About the Department

The Department of Political Science - comprised of 29 full-time faculty, more than 750 undergraduate majors, and 70 active PhD students - is a comprehensive department with strength in all the major subfields.  We are part of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, one of ten colleges of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Carnegie Research I university.

The flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers.  The University offers 88 bachelor's degree programs, 73 master’s and 53 doctoral programs in 10 schools and colleges.

The Department offers an undergraduate major and minor in Political Science, and maintains an active graduate program leading to the PhD or MA.