 – Legal Research Methods 

  • SP&E 485 – Computer Applications for Social Science Research

  • PP 485 - Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research

  • 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 

  • In special circumstances, students may use a language other than their native language as a research tool. For more information speak to your advisor and see the Division handbook.

Note: In some cases students who join the program with coursework in methods areas may be able to waive some requirements based on testing out. See Handbook and discuss with 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 

• PP469 – American Political Thought and Development 

• Another relevant course as approved by your advisor

 

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 

• Another relevant course as approved by your advisor

 

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 

• Another relevant course as approved by your advisor

 

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 the best courses for your goals. Pre-approval of electives is required.

International students may take American politics courses as some of the 3 additional classes with the approval of their advisor.

Public Policy (28 units)

Core Courses (24 units)

• PP 330 - Public Policy Process
• PP 331 - Policy Evaluation
• PP 338 - Policy Design and Implementation (Prerequisites: Microeconomics and PP482 or equivalent)
• 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) 

• Another policy analytic tool (in addition to courses used to meet the research tools requirements), such as PP 487 – Applied Data Analysis, SPE 485 - Computer Applications for Social Science Research, IST 370 – Introduction to GIS Analytics and Solution Development, IST 377 – GIS Special Topics, etc. See advisor.

Substantive Track (4 units) 

Choose one course in a substantive policy areas from the following substantive areas of emphasis: 

Substantive Area 1: Diversity Policy

• PP 309 - Women, Politics, and Policy
• PP 323 - Racial & Ethnic Political Behavior
• PP 408 - Political Demography 
• PP 341 - US Immigration Policy
• PP 366 - Political and Economic Development in Latin America
• SPE 371 - Globalization
• REL 472 - Race and Religion in America
• ED 699 - Educating Minority Students in Urban Schools: Policy & Practice
• EA 86 - Environmental Justice (this Pitzer course requires instructor agreement to add additional work for graduate students)

• TNDY 405C-Wealth, Poverty and Inequality 

• TNDY 407K-Transdisciplinary Research in Inequality 
• TNDY 407V-Urban Studies 
• CGH 317-Ethics, Human Rights and Cultural Diversity
• CGH418: Health Equity in Research and Practice 
• Or other courses approved by your faculty advisor

 

Substantive Area 2: Evaluation with Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences

• PSY326 - Foundations of Evaluation (2-unit course)^
• PSY315z - Comparative Evaluation Theory
• PSY315ee - Evaluation Procedures*
• SPE348 -Econ 327 Economic Policy Evaluation (check with the instructor for prerequisites)
• 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

 

Substantive Area 3: Education Policy 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 

 

Substantive Area 4: Health Policy with School of Community and Global Health

• CGH 300 Theoretical Foundations in Health Promotion and Education (Fall & Spring) 

• CGH 302 Epidemiology (Fall) 

• CGH 303: Health Services in the US and Abroad (Spring)

• CGH 310: Foundations of Global Health: An Interdisciplinary Approach (MPH & DrPH)

• CGH 317: Ethics, Cultural Diversity and Human Rights (MPH)

• CGH 349F: U.S. Health Policy 

• CGH 411: Health Economics and Financing 

• CGH 418: Health Equity in Research and Practice

• Or another course approved by your faculty advisor  

 

Substantive Area 5: Methods for Policy Analysis.

• PP 487: Applied Data Analysis: Machine Learning and Data Mining 

• SPE 485: Computer Applications for Social Science Research

• IST 370: Introduction to GIS Analytics and Solution Development

• IST 377: GIS Special Topics

• SPE 320: Computational Tools for Social Science

Policy Emphasis 6: Student-Designed Emphasis 

Select an emphasis in consultation with your faculty advisor. 

Public Law (24 units)

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Core Courses (12 units)

Electives (12 units)

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

• PP 451 – The Federalist 

• PP 303 – Religion, Law, and American Politics 

• PP 305 – Executive-Congressional Relations

• PP 306 – Legislative Process and Public Policy 

• PP 307 – The Modern Presidency 

• PP 312 – The Supreme Court as a Political Institution 

• PP316 – State and Local Institutions

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

• PP 321 – Representative Democracy in the United States 

• PP 325–Judical Power

• PP 456 – Plato’s Laws 

• PP 468 – American Political Thought & Development 

• PSYCH 35D – Law & Psychology 

 

 

Research Methodology Field (40 units)

In addition to completing the Research Tools series (16 units) that all PhD students in Political Science complete, students in the Research Methodology field take a combination of six additional courses (24 additional units)—a core course (PP487) and at least one course from the Professional and Applied category and at least one from the Foundational Courses category.

Core Course (4 units)

• PP 487 - Applied Data Analysis (must be taken after PP481 and PP482)

Professional and Applied Courses (4-12 units) 

Note: These courses focus on particular sets of methods implemented in professional and academic settings such as policy analysis, program evaluation, the technology and research industries, non-profit organizations and governmental institutions.

• PP 331 - Policy Evaluation
• SP&E 318 - Cost-Benefit Analysis
• IST 370 - GIS Essential Concepts OR IST 371 - Introduction to Solution Development
• IST 372 - GIS Analytics and Solution Development
• IST 344 - Data Analytics and Information 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 ( these may include two PP487 courses covering different areas of research methodology (e.g., one in machine learning methods, another in times series analysis).

Foundational Courses for Social Science Research (4-12 units) 

Note: These courses teach the theoretical (mathematical, technical, or conceptual) fundamentals of research methods.

• PP484 Experimental & qualitative methods OR PP485 Qualitative research methods OR ECON320 Experimental economics
• PP483: Legal studies methods
• PP485: Qualitative and mixed methods research
• Econ 381 - Probability and Statistics
• Econ 382 - Econometrics I (prerequisite: Econ 381)
• Econ 316 -Consumer theory and general equilibrium
• Econ 317 - Game Theory and Asymmetric Information
• 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.

Faculty Contacts:

javier.rodriguez@cgu.edu