Loyola University Chicago

Graduate Study in Political Theory

Loyola University Chicago offers M.A. and Ph.D. Programs in Political Theory. Graduate students in Political Theory have the opportunity to pursue studies in the history of political thought, including the classical, liberal, and socialist traditions of theoretical inquiry.

The Department emphasizes individual attention to students. Graduate students work directly with faculty members in Political Theory to develop professional skills. Political Theory faculty encourage students to conduct scholarly research, participate in conferences, and publish research, both in collaboration with faculty and on their own.

The Department of Political Science has offered graduate programs, including the Ph.D. in Political Theory, for more than 20 years. Students in Political Theory receive training in research design and foreign languages and may minor in either Comparative and International Politics or American Politics.

Degree Programs

Students interested in Political Theory may pursue a Master of Arts, a joint Master of Arts/Juris Doctor, or Doctor of Philosophy program.

Master of Arts

30 hours of coursework (10 courses), including

• 5 courses in Political Theory
  
• 2 courses in Political Analysis (PLSC 475 & PLSC 476)
  
• 3 elective courses

Written Comprehensive exam in Political Theory.

Doctor of Philosophy

60 hours of coursework (20 courses), including

• 6 courses in Political Theory
  
• 2 courses in Political Analysis (PLSC 475 & PLSC 476)
  
• 4 courses in minor field (American Politics or Comparative and International Politics)
  
• 8 elective courses (2 can be in a related discipline) 

Written and oral comprehensive examination in Political Theory and one minor field.

Special Programs

Loyola University Chicago annually hosts an endowed lecture series, the Covey Lectures, which provides a forum for the reexamination of the normative dimensions of political life. Recent lecturers have included Arlene Saxonhouse, Michael Walzer, George Klosko, and Jean Bethke Elshtain. The lectures are published by the University of Notre Dame Press.

Advising

Each graduate student is assigned an advisor from among the Political Theory faculty, beginning a process of mentoring and collaboration. Faculty work closely with their students to ensure they receive the best training and coursework in their chosen fields of study. Loyola's faculty is particularly successful at working with students on collaborative research leading to conference papers and published journal articles.

Placement

Our graduate program has been notably successful in placing its graduates in university faculty positions. About ninety percent of the graduates of our program who have sought academic posts have been placed in tenure-track faculty positions.