Welcome to the Department of Political Science!

For more than 100 years now, the Political Science Department at the University of Kentucky has been serving students in the Commonwealth, preparing them for productive lives of service and inquiry in Kentucky and beyond. Whether you are here because of your intellectual curiosity, your passion for policy, or your desire to contribute to the solution of current social and political challenges, the Political Science Department has much to offer.

A Community of Students

The Department of Political Science offers Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and Law and Justice. The department is also home to the Peace Studies Certificate. We have more than 500 majors and minors, taking courses in everything from civil liberties, to the politics of Sub-Saharan Africa, to the dynamics of international law. Our department also has many opportunities for students to connect outside of the classroom with a variety of clubs. In particular, we have a very active chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, which was named Best Chapter in the US in 2021.

A Community of Scholars

The Department of Political Science is also home to a group of outstanding faculty and graduate (Ph.D.) students. Not only will you find our faculty and graduate students in the classroom, educating the next generation of leaders and policy-makers, you will also find them engaged in exciting and impactful research. Our faculty are trained social scientists, whose active research addresses pressing topics across American Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Relations. Our graduate students are training to become researchers and educators. A number of our undergraduate students also become involved in research during their time at UK.

Opportunities for Impact

Students have many opportunities for high impact, hands-on experiences in Political Science at UK. The department supports internship programs in Washington D.C. (WilDCats at the Capitol) and in Frankfort, KY, and we work to make sure that any student can take advantage of these opportunities regardless of financial need. And once our students graduate, we make sure that they have plenty of opportunities to have an impact on our department as alumni; whether it be by serving on our Alumni Board or by contributing to our Future Impact Fund.

Whatever your interest in Political Science, we are so happy to have you here!

Emily Beaulieu Bacchus, Chair