Graduate Programs

APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 1 

The Department of Political Science welcomes student applications with the following materials.  

1. Complete the Graduate School’s Online Application.
2. Pay the application fee ($50).
3. Submit official transcripts.
4. International applicants whose first language is not English may be required to submit scores from an acceptable English language proficiency test.
5. Upload Supplemental Application materials for the Department of Political Science to the link provided by the online application.

• Statement of purpose. 2-page document describing your interests in political science, selection of a major field (American politics, comparative politics, or international relations), and career goals
• Writing Sample: Substantial piece of work that highlight your best writing and analytical skills
• Three letters of recommendation: provide contact information for three recommenders  

All applicants should hold at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and have a competitive undergraduate grade-point average. A master’s degree is not required for consideration for the doctoral program. We do not require the submission of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, but students who have taken the GRE may submit their scores. All applicants will be considered for non-need-based financial aid. 

The deadline for Fall admissions is February 1st. Under special circumstances, we will consider Spring admissions (October 15th deadline).  In most cases, this requires having a master’s degree.

Graduate students in the Department of Political Science have access to a number of resources on campus to support their research, including

• John Davis Williams Library (U.S. Government Documents Regional Depository)
• Grisham Law Library (with LEXIS and WESTLAW facilities)
• The Center for the Study of Southern Culture
• Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research
• Social Science Research Laboratory 

The Department of Political Science offers graduate assistantships that require assisting faculty with teaching or research. We offer competitive funding packages for students that center around graduate assistantships in the department. Students with a half-time graduate assistantship, corresponding with 20 hours of work per week, will also receive a full-tuition waiver (including out-of-state fees, if necessary), as well as subsidized student health insurance. Students with a quarter-time graduate assistantship, corresponding with 10 hours of work per week, will receive a 75% tuition waiver, along with subsidized student health insurance.

The Graduate School’s financial aid webpage lists a variety of funding possibilities, including summer support and a recruiting fellowship program that promotes academic excellence and access to graduate education to groups who are historically underrepresented. 

Eligibility:

• First preference: Full-time student in the second year of the accelerated master's program (4+1)
• Second preference: First year graduate student in political science

Application process: 

• Complete application to the graduate program

About Dr. Goberdhan Bhagat 

Dr. Goberdhan Bhagat (1928-2015), originally from Bihar, India, and affectionately known as ‘GB’, served as an adviser to the United Nations while studying at Yale. In 1964 he joined the faculty at UM, teaching in the political science department for 30 years, retiring in 1994. As one faculty member stated “GB introduced several generations of students to the world of international politics. Dr. Bhagat has influenced the lives and thinking of many alumni, including many Mississippi political leaders.”

Eligibility:

• Full-time political science graduate student

Application process:

• Application to the graduate program

About Dr. James W. Garner

Dr. James W. Garner (1871- 1938) a native of Pike County, Mississippi, worked his way through Mississippi State College (now Mississippi State Univ.) in1892, and went on to receive his Ph.D. in 1902 from Columbia University. He taught at the University of Illinois, Champaign for more than 30 years, creating the Department of Political Science there. He was the author of numerous books including a popular textbook, Introduction to Political Science.

Dr. Garner was recognized as one of the world’s foremost authorities on international law. He gave guest lectures at the world’s most famous universities and in 1910 was decorated by the French National Order of the Legion of Honor. In 1939, upon the wishes of Dr. Garner, his widow gave his prized private library to UM.

Eligibility:

• full-time student
• enrolled in master's degree program in political science

Application process: 

• Complete application to the graduate program

About Lanny Griffith

Lanny Griffith, who earned his BBA and JD from UM, serves as chief executive officer of BGR Group. He joined the Washington, DC-based government affairs and communications firm in 1993 after serving in several roles in the Republic National Committee and in President George H. W. Bush’s administration.

Griffith’s political career began in the early 1980s when he worked for the Republican National Committee, managed Haley Barbour’s (JD 73) U.S. Senate race in 1982, and served as the executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party for three years. In 1988, he served as Southern Political Director for Vice President Bush’s presidential campaign.

Read more about this outstanding alum of the University of Mississippi. 

Eligibility:

• Full-time undergraduate student
• Major in Political Science  
• Academic achievement  
• Interest in graduate or law school 
• First preference for students in the accelerated master’s program (4+1) or accelerated law program (3+3)

Application process: 

• Complete department application

About Dr. Howerton and Dr. Fortenberry

Dr. Robert N. Leavell (1924-2004) provided funds for the Howerton-Fortenberry Award in the Study of Government. The scholarship recognizes the influence on Leavell of two legendary political science professors at UM – Huey B. Howerton & Charles Nolan Fortenberry.

Dr. Huey Blair Howerton (1895-1977), a native of Mississippi and veteran of WWI, received his B.S. degree from Mississippi State College (now Mississippi State Univ.), master’s degree from UM, and Ph.D. from the University of Texas. He joined the UM faculty in 1930 where he served until his retirement in 1962. He was the first chair of political science in 1943 and held that position for 15 years.

Dr. Charles Nolan Fortenberry (1908-1998) was raised in a small community in south Mississippi, pursued his educational degrees during the Depression and worked his way through college to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees from UM. He then went to the University of Illinois and completed his Ph.D. in 1937. After serving in WWII, he joined the UM faculty, becoming chair of political science at UM in 1958, a post that he held for a decade.

Eligibility:

• Ph.D. graduate student
• outstanding academic record

Application:

• Complete application to the graduate program

About Dr. Dwight Tays

Dr. Dwight L. Tays, a native of Alabama, earned a doctorate in political science from UM in 1982. He had a 40-plus year career as professor and chair of the Department of History, Politics and Philosophy at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. As he stated, ‘the Department of Political Science at Ole Miss not only provided me with a sound education but also inspired me to make societal contributions beyond the classroom’.