Up and Coming Departments

[wordshadow]

I do not know whether this has already been discussed directly in much detail for this application season (it very may well have and I just happened to not read the thread in the manic fervor of my GradCafe obsession), but which departments do you feel are 'rising stars' in the field? Obviously, the answer to this question is dependent upon any number of variables (changes in placements, new faculty, etc) and a department could be rising in one subfield and not another, so please feel free to specify in your answer the 'who' and what you believe to be the 'why'. I ask as I would like to get an informal pulse of sorts of grad school hopefuls' perceptions of where they think some departments are going to be three, four, five years down the road, as I think it is an important question to ask for our own respective sakes. This question is primarily geared toward slightly lower tiered departments (re: USNWR 20s-50s), as I think it is safe to assume (perhaps it is not), barring any catastrophic disturbance, that the top 10-15 will be relatively stable at least insofar as rankings are concerned for the time being.

[somanytictoc]

I know absolutely nothing about the facts on the ground, but my undergrad advisor considered George Mason to be on the upswing (currently at 51 in USNWR). That's one of the primary reasons I applied there. Any truth to that, People Who Know Things?

I also get the feeling that Florida State is a rising star, especially in political behavior/psychology. The most recent NCR rankings had them all over the map, which indicates to me that they're probably moving either up or down in the next few years. I'm hoping it's up because they're the only school that has accepted me so far lol. I would think that if a school's NCR rankings all congregate to a certain point (see Penn State), it means that the consensus isn't shifting anywhere in the near future.

(for a graphic example of my explanation, see the histograms at the top of this comparison: http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/political-science/compare-programs?p1=2112&p2=2908)

[CafeAuLait12]

I believe that Vanderbilt is trying to become one of those up-and-coming departments, but I am not sure that it is there yet. They have higher like ten new faculty members over the last four years, and have really been trying to beef up their program. For all of us girls on GC interested in IR, Vanderbilt has a number of female professors which can be very appealing.

In addition, the administration at Vanderbilt is putting their money where their mouth is in terms of the Political Science department. Not only have they been hiring great, young faculty members, they have also told the department to admit more graduate students and offer them fantastic stipends and fellowships. I have been admitted to Vandy (not saying that I am accepting because who knows yet), and have been awarded a $21,000 stipend which is fantastic for the relatively low cost of living in Nashville.

Thus far the placement history isn't there yet, but I think the work and money that Vanderbilt has put in will begin to pan out. Just my thoughts.

Edited for my inability to spell and punctuate correctly.

Edited February 22, 2012 by CafeAuLait12

[Carousel]

I think Vanderbilt is making moves in American Politics at least. Obviously there were a lot of issues in the department in semi-recent years, but they're bringing in some great scholars and are recruiting hard for the grad students they want.

[Carousel]

I believe that Vanderbilt is trying to become one of those up-and-coming departments, but I am not sure that it is there yet. They have higher like ten new faculty members over the last four years, and have really been trying to beef up their program. For all of us girls on GC interested in IR, Vanderbilt has a number of female professors which can be very appealing.

In addition, the administration at Vanderbilt is putting their money where their mouth is in terms of the Political Science department. Not only have they been hiring great, young faculty members, they have also told the department to admit more graduate students and offer them fantastic stipends and fellowships. I have been admitted to Vandy (not saying that I am accepting because who knows yet), and have been awarded a $21,000 stipend which is fantastic for the relatively low standard of living in Nashville.

Thus far the placement history isn't there yet, but I think the work and money that Vanderbilt has put in will begin to pan out. Just my thoughts.

Beat me to it! I didn't know much about changes in other fields. I've had professors criticize Vandy's attitude toward getting people with money, but I think it's one of the ways to attract the right people (I'm not sure why they think I'm a right person, but that's beside the point). By comparison, I think Wisconsin is seriously hurt in terms of getting the best grad students because they aren't very competitive with funding.

[CafeAuLait12]

Beat me to it! I didn't know much about changes in other fields. I've had professors criticize Vandy's attitude toward getting people with money, but I think it's one of the ways to attract the right people (I'm not sure why they think I'm a right person, but that's beside the point). By comparison, I think Wisconsin is seriously hurt in terms of getting the best grad students because they aren't very competitive with funding.

