Overview of Research Areas

Purdue Political Science faculty conduct research across traditional subfields, including American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Public Policy. The department also has strengths in cross-cutting research areas, including:

• Governance and technology
• Artificial intelligence
• Political economy and development
• Environmental politics and policy
• Political violence and human security
• Group politics
• Computational social science
• Experimental methods and causal inference

Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration

Political Science faculty and graduate students participate in interdisciplinary programs, centers, and institutes across Purdue University, including:

• Methodology Center at Purdue
• Integrative Data Science Initiative
• Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement
• Purdue Policy Research Institute
• Institute for a Sustainable Future
• Institute for Physical AI

These interdisciplinary communities bring faculty and graduate students together to explore emerging research questions and methodological innovations through workshops, guest speakers, brown-bag discussions, and graduate seminars.

Academic Programs and Certificates

The department offers several graduate certificates and supports additional interdisciplinary educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

Undergraduate Programs

• Cornerstone Program: Introduces students to foundational texts and ideas through courses taught by leading College of Liberal Arts faculty.
• Human Rights Minor: Provides an interdisciplinary foundation in human rights principles, institutions, and issues affecting individuals and communities.
• Environmental Politics and Policy Minor: Examines the political and policy dimensions of environmental issues and sustainability.

Graduate Certificates

• Social Policy Certificate: Develops knowledge of policy processes, policy analysis methods, and social policy issues affecting individuals and communities.
• Environmental Policy Certificate: Builds expertise in environmental policymaking and the methods used to analyze and evaluate environmental policies.
• MCAP Interdisciplinary Methods Certificate: Provides advanced interdisciplinary training in qualitative and quantitative research methods across the behavioral, social, and health sciences.
• Governance and Policy for AI and Data Technology Certificate: Prepares students to analyze AI and data technology policies, assess their impacts, and understand governance, regulation, and compliance in public and private sectors.