Skip to Main Content

The University of Tennessee

University of Tennessee Department of Classics

Frequently Used Tools:



Welcome! » Graduate Program » Ph.D. Program


Ph.D. Program

The Doctor of Philosophy degree is designed primarily to equip individual to engage in teaching and research. Those who hold the Ph.D. in Political Science are able to comprehend the current literature, to discover the linkages between various areas of research, and to contribute to the body of knowledge constituting Political Science. Usually, individuals with a Ph.D. teach in colleges and universities. Those with a Ph.D. also will find opportunities in other areas of government, as well as in the private sector.

Degree Requirements

A Ph.D. student must complete minimum of 84 semester hours beyond bachelor’s degree. No more than 24 hours taken outside the Department of Political Science at UTK, including course work at other universities, and course work taken in other departments at UTK, will count toward the 84-hour requirement. At least 69 hours beyond the bachelor’s degree must be taken in Political Science. At least 54 hours must be taken in courses numbered at the 500- and 600-level. Twenty-four hours must be earned by taking Doctoral Research and Dissertation (course 600). Students must normally offer two of the following five fields for comprehensive written and oral examination: American Government and Politics; Public Administration; Empirical Theory and Research Methodology; Comparative Government and Politics; and International Relations.

All doctoral students are required to complete Political Science 510-Scope and Methods in Political Science; Political Science 511-Research Design; and Political Science 513-Quantitative Political Analysis II. In addition, students are required to complete a minimum of 6 semester hours of work in 600-level advanced seminars. Normally, students will satisfy the Graduate School’s “research tool” requirement by demonstrating a proficiency in research methodology. However, with approval of their program committee, students specializing in comparative politics and international relations may demonstrate a proficiency in a foreign language in which there exists a significant body of political science literature.

Admission Requirements

In general, an applicant to the Ph.D. program must have earned a Master’s degree, preferably although not necessarily in Political Science or a related field. A student enrolled in the M.A. or the M.P.A. program in political science at UTK who wishes to enter the Ph.D. program upon completion of the Master’s degree should file a “Revision of Program” form with the Office of Graduate Admissions and Records. Applicants for the Ph.D. program are expected to have at least a 3.0 overall GPA for their MA degree and a score of at least 1100 combined on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

International applicants must, in general, meet the requirements stipulated above. In addition, international students who either are not native English speakers or who do not have a degree from an accredited U.S. college or university must submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores totaling at least 550 to be considered for admission. Three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s potential for graduate study should be sent to the department of political science.

YOU MUST BE ACCEPTED BY THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AS WELL AS THE DEPARTMENT TO ENROLL