I would most definitely agree with that. I mean, money is not everything and you should not make your grad decisions on stipends alone, but being comfortable sure does help.

[Megan]

I have been admitted to Vandy (not saying that I am accepting because who knows yet), and have been awarded a $21,000 stipend which is fantastic for the relatively low standard of living in Nashville.

Woah. That's nice in Nashville. I'm from TN, and my cousin lives in Nashville. While prices are going up as people realize the south has something to offer, costs are still comparatively low. Also, the area right around Vandy seems really, really cool. Sorry for the slightly off topic post.

[potbellypete]

I was told that Stony Brook and Brown are up and coming -- still waiting from both of them though unfortunately

[orst11]

Some of these I actually applied to but also I am mentioning some others because I definitely don't think they get the respect they deserve.

Throughout the 30+ range there definitely are some solid departments. I agree with potbellypete on Stony Brook. If a person is looking at American politics or political behavior/psychology, it is a fairly good choice. I think the problem with them is that it isn't a large department and primarily focuses on these strengths where as, do they even have anyone specializing in IR/CP? Some of the other SUNY's are also trying to make a move up as well, by simple being consistently solid overall (Bing. and Albany).

Arizona State should be on the rise, mainly because quant. methods training.

A few southern programs I would suggest people looking at would be LSU and Kentucky. Both solid departments and they have a fairly good track record when it comes to placement. I would say LSU is more of a solid consistent program where as Kentucky's mainly should be mentioned as up and coming because of their work in IR.

Pitt is an excellent choice if you have interest in comparative politics, but I definitely feel they want to break from this shell somewhat just by the talks I have had with a lot of people there.

Ultimately, it's not entirely about making a decision about a departments overall rankinjg because like we can all note certain departments are better than others when it comes down to different types of research.

As far as the stipend at Vandy is concerned. I have a few friends that are attending the university in other programs and a lot of the time their funding can be topped off with even more money. Ultimately. they definitely try to make this an issue as Carousel mentioned. I know people at other departments at Vandy netting around 30K, plus travel funds, etc.

[Carousel]

As far as the stipend at Vandy is concerned. I have a few friends that are attending the university in other programs and a lot of the time their funding can be topped off with even more money. Ultimately. they definitely try to make this an issue as Carousel mentioned. I know people at other departments at Vandy netting around 30K, plus travel funds, etc.

Yep--it was made clear to me that they have the authority to match other offers. I was very taken aback by the willingness to volunteer that information.

[brent09]

I would agree with a lot of the above.

 

1. FSU is making big moves, and already offers top-tier methods training. American lags the other fields but they're working on that.

2. Houston is generally underrated; good methods, good training, but never breaks through the ranks

3. Binghamton is trying, and they do well with judicial. We'll see how they fare

4. WUSTL has the resources, and seems to see itself as have had great hires.  They have solid placement and I wouldn't be surprised to see them burst into the top 10/15 soon.

5. North Texas: lots of good hires, the methods sequence is expanding, and they just got the APSR. Money isn't there, though, and they only fully fund one student at the moment. That will need to change if they're going to break out of the ~50s.

Some I'm not so sure about:

1. Penn State: was moving quickly, but lost some good people as money dried up. I think they've stalled in some subfields (American in particular)

2. Stony Brook: they're two faculty away from dropping out of the top-20 in American, and with limited funds, I don't think they're going to be able to really bulk up the junior faculty enough to compensate.

[grantman]

I would agree that Florida State, Pittsburgh, and North Texas are all rising through the ranks.

A couple of programs that have not been discussed as of yet, one I think is starting to be an up and coming program is University Nebraska-Linoln. They are around 50th in terms of their rankings, but from what I have been told, they appear to be getting stronger. Georgia is another program that is getting stronger, it has to do a few things before it rises past its current position, but I think in the next few years they will make some progress.

[brent09]

^ Agree 100% on UGa. Good catch.

[orst11]

This lists is definitely coming along fairly well. Hopefully, it will help those considering applying in the upcoming years.

^UNL definitely has a few good people, a mix of new and old blood, working on political behavior/psychology. Money I think is holding them back though.

