Plan Description
The Ph.D. program offers concentrations in American politics/public law/ public policy, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. Globalization is a dominant characteristic of politics in the twenty-first century. The program focuses on the causes, consequences, and limitations of the political, economic, and cultural aspects of globalization.
The Ph.D. program is intended to prepare its graduates for careers in academic institutions, government (at all levels), and business and industry. Increasingly, a cross-national, cross-cultural understanding of political processes is essential for education, public policy, and commerce.
For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes, please visit the Degree Directory.
Plan Admission Requirements
Application deadlines
Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.
- The following department application materials must be uploaded into the online application:
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores
- Three letters of recommendation by recommendation providers
- A personal statement explaining why you want to enter the doctoral program
- A writing sample
- Applicants must submit satisfactory Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores. The recommended score is a total of 160 on the verbal and 148 on the quantitative sections. We also pay attention to the analytical score. The applicant’s undergraduate record is examined in conjunction with the GRE scores. The former is weighed more heavily than the latter: an outstanding undergraduate record may well allow the admission of an applicant with GRE scores somewhat below the recommended level.
- Applicants must possess a B.A. or equivalent from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.30, or M.A. or equivalent from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.50. Under special circumstances the department may consider applicants with lower GPAs.
- Applicants must have completed 12 credits of course work at the upper-division or graduate level in comparative politics and international relations combined. At the discretion of the department, students who lack such course work may be admitted on the condition that they remedy that deficiency.
- All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.
Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.