Overview

The Ph.D. in Politics at Catholic University of America offers concentrations in Political Theory, World Politics, and American Government.

Class sizes are small--generally under ten students per course--and feature traditional seminar-style environments and close working relationships with Politics Department faculty.

Our doctoral students achieve breadth of training with a minor as well as a major field and a required course sequence in political theory.

Features

They deepen their expertise through seminar papers, a range of specialized elective classes, the opportunity for independent study courses with individual professors, and especially through the dissertation: a rigorous culminating research project under the supervision of our faculty.

A limited number of merit scholarships and teaching assistantships are available on a competitive basis for highly qualified students.

Programme Structure

Curriculum:

Coursework and examinations are designed to be completed in three years of full-time study (three courses in each of six semesters, concurrent with comprehensive examinations at multiple stages).

Students with prior Master's degrees, or who take a more ambitious course load, are often able to meet these requirements more quickly.

Students who work full-time have the option to pursue coursework part-time (one or two classes per semester); our classes are generally scheduled in the evenings to facilitate this.

As an independent work of serious scholarship, the doctoral dissertation also requires a significant time commitment.

Overall, our median Ph.D. total time to degree (including time working towards the MA, if obtained in our department) is under seven years, which is very competitive with the national average in the field.

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 60 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-08-25 00:00:00

Application deadline not specified.

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

105

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IELTS

6.5

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Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Washington, D. C., United States

Disciplines

Political Science View 95 other PhDs in Political Science in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

3.5

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

105

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

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PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Potential Ph.D. students must complete the application form and submit transcripts, GRE test results, a personal statement, and three letters of recommendation. To be competitive, applicants should ideally have undergraduate GPA’s of 3.5 or better, graduate GPA’s of 3.7 and above, and GRE total scores around 308 (or 1200 old scale) or higher. At least three prior courses in political science are required. Potential applicants may take one or two Politics courses as non-degree students prior to the review of applications.

A student currently enrolled in an M.A. program of the Department of Politics who would like to seek acceptance to the Ph.D program must file an application for a higher degree during the semester in which the student is completing the M.A. comprehensive examination

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

52190 USD / year

≈ 52190 USD / year
Out-of-State

52190 USD / year

≈ 52190 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

52190 USD / year

≈ 52190 USD / year

Living costs

Washington, D. C.

United States

1705 - 2975 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Politics.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Features

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Washington, D. C.

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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