Mission Statement

The Department of Political Science seeks to offer an intellectual rigorous program of study that will promote lifelong learning and support the wider mission of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. We seek help them develop an understanding of the political process and ability to critically analyze political systems, relationships, problems and the linkages between pertinent phenomena. We offer preparation for graduate education, law school, high school teaching, public administration, public service, work in international organizations of all kinds and intelligent citizenship.

Overview/Description

The Department of Political Science currently educates approximately 170 undergraduate majors and twenty  students who minor in Political Science. Our graduates undertake  careers in government service, law, campaign management, education, legislative work, military service, social movements, policy advocacy, national security, political organizations, the private sector and non-profit groups. Others pursue graduate and professional studies in political science, law, public policy, public administration, development, communication, and international relations.

The Political Science Department currently includes 12 full-time faculty members whose expertise includes a wide range of thematic topics (public opinion, elections, voting behavior political communication, state and local politics, public policy, media, political psychology, human rights and democratization, peace and conflict, political economy, politics of the environment, gender studies, and Islamic thought). Our faculty also have expertise and offer courses in geographical concentrations (Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa and Middle Eastern Politics). Our research methods sequence gives students deep preparation for conducting their own research and for understanding how research in the social sciences is conducted and developed.

Our faculty members have been recognized for their excellent teaching and mentorship, pedagogical innovations, scholarly publications, and for their engagement with wider professional, policy, and local communities. One of our main strengths is our emphasis on close faculty-student interactions through small classroom sizes, research collaboration, and department social events. Our faculty have won a number of prestigious research grants and fellowships, including grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Justice, Fulbright-Hays Faculty Research Abroad, and Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program at Harvard University. They also work extensively with community organizations and professional societies, and have taught and played a leading role in interdisciplinary programs such as the master’s programs in Peace and Conflict Studies, Public Administration, and the doctoral program in Global Studies, the Model United Nations program, the Center for Public Opinion Research, and the Climate Change Initiative.

The department has a chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha (the national Political Science Honorary Society) as well as an active Political Science Club that organizes trips and events.

For additional information, visit the Department of Political Science website.