polsci.umass.eduDepartment of Political Science | UMass Amherst

Skip to main content The University of Massachusetts Amherst Open UMass Global Links Menu Visit Apply Give Search UMass.edu University of Massachusetts Amherst Search Google Appliance Enter the terms you wish to search for. Links Go.UMass Email SPIRE Moodle Blackboard Learn UDrive People Finder Department of Political Science College of Social & Behavioral Sciences Department of Political Science Main menu Home About People Political Science Major Legal Studies Major Graduate Programs Research News & Events Leah Wing Honored with 2019-20 Distinguished Teaching Award Winners Register for Summer 2020 CPE Classes Resources, Updates on COVID-19 Response Welcome to the Department Do you find politics, law, and governance exciting? Do you want to try to improve the world or your own community? Our department houses undergraduate majors in both Political Science and Legal Studies as well as vibrant graduate programs. One of the largest departments on campus, our community includes more than 1,000 undergraduate majors, nearly 70 graduate students, and over 40 faculty. Political science is the systematic study of governments, politics, policy, institutions and political behavior. Legal studies is the interdisciplinary study of the complex relationship between law and society. Our majors examine challenges from local to global levels. Our undergraduate community includes the highest percentage of "first generation" students in the College. And we offer the largest number of undergraduate scholarships in the College. Our clubs and organizations—Mock Trial, Debate Team, International Relations/Model UN, to name a few—sustain a strong sense of community among students. Undergraduate research opportunities provide hands-on experience. The graduate program in Political Science is strong in all the major subfields yet what sets us apart is a cross-subdisciplinary approach to political science and diverse methodological approaches. Several graduate students have won national fellowships and awards for research and teaching. Our faculty are nationally and internationally recognized. Many faculty engage directly in public affairs with frequent mentions in major, influential media outlets. The department maintains active connections on campus and beyond to centers focused on public policy, critical theory, Latin American and Caribbean affairs, law and society, computational social science, public health and much more. Search form Search Recent News Professor Goldman quoted in article on President Trump's Judicial Appointments Professor Collins quoted on Biden's Choices for Running Mate "Listening to Black Lives Matter: Racial Capitalism and the Critique of Neoliberalism" by Sid Issar More News Faculty/Staff Login Donate Political Science & Legal Studies! Hire Hire a UMass Amherst Ph.D Quick Links Faculty Directory Faculty Research Clusters Undergraduate Research Make an Appointment with an Advisor Featured Profile Tom Haynes '94 Host, News Edge “I am a TV news anchor at Fox 5 in Atlanta,” says Tom Haynes ’94. “And trust me, every bit of what I do in my job today was cultivated during my four years at UMass.” Moving from an... Read more May 2020 « » Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 View full calendar » Submit Event Department of Political Science Thompson Hall, 200 Hicks Way | Amherst, MA 01003 USA | Phone: 413.545.2438 The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) bridges the sciences and liberal arts and educates thousands of students each year in the areas of culture, society, and individual behavior. This page is maintained by the Department of Polit ical Science ©2020 University of Massachusetts Amherst • Site Policies • Site Contact ©2020 University of Massachusetts Amherst · Site Policies · Accessibility...