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Deciding which college to attend can be a daunting task. For many, it will be the most important decision that they make in their lives. To make an informed decision, you have to consider a lot of variables, such as cost of attendance, financial aid, student/teacher ratio, academics, student life, and more. These factors will either positively or negatively impact the quality of education that you receive.

Do you want to acquire a doctorate in political science, but don’t know what institution you should attend? Well, if you are as ambitious as I was in my late teens, then you want to attend a top school, instead of an average or mediocre one. Fortunately, we have already done the legwork for you. To help you find the right school for your interests and goals, we’ve compiled a list of 2022’s best doctorate in political science programs.

What institution did we forget? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

1. University of California – San Diego, San Diego, CA

UCSD has received national recognition from several rating organizations. The Department of Political Science at UCSD has over 40 professors and grants admission to 15 to 20 learners to the PhD degree program each year. The degree program stresses a holistic education across various political science subfields. Before advancing into their research field, first-year doctoral candidates are required to take six quarters of classes in foundational politics and research methods.

2. Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, St. Louis, MO

Washington University is a research institution, which has a doctoral degree program that emphasizes applied statistics and formal theory. However, the degree program is also open to learners who don’t have a strong math background. Learners may study subfields such as comparative politics, political economy, and political methodology, though the research interests of professors often transcend individual areas of research. Since 1998, 31 of 37 graduates of the degree program have achieved tenure path jobs at various institutions.

3. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

At Harvard, learners interested in doctoral studies in political science apply to the Department of Government. They focus their studies on one of four major fields within political science: American government, comparative politics, international relations, or political theory. Once enrolled, PhD learners spend the first two years taking core classwork, leading to a holistic exam. After that, they dedicate the next three to four years to dissertation research and supervised teaching.