Shape the Future of Politics and Governance

Political Science Department

Understand the people, policies, institutions and organizations that shape public life. As a student of political science, you will gain essential analytical and organizational skills that can be applied to exciting careers in government, law, business, international organizations, nonprofit organizations, survey research, journalism and teaching.

The Political Science Department is devoted to the study of politics and government; this includes the study of:

political institutions that exercise government authority, including legislatures, courts and administrative agencies;
political organizations through which individuals and groups seek to reshape the political landscape, including parties, interest groups and social movements;
public policies that reflect governmental efforts to regulate the actions of individuals and corporations, including civil rights, immigration and environmental policy;
the interactions between and among nation-states and;
transnational organizations that shape patterns of trade and development, conflict and cooperation, war, and peace.

full-time faculty teaching and conducting research in political science

66%

of Maxwell faculty conduct research focused outside of the U.S.

graduate students in residence; fewer than 12 admitted each year

Undergraduate Studies

Studying political science will help you understand the workings of political life at the local, national and international levels and will prepare you for a lifetime of active and informed citizenship. The Department of Political Science at Syracuse University has more than thirty full-time faculty that teach a wide variety of courses in multiple subject areas. We will guide you as you explore the world of politics and hone your skills as a researcher, analyst and writer.

Graduate Studies

Master’s and doctoral students receive broad training in quantitative and qualitative methods of social science research, while also concentrating in two of the following substantive fields: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public administration and policy, law and courts, or security studies.

I am Maxwell.

My time as a student at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School prepared me for my career in the music business in ways I never could have imagined. My passion for utilizing political and legal systems and structures to advocate for and protect people’s rights guides many of the most important decisions I make.”

Jacqueline Saturn ’90 B.A. (PSc)

President of Virgin Music Group North America, 2026 Maxwell | A&S Undergraduate Convocation Speaker

Read more.

Recent Faculty Books

Maxwell's Political Science Department faculty members publish award-winning books on a wide range of topics. Scroll a sample of recently published works below, or visit the Maxwell Faculty Bookshelf for more.

Cover of "Reforming Primary Elections" edited by Robert G. Boatright and Richard Barton. Features a voting box with hands holding envelopes patterned with the U.S. flag.

Reforming Primary Elections: Voters, Campaigns, and the Future of Congressional Politics

Robert G. Boatright, Richard Barton

De Gruyter Brill, 2026

Political Parties, State & Local, U.S. Elections, United States

Failure. Russia Under Putin

Brian Taylor

Bloomsbury, 2025

International Affairs, Russia, United States

Before Colonization: Non-Western States and Systems in the Nineteenth Century

Ryan Griffiths, Charles R. Butcher

Columbia University Press, 2025

Government, Political Parties, United States

How News Coverage of Misinformation Shapes Perceptions and Trust

Emily Thorson

Cambridge University Press, 2024

Federal, Media & Journalism, State & Local, United States

Book cover of "The Disunited States" by Ryan D. Griffiths. Features an eagle emblem in red and blue, symbolizing the political division in America.

The Disunited States: Threats of Secession in Red and Blue America and Why They Won't Work

Ryan Griffiths

Oxford University Press, 2025

Government, Political Parties, United States

Who Tells Your Story? Women and Indigenous Peoples Advocacy at the UNFCCC

Takumi Shibaike, Bi Zhao

Cambridge University Press, 2025

Climate Change, Environment, Non-governmental Organizations

Book cover titled "The House That Fox News Built?" featuring an image of the United States Capitol, addressing issues of representation, political accountability, and the rise of partisan news.

The House that Fox News Built? Representation, Political Accountability, and the Rise of Partisan News

Kevin Arceneaux, Johanna Dunaway, Martin Johnson, Ryan J. Vander Wielen

Cambridge University Press, 2025

Media & Journalism, Political Parties, U.S. Elections, United States

The Shadow Gospel: How Anti-liberal Demonology Possessed U.S. Religion, Media, and Politics

Whitney Phillips, Mark Brockway

MIT Press, 2025

Political Parties, U.S. Elections, United States

Russian Politics: A Very Short Introduction

Brian Taylor

Oxford University Press, 2024

International Affairs, Russia, United States

BaoBao Zhang Joins First Cohort of AI2050 Early Career Fellows

One of only 15 scholars chosen from across the U.S., Zhang will receive up to $200,000 in research funding over the next two years. Zhang will use the funding to partner with the nonprofit, non-partisan Center for New Democratic Processes to test whether public participation in AI governance is increased through the creation of public assemblies, known as “deliberative democracy workshops.”