WELCOME TO THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

The Department of Political Science at UC Santa Barbara has assembled an exceptional faculty who are engaged in advanced research and who place a high value on excellent teaching. The department trains doctoral students for academic careers, and offers an undergraduate major enrolling about 800 students. We strive to use the resources of the University to create an environment of productive intellectual inquiry and rigorous academic training. We encompass the traditional fields of international relations, comparative politics, American politics, political theory, and research methods. Additionally, in conjunction with other departments and research centers on campus, we organize many of our activities and research selectively around broad foci: the politics of identity, and the politics of environmental policy. The department is part of the College of Letters & Science. UC Santa Barbara is a world-class research university offering a comprehensive array of academic programs, and it is located in a beautiful coastal community with a Mediterranean climate.