The department offers the MA or PhD degrees in political science as well as the MA/JD and PhD/JD degrees in conjunction with the College of Law at the University of Cincinnati. A Dual Degree Program also exists with the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria. Graduate students may earn a graduate certificate in Security Studies, a cross-disciplinary certificate in Asian Studies or Public Opinion and Survey Research. The graduate certificate in Public Opinion and Survey Research may be completed as a stand-alone program or as part of the MA or PhD program

Students pursuing the PhD in political science may specialize in the fields of American Politics or International Studies. Within the general field of American Politics, the department's primary focus point is Political Behavior, Public Opinion and Survey Research. Areas of faculty research and teaching expertise include parties and elections, public opinion, research methodology, public law, public administration and intergovernmental relations, public policy analysis, homeland security policy, mass media and political communication, and religion and politics.

Within the department, the general field of International Studies has a focus on issues related to security and governance. Areas of research and teaching expertise include international relations theory and national security studies; global issues including political economy, international organization and law, nationalism and identity, and area studies with specializations in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Dual Degree Programs
The MA/JD and PhD/JD programs are offered in collaboration with the College of Law at the University of Cincinnati. Students may complete the MA/JD program in four years and the PhD/JD program in six years. Jointly administered by the department of political science and the College of Law, students may spend their first year in either program, their second year in the other college, and their subsequent years completing a combination of seminars, writing projects and externships to satisfy the requirements in both colleges. In addition to completing the required coursework, the MA degree is earned by completing either a Master's thesis or professional paper, or through satisfactory performance on the doctoral comprehensive examinations.

Through the Diplomatic Academy Dual Degree program students are first admitted to the DA, complete one or two years of work and then enter the MA or PhD track at UC earning a degree from both institutions. The department also runs the Cincinnati Seminar in U.S. Politics via video-conferenced with young European diplomats at the DA and has a three-year long graduate/faculty seminar of visiting lectures in security studies supported through a grant from the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center.

For more detailed information about the graduate programs' requirements and about the department, you may download the Graduate Program Handbook from the department's website.