Useful links for those considering graduate and professional schools

Frank R. Baumgartner, Miller-LaVigne Professor (Frankb@psu.edu)
Kanisha Bond, MPP, current PhD candidate
Updated September 27, 2007, again by Baumgartner on October 1, 2008

General overviews

• The University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) provides a nice brochure of tips and advice for applying to graduate programs in political science (that may be especially helpful for those interested in the Big Ten).  This brochure is particularly focused on minority applicants, but the advice is applicable to all: http://www.cic.uiuc.edu/programs/FreeApp/documents/ApplyingtoGradSchool_000.pdf


• Whittier University also provides a good, general overview of what to consider when considering grad school: http://www.whittier.edu/career/students_tips_gradschool.htm

Finding a program
GradSchools.com (www.gradschools.com/programs/political_science.html)

• This website offers listings of grad schools with PhD programs in political science, organized by region.  Each listing includes contact information for the admissions director, and links to individual program websites.


• For folks interested in related social science disciplines, simply replace ‘political science’ with your field of interest (i.e., http://www.gradschools.com/programs/sociology.html)

GlobalMPA  (www.globalmpa.net)

• The GlobalMPA web portal is created and maintained by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), a non-profit organization that represents 253 U.S. university programs in public affairs, public policy, public administration, and public management.  On this page, you can find information about:
• the professional degrees (MPP, MPA and PhD in Policy, Planning or Administration)
• careers and jobs available to MPP/MPA graduates
• tips and advice for finding the right school/program for you, applying to graduate school and scholarships, grant opportunities and financial assistance

The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (www.naspaa.org)

• NASPAA serves as a national and international resource for the promotion of excellence in education and training for public service.  In the ‘For Students’ section, you can find:
• FAQ’s about the grad school search, application and matriculation processes
• A clearinghouse of online courses offered at NASPAA member institutions and available to students anywhere
• A database of member schools that offer grad degrees in public affairs and administration that is searchable by degree, specialization, state or accreditation

Financial assistance, Scholarships and Grant Opportunities

• University of California, Riverside has one of the most comprehensive lists of external funding sources for graduate study: http://www.graddiv.ucr.edu/Admiss/HowFindMoneyNew.html

Interested in Law School? 

• The Penn State Pre-Law Advising Office provides this page full of useful links:
• http://www.psu.edu/dus/prelaw/index.html

Questions, additional ideas or links?  Email them to Frank Baumgartner at Frankb@psu.edu and he will keep this page as complete and useful as possible.

Want to read more?  Here is a slide show that Baumgartner presented to interested students on October 7, 2008 (Credit: Kanisha Bond helped gather this information and participated in the presentation on September 27, 2007)