POLITICAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Graduate Studies

The Department of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh offers a strong and rigorous set of methodological courses designed to both broaden and deepen the “toolkits” of our graduate students in preparing them to both consume and produce original research requisite of a Ph.D. degree. Most of the departmental faculty contributes to the Political Methodology component of our graduate program via courses, service on departmental committees, or informal means. The department’s faculty possesses research and teaching interests in the following areas: social scientific inquiry and research design; qualitative methods; elementary and mathematical statistics; linear regression analysis; limited dependent variable regression models; measurement and causal models; longitudinal analysis; panel regression models; time series analysis; social choice theory; decision theory; and game theory. The departmental faculty possesses a strongly held shared belief that our graduate students’ methodological training is one of our most important professional responsibilities that we possess as both teachers and mentors.

Basic Course Requirements

All graduate students are required to take a pair of political methodology courses in their first year of study that constitute our Basic Core Courses in Political Methodology. In Fall semesters, Professor Barker teaches the introductory inquiry, research design, and statistics course (PS 2020: Empirical Methods of Research). The first half of the course deals with the logic of scientific inquiry and research design for both qualitative and quantitative research, while the second half of the course serves as an introduction to elementary statistics. In Spring semesters, Professor Hurwitz teaches the introductory regression and measurement analysis course (PS 2030: Political Research and Analysis). These courses are designed to ensure that all of our graduate students have acquired a sound basic knowledge of political methodology that is necessary for attaining success in a political science doctoral program.

Advanced Courses and Requirements

Students seeking additional training in political methodology can take courses in a variety of topics covered by department faculty (subject to course availability), ranging from qualitative methods to longitudinal analysis to game theory. The department also offers a short course covering the mathematical and statistical tools commonly employed by political scientists (PS 2000: Mathematics for Political Scientists) held on Monday-Thursday the week prior to the start of the Fall semester that is taught by Professor Krause. This course covers topics pertaining to a review of elementary algebra, basic probability theory, matrix algebra, differential and integral calculus, continuous probability distributions, and constrained optimization techniques. Although this course is void of assignments and grades, students are required to both enroll and attend all sessions. PS 2000 is a prerequisite for all advanced Political Methodology course offerings, except for the course in Qualitative Methods. All students should consult with both the graduate director and their major faculty advisor(s) to determine if (and when) this course should be taken as part of their program of study.

All students wishing to select Political Methodology as a 2nd or 3rd field of study in their doctoral program must take additional quantitative methods coursework. These courses are typically offered once every two years. It is strongly advisable that students take such courses as soon as feasible. Coursework includes, but is not limited to, statistical methods such as a limited dependent variable models course taught by Professor Bonneau (PS 2730: Maximum Likelihood Estimation); a causal analysis and longitudinal models course taught by Professor Finkel (PS 2720: Longitudinal Analysis); and time series analysis taught by Professor Krause (PS 2740: Time Series Analysis). Professor Woon regularly offers a two course graduate sequence in formal theory (PS 2703-2704: Formal Political Theory) and its applications (PS 27XX: Formal Models of Politics).

More information regarding the details on course offerings, sequence, and requirements regarding the department’s political methodology program can be obtained by clicking here.

More information on the graduate program in general can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook.