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. 

his program is offered in-person with some coursework offered in an hybrid/online modality and can be completed in six semesters of full-time attendance (12 units/semester).

Program Outcomes

• In-depth knowledge of domestic and international politics and policy 
• Analytical skills enhanced for careers in academia, the public sector, think tanks, and private consulting firms

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 72 units is required for the degree.

Students must select two concentrations selected from: American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations & International Political Economy, Public Policy Analysis, and Research Methodology.

In addition to the coursework detailed below, students will complete the Division of Politics and Economics Practical Milestone, a qualifying examination in each concentration, and will successfully defend their dissertation.

Coursework

Research Tools (16 units)

Note: Students selecting to pursue a concentration in Public Policy Analysis are required to complete a third Research Tool (Policy Analytics) in addition to what is listed in this section. Specific details are provided in the Concentrations section below.

General Tool #1 (8 units)

• PP 480 - Nature of Inquiry: Quantitative Research in Social Sciences (4 units)  

• One additional course selected from:

  • PP 481 - Introduction to Statistical Analysis (4 units)  

  • ECON 381 - Probability & Statistics for Econometrics (4 units)  

Specialized Tool #2 (8 units)

• Students will select one course from:

  • PP 482 - Advanced Quantitative Research Methods (4 units)  

  • ECON 382 - Econometrics I (4 units)  

• One additional course selected from:

  • PP 487L - Applied Data Analysis: Limited Dependent Variables and MLE (4 units)  

  • PP 487M - Applied Data Analysis: Machine Learning and Data Mining for Social Scientists (4 units)  

  • PP 487S - Applied Data Analysis: Survey of Advanced Methods (4 units)   

  • PP 485 - Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research (4 units)   

  • PP 484 - Survey Research (4 units)   

  • SP&E 489 - Computational Tools for Social Science (4 units)   

  • SP&E 487 - Visualizing Data (4 units)   

Completing a Research Tool at a Prior Institution

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 of your petition
4. A faculty advisor must approve the transfer. In some cases, you must also successfully pass a test in the material covered by the tool.

Transdisciplinary Studies (4 units)

CGU requires all Doctoral students to complete at least 4 units of Transdisciplinary coursework (TNDY) within the first two years of their program or by the completion of 48 units in their program. These units will count as 4 units towards the doctoral degree requirement of 72 units. 

Concentrations (24-28 units)

Click the heading to expand the requirements for each concentration.

Any substitutions must be made in consultation with your faculty advisor must be documented and submitted to the Academic Coordinator. 

American Politics (24 units)

     

Comparative Politics (28 units)

  

International Relations and International Political Economy (28 units)

   

Public Policy Analysis (28 units)

   

Research Methodology (24 units)

   

Practical Experience Milestone

Doctoral students in the Division of Politics and Economics must meet the Practical Experience Milestone through one of the following:

• A Teaching Assistantship

• A Research Assistantship

• An external teaching opportunity

• A research project with CGU or 5C faculty

• One or more articles submitted for publication

• Completion of one or more semesters in Doctoral Study that includes relevant work experience and/or progress on the doctoral dissertation.

Students must have their milestones approved by the department prior to the submission of their Final Approval Form. This milestone is to be completed during the time to degree at CGU (7 years for doctoral students). Extensions of Time to Degree citing the need to complete this milestone will n ot be approved. Students can have a maximum of four years of experience for the Practical Experience Milestone.

Qualifying Examinations

Students are required to successfully complete two qualifying examinations - one in each concentration. Qualifying examinations are offered once in each of the fall and the spring semesters. Students can attempt each written qualifying exam twice. In the event that a student fails a second attempt, an oral examination is administered as soon as possible after the written examination is graded, but at a time that meets the scheduling needs of both the student and examining faculty.

Only two attempts are permitted to pass each exam. A third attempt may be requested via petition. All petitions are reviewed by the examination committee with final approval from the DPE Director. Failure to pass the required qualifying exams results in the student’s dismissal from the PhD program.

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.