Lower than average scores do not necessarily decrease your chances of being admitted. The admissions committee tries to look at all aspects of a students record -- not just grades and scores but also your research goals, experience, and a whole host of considerations. Your statement of purpose and letters of recommendation are thus very important.

No, a good proportion of the students we admit each year did their undergraduate work in other fields, such as Anthropology, History, Mathematics, Psychology, and Women’s Studies.

We do not require that students have an M.A. degree before entering the Ph.D. program. Many of our new students come right out of undergraduate programs, but perhaps a third to one-half will have already earned master's degrees at other universities.

The department allows students who have an M.A. degree to transfer up to six courses for credit. Final decisions on transfer credit will be made only after you have been admitted to the program.

Students may earn an M.A. degree on the way to earning the Ph.D., but we do not admit students who intend to complete their studies with an M.A.

No, the Ph.D. program requires a full-time commitment to classes prior to advancement to Ph.D. candidacy (generally at the end of the student's third year in the Ph.D. program). Most of our graduate classes are offered during the work day.

No. However, if you are given an offer of admission, you will be invited to a "Visiting Day" before you will need to make your decision on whether to enroll. This visit gives you a chance to familiarize yourself with the campus and program.

You need to provide two official paper copies of a transcript because the Graduate Division needs one copy and the School of Social Sciences needs a copy. If you submit an electronic copy, one is enough and the School will generate the copy for the Graduate Division. Note that an unofficial electronic copy, such as a printout you generate yourself, will not be sufficient. Also note that the transcripts must be received before your application can be considered.

Unfortunately, for each application you must submit a complete set of documents, even if the two programs are both in Social Sciences.

It makes no difference to which of these programs you apply, but please apply only to one. The Political Science and Political Science – Public Choice applications are considered together. Moreover, any admitted student under either program can complete a Public Choice concentration. The two listings are in the process of merging.

The academic statement of purpose should explain why you are applying to the political science graduate program at UCI and what you hope to accomplish as part of your graduate program. Often about 1000 words is sufficient for a thorough but concise statement. Some topics you may address include your academic background and interests (including prior research you have done), the research topic(s) (or broader areas) which interest you, how these interests fit with the faculty and research at UCI, other particular reason(s) for applying to this program, your long and short-term academic or professional career goals, and why earning a doctoral degree advances these goals. You might also address your academic and personal strengths and successes, as well as any barriers you may have had to overcome. And you may include anything else from your personal, family, or academic history that assists the admissions committee in understanding your plans and interests or that explains something in your record. The personal history statement is optional (required for those applying for a fee waiver) and provides an opportunity to expand upon the applicant's personal and family history as it relates to doctoral study. If you prefer, you may submit a statement which combines both the academic statement of purpose and the personal history statement, an especially useful option if you have already written such a statement.

During the course of the academic year the Department of Political Science and/or the School of Social Sciences occasionally hold competitions for fellowship quarters, which allow students to receive a stipend without needing to serve as a T.A.. In the past, separate competitions have been held for students who have not yet advanced to candidacy and for those working on their dissertations.
 
The Department also makes funds available for summer stipends, on a competitive basis. The School of Social Sciences and the department provide funding support for travel to conferences.
 
In addition, many of our students have received grants and awards from other units in the school or on campus. Recently, our students have received grants from the Center for the Study of Democracy, The Center for Global Peace and Security, The Center for Asian Studies, the Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality, the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, and others.

RA appointments are made directly by faculty with research grants. Generally, faculty make these to students who they advise or who they have worked with in the past. As a result, relatively few RA appointments are made to first year students.

The Department holds a competition each spring to support summer research projects. In addition, for students remaining on campus, summer classes provide some opportunities to serve as teaching assistants or graders. Once students advance to Ph.D. candidacy, graduate students are eligible to teach summer session courses as instructors, on a competitive basis.

Your T.A. duties entail working with the professor in charge of the class to which are assigned, including holding discussion sections and/or office hours, grading papers, and other duties assigned by the professor. T.A.s are expected to work approximately 20 hours per week.

The particular mix will vary for different students and by year, but in most cases the basic funding package guarantees teaching assistant support for each quarter for six years. This support includes stipend, health insurance, and tuition and most fees.

The Graduate Division offers recruitment fellowships for incoming students. See HERE for a description. The Department nominates students for these awards, based upon the information students include in their applications. These are highly competitive across the entire campus.

UC Irvine’s Institution Code is 4859. The department code for Political Science is 1902 for the GRE and 89 for the TOEFL.

Other links on this page contain more information on the Political Science program. If you have specific questions about the program, contact the department’s Graduate Admissions Director, Professor Marek Kaminski at marek.kaminski@uci.edu or (949) 824-2744.
 
If you have further questions about admissions or financial aid, contact the Director of Graduate Affairs in the School of Social Sciences, Jennifer Gerson at jennifer.gerson@uci.edu or (949) 824-4074.
 
More information about the University, the admissions process, financial aid, and more, can be found on the “Prospective Student” page on the Office of Graduate Studies website, at UCI Graduate Division

UCI will communicate with you electronically via email or via the online UCI Graduate Application. Please be sure to keep UCI updated if you change your email or other contact information. And please check the UCI Graduate Application portal.

The application is available at Online Application