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33

full-time faculty teaching and conducting research in political science

66%

of Maxwell faculty conduct research focused outside of the U.S.

50

graduate students in residence; fewer than 12 admitted each year

Undergraduate Studies


Studying political science will help you understand the workings of political life at the local, national and international levels and will prepare you for a lifetime of active and informed citizenship. The Department of Political Science at Syracuse University has more than thirty full-time faculty that teach a wide variety of courses in multiple subject areas. We will guide you as you explore the world of politics and hone your skills as a researcher, analyst and writer.

Graduate Studies


Master’s and doctoral students receive broad training in quantitative and qualitative methods of social science research, while also concentrating in two of the following substantive fields: American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public administration and policy, law and courts, or security studies. 
Jacqueline Saturn

I am Maxwell.

My time as a student at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School prepared me for my career in the music business in ways I never could have imagined. My passion for utilizing political and legal systems and structures to advocate for and protect people’s rights guides many of the most important decisions I make.”

Jacqueline Saturn ’90 B.A. (PSc)

President of Virgin Music Group North America, 2026 Maxwell | A&S Undergraduate Convocation Speaker

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Recent Faculty Books

Maxwell's Political Science Department faculty members publish award-winning books on a wide range of topics.  Scroll a sample of recently published works below, or visit the Maxwell Faculty Bookshelf for more.

Reeher Comments on House Republicans, Trump in Newsweek and Washington Examiner Articles

February 23, 2024

Newsweek,Washington Examiner

Grant Reeher

Grant Reeher


The House Republican Conference has seen an unusual flurry of high-profile retirement announcements that has some political observers wondering whether this trend is a silent admission that the GOP will lose its majority this year. 

So far, 15 House Republicans have announced their retirements, doing so without plans to seek higher office.

"We've seen moments where there are more heavy exits from Congress, and that it is like a canary in the coal mine," Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, tells Newsweek. "If I'm the speaker, I'm definitely worried."

Reeher was also quoted in the Washington Examiner article, "Trump flexes power on his march to the GOP nomination."

"This is kind of typical for Trump’s effort and influencing the party because it does seem to be more about him as a candidate or as a president than as a point of view or a set of policies or any ideology," Reeher says. "It’s an aggressive version of normal party politics surrounding presidential candidates and the influence that they have on a party…which marks it with Trump’s signature."

BaoBao Zhang Joins First Cohort of AI2050 Early Career Fellows

One of only 15 scholars chosen from across the U.S., Zhang will receive up to $200,000 in research funding over the next two years. Zhang will use the funding to partner with the nonprofit, non-partisan Center for New Democratic Processes to test whether public participation in AI governance is increased through the creation of public assemblies, known as “deliberative democracy workshops.”

Baobao Zhang

Assistant Professor, Political Science Department

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Baobao Zhang

Reeher Comments on House Republicans, Trump in Newsweek and Washington Examiner Articles

February 23, 2024

Newsweek,Washington Examiner

Grant Reeher

Grant Reeher


The House Republican Conference has seen an unusual flurry of high-profile retirement announcements that has some political observers wondering whether this trend is a silent admission that the GOP will lose its majority this year. 

So far, 15 House Republicans have announced their retirements, doing so without plans to seek higher office.

"We've seen moments where there are more heavy exits from Congress, and that it is like a canary in the coal mine," Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, tells Newsweek. "If I'm the speaker, I'm definitely worried."

Reeher was also quoted in the Washington Examiner article, "Trump flexes power on his march to the GOP nomination."

"This is kind of typical for Trump’s effort and influencing the party because it does seem to be more about him as a candidate or as a president than as a point of view or a set of policies or any ideology," Reeher says. "It’s an aggressive version of normal party politics surrounding presidential candidates and the influence that they have on a party…which marks it with Trump’s signature."

Political Science Department
100 Eggers Hall