Welcome!

The Department of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is home to nationally and internationally renowned scholars and award-winning teachers who have made it one of the nation’s best.

Our expertise is at your disposal, as it has been to The New York Times, Time Magazine,  CNN, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Whether you are an undergraduate, graduate student, alum, or citizen of Nebraska, we look forward to hearing from you. 

Faculty research examines issues of vital interest to the nation and world but is especially distinguished in the two interdisciplinary areas of biopolitics and political psychology and human rights and conflict. I encourage you to browse through the faculty web pages and read some of their articles and working papers.

Is there a genetic basis for political attitudes? Does state building work in countries that experienced widespread human rights abuses?  What does it mean to be an American?  How do politicians make decisions and when can they change public opinion?  How big of a problem is corruption in China? Our faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students are busily working on answers to these and other important questions.  

Much of our work is funded by outside sources including the National Science Foundation, Fulbright Scholar Awards, the Dirksen Congressional Center, the U.S. Departments of State and Defense, and the National Research Council.

In addition to our commitment to do excellent, path-breaking research, we are also dedicated to being the best in the classroom. Our faculty regularly win college- and university-wide teaching awards and have been recognized across campus for our service to students. In fact, the last two Outstanding Educators of the Year at UNL come from our department!

Our vibrant undergraduate community of political science majors is involved in many UCARE projects, “real world” internships, and study abroad opportunities. Our political science honor society, Pi Sigma Alpha, brings together our best and brightest undergrads in numerous events across the academic year.

Our graduate program offers students a small, congenial community that allows them to work closely with faculty. Our students receive the highest quality training for a career in academia, government, the non-profit sector, or business. As evidenced by our placement of recent graduates, the value of a UNL Ph.D. is higher than ever.  Our graduate students are actively involved in research, among themselves and in collaboration with our faculty. They are also excellent teachers.

Political science is, by its nature, an interdisciplinary field. We see this as a major strength of the discipline and embrace the diversity that it brings. The Department is highly involved in many interdisciplinary programs on campus, including the Institute for Ethnic Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, the Systems Biology of Social Behavior Initiative, International Studies, the Public Policy Center, and the Water Resources Research Initiative.

If you have additional questions, or if you are unable to find the information you need, please contact one of us personally.