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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 Weighs In on DeSantis’s 2024 Drama-Free Candidacy in Washington Examiner Article

December 18, 2023

Washington Examiner

Grant Reeher

Grant Reeher


In the months leading up to Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-FL) announcement he would be running for president, he was portrayed as the candidate most similar to former President Donald Trump but without the drama, chaos, and vitriol.

But nearly seven months after DeSantis became a presidential candidate, his campaign has failed to overtake Trump and hold back other rivals. And Never Back Down, the super PAC that has acted as a surrogate campaign for the Florida governor, is beset with recent staff resignations and firings that are threatening DeSantis's efforts to win the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses.

"Having the turnover in the organization that he's had is nowhere near the chaos that the disrupter in chief caused both as a candidate and as president," Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, says of DeSantis's aim to be a drama-free Trump. "So in that sense, then that claim is still reasonably valid. I don't know what it gets him."

Read more in the Washington Examiner article, "DeSantis's drama-free 2024 candidacy threatened by super PAC problems."

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 Weighs In on DeSantis’s 2024 Drama-Free Candidacy in Washington Examiner Article

December 18, 2023

Washington Examiner

Grant Reeher

Grant Reeher


In the months leading up to Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-FL) announcement he would be running for president, he was portrayed as the candidate most similar to former President Donald Trump but without the drama, chaos, and vitriol.

But nearly seven months after DeSantis became a presidential candidate, his campaign has failed to overtake Trump and hold back other rivals. And Never Back Down, the super PAC that has acted as a surrogate campaign for the Florida governor, is beset with recent staff resignations and firings that are threatening DeSantis's efforts to win the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses.

"Having the turnover in the organization that he's had is nowhere near the chaos that the disrupter in chief caused both as a candidate and as president," Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, says of DeSantis's aim to be a drama-free Trump. "So in that sense, then that claim is still reasonably valid. I don't know what it gets him."

Read more in the Washington Examiner article, "DeSantis's drama-free 2024 candidacy threatened by super PAC problems."

Political Science Department
100 Eggers Hall