Information For:
Department of Political Science
Welcome to our website! Political Science at KSU offers many opportunities for students to expand their horizons, from city councils to the UN Security Council. This is an exciting time to learn about all that politics is about: the fight for democratic freedoms, human rights, the global environment, racial equality, social welfare, and other vital causes. Our faculty brings politics to life, preparing students to be more informed citizens who are highly competitive for a wide variety of careers.
Graduates of our BA, MA, and PhD programs have three distinct “tracks” in which to focus their studies: American Politics, Transnational-Comparative Politics, and Public Policy and Administration. In addition, the department offers a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) and an undergraduate degree in Applied Conflict Management.
Our full-time faculty is committed to meeting the needs of students while expanding the frontiers of political knowledge through their research in all areas of political science. I hope you will take the opportunity to learn about their work on the “People” link to this page, and to learn about the many other programs they manage on a daily basis. Our staff in 302 Bowman Hall is always on hand to provide more information – or to steer you in the right direction of the professor down the hall!
I hope to see you soon in one of our classrooms. Feel free to contact me personally ( shook@kent.edu) if you’d like more information about Poli Sci at KSU.
Political Science Among Top-Earning Majors
The starting median salary for a Political Science undergraduate is $41,300. That is more than majors in Business Administration, Business Management, Information Technology, Biology, and Psychology. For list of median and mid-career salaries click here.
News & Highlights
- Congratulations Richard Stanislaw upon winning the Outstanding Teaching Award for 2011-12! Prof. Stanislaw teaches courses related to Political Thought, American Political Theory, American Politics and Public Policy. He is but the latest in a steady stream of POL faculty members that have won this award, which is sponsored by the University Teaching Council and offered to the top non-tenure-track faculty members at KSU. - Posted Oct. 10, 2011
- Dr. Patrick G. Coy promoted to the rank of Full Professor Dr. Patrick G. Coy, Director and Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Conflict Management (CACM) has recently been promoted to the rank of Full Professor, beginning the fall of 2011. Dr. Coy also recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Botswana in Gabarone. - Posted Apr. 23, 2011
- CPAPP Develops Northeast Ohio Local Government Collaborative Inventory Intergovernmental collaboration provides opportunities for cost savings, economic development and local government service improvement. Kent State University’s Center for Public Administration and Public Policy has developed a comprehensive inventory of more than 240 collaborative projects that are actively happening or are being explored as ideas for possible implementation in Northeast Ohio. - Posted Jun. 12, 2011
- Kudos to Brian Kelley, CIO Portage County, Ohio and part-time instructor in the Kent-MPA Program. Kudos to Brian Kelley, CIO Portage County, Ohio and part-time instructor in the Kent-MPA Program. Portage County was selected as the winner of International Government Management Information Sciences GMIS G2 Award. The County received the award for its GIS (geographical information system) accomplishments! - Posted May. 24, 2011
- Dr. Joshua Stacher Interviewed Worldwide on Crises in Egypt Dr. Joshua Stacher, Assistant Professor and expert in authoritarian governments was recently interviewed by various media outlets on the Egyptian crises. Dr. Stacher also recently received a Social Science Research Council grant of $86,000 along with other members of the Northeast Ohio University Consortium on Middle East Studies. - Posted Mar. 22, 2011
Julie Mazzei Dr. Julie Mazzei has been selected for the 2010-2011 Arts and Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award. Dr. Mazzei is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and she teaches courses in comparative politics and international relations. Her work focuses on human rights and political violence, particularly in Latin America and her book, “Death Squads or Self-Defense Forces? How Paramilitary Groups Emerge and Challenge Democracy in Latin America” was released in 2009.
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Dr. Ryan L. Claassen has recently been promoted to Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science. Dr. Claassen’s research interests include American politics, elections and political behavior, public opinion, public law and methodology. His work has appeared recently in American Politics Research, The Journal of Politics, Political Behavior, and Political Research Quarterly. Also he was recently awarded a $40,000 grant from the Spencer Foundation (Chicago, IL).
