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The graduate program of the Department of Government is designed to train students for careers in university teaching and advanced research in political science. The department does not offer an independent master's program, the master of arts in political science being reserved for PhD candidates on the way to their final degrees.

Joint Degree Program in Government and Social Policy

The Department of Government also offers a joint degree with social scientists in the Kennedy School of Government: the PhD in Government and Social Policy. This program is particularly suitable for students who wish to combine theoretical and methodological expertise in political science with policy training in the fields of urban poverty, inequality, segregation, labor market studies, and the like. Details may be obtained by referring to the entry on PhD Programs in Social Policy on this website.

Students interested primarily in training for public service, and in a master's program in public administration for this purpose, should consult Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Students can complete the PhD program in four years, although many will need an additional year or two and others may be able to complete it in less time. A typical schedule consists of two years of coursework and preparation for the General Examination, followed by two or three years of work on a dissertation, combined with supervised teaching.

Students are expected to complete the required coursework for the PhD during their first two years of graduate study and take the General Examination at the end of the second year.

First- and second-year students are not normally permitted to serve as teaching fellows.