the academics
The universities and their leading scholars are the cast of America’s academics. The best of each is profiled here, briefly explaining their Thomas ranking. Their perspectives weigh heavily on electoral politics and opinion in the United States of America. Maybe one of these schools is your alma mater or that of a child in your family. Perhaps even one of these institutions of higher learning is just a personal favorite to support.
(Disclosure: Ben Everidge, our Editor-in-Chief, is a graduate of Georgetown University and was named a University Fellow)
Professor Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State and Hoover Institution Director
#1 - Stanford University
Founded in 1885 as a private research institution, Stanford University in northern California is a highly regarded political science program supported by current faculty including two former U.S. Secretaries of State and an Ambassador.
The political science program is noted for its diversity of courses and the outstanding Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace. Tuition is very high but class sizes and quality of faculty are immensely competitive.
Former presidential advisor professor Richard Neustadt
#2 - Harvard University
Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government is ranked as our #2 political science program in the nation, for obvious reasons. Its commitment to public policy and administration is groundbreaking. Founded as a school in 1936, this program now boasts more than 60,000 proud alums.
Tuition is exceptionally high at this institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but class sizes are highly competitive.
American political scientist, Center Director & Professor Larry Sabato
The late distinguished professor Madeline K.. Albright and former U.S. Secretary of State
#3 - University of Virginia
Thomas Jefferson’s university comes in at #3. Founded in 1819 by our third president and author of the Declaration of Independence, UVA is a quasi-public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The University is noted for its separation from religious doctrine, a Jefferson objective.
UVA is ranked #3 because of its outstanding Miller Center of Public Affairs and its focus on the American Presidency. Class sizes and tuition are moderately reasonable given the institution’s size and role in Virginia higher education.
#4 - Georgetown University
Founded in 1789, the same year as the French Revolution and the operational start of the U.S. Constitution, Georgetown University in Washington, DC, is a Jesuit institution well-known for its Graduate School of Government and the Walsh School of Foreign Service.
Georgetown is ranked #4 because of its excellent American government, International Relations, Foreign Service, Law, and Public Policy programs. Tuition is pricey but class sizes are very reasonable. Presidents and Princes have graduated from Georgetown.
Former U.S. Ambassador & Visiting Professor Ryan Crocker
Professor Bruce E. Cain
#5 - Princeton university
President Woodrow Wilson was once the head of this prestigious Ivy League institution located in New Jersey. The School for Public and International Affairs is named for him.
The Wilson School specializes in International Relations and Public Affairs and also has a very reputable political economics program. The School was founded in 1930. Tuition at Princeton is very steep but class sizes are highly competitive supplemented by an excellent faculty.
#6 - UC Berkeley
The University of California at Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies is ranked #6 on our list of political science programs. Known for its outstanding public policy programs, UC Berkeley has often led the field in providing published professors to other government schools around the nation.
Founded in 1868, UC Berkeley is the flagship of the California university system. Tuition is exceptionally high but class sizes are competitive.
Professor and Constitutional Law Scholar Bruce Akerman
Carnegie Professor of Public Affairs Kenneth Prewitt
#7 - Yale university
One of the Ivy League schools, Yale University is the third oldest higher education institution in the United States today. Founded in 1701, Yale has been educating and graduating outstanding political science practioners for centuries, literally.
Political Theory is one of its most recognized programs and is consistently ranked near the top of any published survey. Tuition, which you would expect from an Ivy, is very high. Classroom size is highly competitive. The MacMillan Center is also highly centered on International and Area Studies.
#8 - columbia university
This Ivy League school was founded on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhattan in 1754 as Kings College by the royal charter of George II of Great Britain. It was renamed, Columbia University, in 1784 after the American Revolution. Five founding fathers and three United States Presidents are among its most famous alumni.
The Political Science Department was founded in 1880 and was the first of its kind in the United States - the granddaddy of poli sci programs if you will.
Former Ambassador and Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks at Duke University with Professor Peter Feaver
Department Chair & Professor Nancy Burns
#9 - Duke University
Duke University in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, focuses its political science program on uniquely acquiring and understanding the many processes the art entails. Analysis, writing, communicating, and independent thinking are all deeply valued tools at this institution that was founded by the Methodists and the Quakers in 1838.
As a private research university, Duke’s tuition is quite high. Class sizes are competitive, and a Duke degree is highly desired.
#10 - University of michigan
Michigan is happy to tell you that it was one of the first universities in the nation to establish a department devoted entirely to the study of politics. It did so in 1860.
The university is well-known for its work in political statistics and polling, as well as public policy, public health, and advanced studies. Located in Ann Arbor, UM was founded in 1817, as a public research institution some twenty years before Michigan even became a state.
Dean Eliot Cohen
International politics professor Daniel W. Drezner
#11 - Johns hopkins university
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, founded in 1943, is an outstanding program in international relations and political science focused on diplomacy, economics, and policy housed at Johns Hopkins University’s Washington, DC campus.
Tuition is substantial. Class sizes are relatively small. The learning environment near Capitol Hill and the White House is extraordinary.
#12 - tufts university
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University is an exceptional political science program, noted for preparing students from various backgrounds for diplomatic service.
Founded in 1933, the Fletcher School hosts noted programs in Eastern Mediterranean Studies, business in a global context, and human security issues. Tufts itself was founded in 1852 in Medford, Massachusetts, and is a private university with high tuition and small classroom size.