University of WA - Reputation

[The Lorax]

Looking for some input on the University of Washington's PhD in political science (american politics, comparative).

I'm from the Pacific Northwest, so I have a skewed understanding. I know they are somewhat well ranked...but assuming I publish like a mad fool...what kind of job can I expect at the other end?

[Penelope Higgins]

Some quite strong placements in the past. Here is a list of placements, though I don't know whether they leave off folks who don't get a job. A good place to do a (certain kind of CP); I don't know anything about American.

Looking for some input on the University of Washington's PhD in political science (american politics, comparative).

I'm from the Pacific Northwest, so I have a skewed understanding. I know they are somewhat well ranked...but assuming I publish like a mad fool...what kind of job can I expect at the other end?

[catchermiscount]

Some quite strong placements in the past. Here is a list of placements, though I don't know whether they leave off folks who don't get a job. A good place to do a (certain kind of CP); I don't know anything about American.

Bear in mind that some of their better candidates of late were beneficiaries of training from advisors that have since left Seattle. Gary Segura, now of Stanford, and Mike Ward, now of Duke, come to mind. Many of the good placements were in REP and quantitative IR.

[Penelope Higgins]

This is exactly right. For CP, they will suffer a bit as well now that Migdal is at least partly retired and Levi is not working with students so much. There are some really strong junior faculty at UW, but they don't have a track record with students yet. So buyer beware...

Bear in mind that some of their better candidates of late were beneficiaries of training from advisors that have since left Seattle. Gary Segura, now of Stanford, and Mike Ward, now of Duke, come to mind. Many of the good placements were in REP and quantitative IR.

[The Lorax]

Ok, great, that's good to know. I definitely think that if I went there, I would be working with junior faculty, given my interests. Which on the one hand struck me as a good thing; I perceive that they would be more accessible as mentors; but I take your point, in that they are as of yet untested by time.

[slacktivist]

Great REP program even without Segura. Their main area of strength is in Latino politics with Barreto and Fraga.

I'm assuming that your funding package is strong, though. It's one of my very best research fits in the entire country, but I ruled out applying there because I heard from a UW PhD that the funding is meager and variable.

[The Lorax]

would be going for REP with Barreto, Christopher Parker and Naomi Murakawa. Solid funding package. At least I think it's solid. that's a whole other conversation altogether...so maybe you can tell me what you think: fellowship for the first year, guaranteed TA/GA for the remaining four. Sounds great, but the living stipend strikes me as being VERY low at 13k for nine months. No summers.

[Penelope Higgins]

Don't think too much about the fellowship amount in making these decisions (unless you are supporting a family). The department is a great fit for you, and is guaranteeing you five years of funding. You can always supplement that by teaching summer courses, doing research work for faculty, etc. And living cheap for 5 years won't be nearly as bad as you think, given that you'll know lots of folks in the same boat.

would be going for REP with Barreto, Christopher Parker and Naomi Murakawa. Solid funding package. At least I think it's solid. that's a whole other conversation altogether...so maybe you can tell me what you think: fellowship for the first year, guaranteed TA/GA for the remaining four. Sounds great, but the living stipend strikes me as being VERY low at 13k for nine months. No summers.

[The Lorax]

Great, Penelope, thanks for the perspective!