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Welcome to Graduate Studies in Political Science
The most important items to remember are:
DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS is 5:00 p.m., December 31, for electronic applications; 11:59 p.m. , December 31, postmark for hard-copy application. The postmark deadline includes supporting documents such as transcripts, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, and writing sample.
The Admissions Committee will begin the review process as soon after the 15 th of January as is possible. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
The second thing to remember is: Our program is primarily a doctoral program. To that end, we fund those students to whom we offer first admission. The funding includes tuition, fees, and a stipend.
The third thing to remember is: In Section 9 of the application, please indicate Political Science as the Proposed Department. However, underneath that query is "Special Field" which should be completed, also. Our department has four sub-fields within political science: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, and political theory. Please let us know which sub-field is your primary interest and, if you know it, the sub-field of your secondary interest.
It is possible to obtain a terminal MA from our program, but the department does not fund, fully or in part, the MA degree. The same above-mentioned deadlines apply to MA applications.
We strongly encourage students to submit a 10-20 page writing sample. This is generally a seminar paper written for a political science class . If you have been out of school and have written/co-written and/or published/co-published an article, you may submit that article, too. While the writing sample is requested by the department, you may include it with the application materials you send to the Graduate School Enrollment Services Office.
If you are a current undergraduate, your letters of recommendation should come from faculty members, especially political science faculty.
If you are not a current undergraduate, not only do we want letters of recommendation from faculty who know you, we want a letter from you current employer.
Though typically, successful applicants have GPA's of 3.5 or above and individual GRE's above 700, exceptions are sometimes made. Please check with the Graduate School concerning the acceptable GRE exam. The code number for Duke University Graduate School is 5156 . We do not have a department code.
Our Admissions Committee screens each application for several factors.
1. Does the applicant's academic background indicate the applicant's ability to successfully complete the PhD degree (type/number/grade of courses taken as undergraduate, and where applicable as master's student)?
2. Does the applicant's statement of purpose indicate the applicant's ability and desire to successfully complete the PhD degree (background/field of interest/goals and/or ideas/theories/literature)?
3. Do the applicant's letters of recommendation indicate that the applicant has an outstanding aptitude, knowledge and record of performance?
4. Is the applicant's writing sample of the highest quality?
5. Is there a faculty match?
6. If the primary language of the applicant is not English, does the applicant score 250 or higher on the TOEFL? The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of any student whose native language is not English, regardless of whether or not you have attended another U.S. institution. The Graduate School has agreed to acceptance of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as an alternative to the TOEFL. http://www.gradschool.duke.edu/admissions/requirements.htm
Our Admissions Committee then looks at the needs of the Department and ranks the applicants accordingly (e.g., how many Theorists do we need). In 2004 we received 345 applications for admission to our doctoral program. Since we typically only admit 10-15 students, we must regretfully refuse admission to a large number of otherwise qualified applicants.
December 31, is the postmark deadline for receipt of applications for Fall matriculation. Our Admissions Committee begins reviewing applications as soon after January 15 th as we are able; offers go out on or about the middle of February. Our orientation begins in early August—two weeks before classes begin. It is mandatory for all new students to attend the Orientation Session..
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