Political Science

A man riding a bicycle down a city street passes small displays in front of stores.

Storefronts along a street in Pingyao, China. (Photo by PhD student Jonas Nahm. Used with permission.)


Political Science was formally established at MIT in 1955 as part of the Department of Economics and Social Science.

The department today provides high-quality graduate training emphasizing research and apprenticeship relations with faculty members; excellent in international relations and comparative politics; an orientation toward issues of public policy both domestic and international; and a chance to interact with scientists, engineers and other social scientists at MIT.


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Political Science Courses

Archived Political Science Courses

Some prior versions of courses listed above have been archived in OCW's DSpace@MIT repository for long-term access and preservation. Links to archived prior versions of a course may be found on that course's "Other Versions" tab.

Additionally, the Archived Political Science Courses page has links to every archived course from this department.