- Four-year program; residence required
- Absence for approved field research work
- Admission into cluster of choice: Politics and Public Policy, Political Economy, Population and Public Policy, Urban Policy or Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP)
- Core courses and individual requirements are determined by faculty in each cluster. Most clusters require advanced mathematical and economics training for social science research
- 10 to 12 courses required during the first two years (depending on academic background). Most doctoral courses are completed in the departments of Politics, Economics, or Sociology; others are from Woodrow Wilson School curriculum
- Ph.D. Seminars: WWS 595 Political Analysis for Policy Research and WWS 599 Research Ethics and Scientific Integrity (half-term)
- Maintenance of grade average of 85 (B) or higher
- Completion of an original research paper of publishable quality
- Reading proficiency required in at least one foreign language relevant to the dissertation (this requirement must be fulfilled before the general examination)
- General examination consists of two or three written exams depending on cluster requirements, and may include an oral examination
- Three-hour teaching assignment (precepting) usually following the general examination
- A dissertation of original scholarly research. Admission to the dissertation phase is granted by the Ph.D. Program Committee after the candidate successfully completes the general examination and defends a written dissertation prospectus
- A dissertation presentation--a final public oral examination--is required by University regulations, and is conducted after the dissertation has been recommended for acceptance by the Woodrow Wilson School
