Special minors
In addition to minoring in one of the four traditional political science subfields, students may also pursue minors in quantitative methods and formal political theory.
Declaration of special minor
Students must declare a special minor by the end of their third semester by completing the appropriate form as indicated below in the description and requirements for each minor field.
Comprehensive exams for special minors
Methods minors may choose to take an exam at the same time that exams in the traditional subfields are offered, or they may write and defend a special minor paper. Formal political theory minors write and defend a special minor paper, which is graded by a committee of three faculty members. These papers must be defended with a passing grade by the end of January of the student’s third year in the Ph.D. program.
The department advises students pursuing special minors to complete course requirements and defend special minor papers by the beginning of the fifth semester. Special minor paper defenses should take place no later than early in the fifth semester. Defending the minor paper early in the fifth semester will allow time for any revisions needed for a passing grade to be completed before the January deadline.
The student should consult with the defense committee to set the defense date and time and to establish the date the special minor paper needs to be circulated to the committee in advance of the defense. This consultation should take place well before the proposed defense date because the committee may require that the paper be submitted several weeks in advance.
Once this consultation is complete, the student should notify the Graduate Program Coordinator of the examination date, time, location, and committee membership. The Coordinator will then confirm these details with the committee and ensure that the department's record of the defense is complete.
Deadline for completion of special minors
All special minor requirements, including passing the special minor paper, must be completed no later than the second Friday of classes in the sixth semester of registration (or the date of January orals, whichever comes later). Students who fail to complete minor field requirements by this deadline will not be eligible to receive the M.Phil. degree and will be terminated from the program.
Failure to defend a special minor paper on time is equivalent to failing comprehensive exams twice.
The policies for special minors declared before Fall 2025 may be accessed here.
The minor in quantitative methods (“methods,” or “methodology”) is intended for political science doctoral students whose research plans call for a strong background in statistics or mathematical modeling.
The minor will usually include four or more courses in statistical or formal methods taught at the graduate level. Students may take graduate level courses in the Departments of Economics, Sociology, and Statistics or in the Business School. Students pursuing the minor should submit for approval by the Methods Coordinator and Director of Graduate Studies an application containing the following
- a proposal for a particular course of study
- a statement of research plans
- the names of at least three faculty members, which may include one outside the Department of Political Science, who have agreed to serve as advisers and examiners
Students may complete the minor by passing the examination in quantitative methods, offered at the same time as the examination in the main four subfields, or by defending a research paper. Students may be asked to write corrections to their answers in light of the discussion during the oral exam.
Students who choose to complete the minor with a paper submit and defend a research paper after coursework is completed that demonstrates the ability to deploy advanced quantitative methods and/or mathematical modeling in service of substantive research in political science.
Successful defense of the methods paper and the maintenance of a 3.0 average in the quantitative courses taken for the minor will determine whether the student has successfully completed the minor in quantitative methods.
The exam paper may not be used for seminar credit in any other course. However, the exam paper may be used to fulfill the Mini-APSA requirement.
No course taken in fulfillment of the research tool requirement may count toward any part of the minor in quantitative methods, and no course taken in fulfillment of the minor in quantitative methods may count toward the research tool requirement.
Methods minors may use two courses from the same subfield outside of their major subfield to satisfy the research tool requirement. For example, a student could offer two courses in international relations in fulfillment of the tools requirement, as long as international relations is not the student’s major subfield.
The minor in formal political theory is intended for political science doctoral students whose research plans call for a strong background in formal models of political institutions and behavior. The minor will usually include four courses.
Students pursuing the minor should submit for approval by the formal theory minor coordinator and the Director of Graduate Studies an application containing the following:
- a proposal for a particular course of study
- a statement of research plans
- the names of at least three faculty members, which may include one outside the Department of Political Science, who have agreed to serve as advisers and examiners
After submitting their application, students who plan to pursue the formal political theory minor are strongly encouraged to schedule meetings to discuss their progress:
- before spring break of their fourth semester: a meeting with the formal theory minor coordinator
- after the end of their fourth semester (preferably before the end of June or early in the Fall): meetings with the Special Minor Coordinator and each of the three members of the committee
Students are required to take:
- POLS GU4730 (Game Theory and Political Theory) or an approved substitute
- POLS W4732 (Research Topics in Game Theory)
And two additional elective courses, the first normally chosen from among
- POLS GR8711 (Advanced Topics in Formal Political Theory)
- ECON GR6492 (Political Economics)
The second elective may be another course, subject to approval by the minor coordinator. Alternatives include any political science doctoral seminar with an extensive formal theory component, or a course from the economics department, such as GR6225 (Topics in Economic Analysis) or GR6219 (Advanced Micro II).
After the completion of all coursework, the student will submit and defend an original research paper demonstrating their ability to deploy formal modeling in service of research in political science. A “satisfactory” grade on this paper, the maintenance of a B average in the courses taken for the minor, and a satisfactory performance in the student's oral exam will determine whether the student has successfully completed the minor.
The paper may not be used for seminar credit in any other course. No course taken in fulfillment of the research tool requirement may count toward any part of the minor in political economic theory, and no course taken in fulfillment of the minor in Formal Political Theory may count toward the research tool requirement.