[RWBG]

I think Emory, WUSTL, and Vanderbilt are moving up. FSU's a bit more unstable; they hire a lot of good people, but a lot of the people leave soon after. It's overall I think very good, and it places well, but it's hard to pinpoint its direction. As far as Emory and more methods people, they did just hire Shawn Ramirez from Rochester, so maybe that's a start (although I think she might be more formal than methods)!

[brent09]

I wanted to post separately about the favorite Cinderella program on this thread: Vanderbilt. I'll preface this twice over. First, I was rejected from Vanderbilt, so it's possible that I'm allowing the sting of rejection color my analysis here. Second, however: a lot of this is based on discussions with faculty at several departments both before and after I applied. So hopefully it's pretty unbiased.

It's hard to argue that Vandy isn't making moves. In a sense, it would be hard for them not to considering that they were in receivership a decade ago. They've made several great hires, particularly in American (Larry Bartels, anyone?). And they have money to throw around. That said, I'm afraid that some of their moves might hurt their reputation in the long run. There's a pretty consistent perception across faculty (with whom I've spoken) that Vandy has gotten a bit too big for their britches, as we say around home. I would be concerned that if they've gotten ahead of themselves, their reputation might not end up advancing as quickly as they expect. They have a few years to go, and need to bulk up the methods sequence, before they can really be a top program.

[somanytictoc]

I wanted to post separately about the favorite Cinderella program on this thread: Vanderbilt. I'll preface this twice over. First, I was rejected from Vanderbilt, so it's possible that I'm allowing the sting of rejection color my analysis here. Second, however: a lot of this is based on discussions with faculty at several departments both before and after I applied. So hopefully it's pretty unbiased.

It's hard to argue that Vandy isn't making moves. In a sense, it would be hard for them not to considering that they were in receivership a decade ago. They've made several great hires, particularly in American (Larry Bartels, anyone?). And they have money to throw around. That said, I'm afraid that some of their moves might hurt their reputation in the long run. There's a pretty consistent perception across faculty (with whom I've spoken) that Vandy has gotten a bit too big for their britches, as we say around home. I would be concerned that if they've gotten ahead of themselves, their reputation might not end up advancing as quickly as they expect. They have a few years to go, and need to bulk up the methods sequence, before they can really be a top program.

I have to say that my experience with Vanderbilt is very similar to this. I did get rejected by them, but I had been hearing horror stories from multiple professors (who knew from firsthand experience or very reliable sources) before I even submitted my application. I was probably going to accept if they had admitted me, since I live in the Nashville area, but I'm starting to feel like they may have saved me from an unpleasant experience.

[Ironheel!!]

I have to say that my experience with Vanderbilt is very similar to this. I did get rejected by them, but I had been hearing horror stories from multiple professors (who knew from firsthand experience or very reliable sources) before I even submitted my application. I was probably going to accept if they had admitted me, since I live in the Nashville area, but I'm starting to feel like they may have saved me from an unpleasant experience.

I won't go to any school where the basketball benches are on the endlines and below the surface of the floor, also i was rejected.

[PoliSci27]

I won't go to any school where the basketball benches are on the endlines and below the surface of the floor, also i was rejected.

Exactly! What is up w/ that place? I grew up outside of Nashville, and I will forever root for the team, but seriously...

[dienekes]

I forget exactly where UMass-Amherst is ranked (40s?), but I'd like to submit it for consideration. They've hired about 15 new faculty recently--most of them early/mid-career folks with serious potential to rise in status (from what one of my LoR professors has told me), and if you, like me, have a serious interest in digital media and politics, they have a number of faculty doing work in that area, including network analysis with serious collaboration with UMass's very good Computer Science department, and they've apparently just secured a large NSF grant to pursue a pretty massive, multi-year survey research project.

I honestly really like their program (I was admitted w/ fellowship), but--although I admire a lot what they're doing there--I don't feel comfortable betting on the program they'll be five or ten years down the line.

[Ironheel!!]

I forget exactly where UMass-Amherst is ranked (40s?), but I'd like to submit it for consideration. They've hired about 15 new faculty recently--most of them early/mid-career folks with serious potential to rise in status (from what one of my LoR professors has told me), and if you, like me, have a serious interest in digital media and politics, they have a number of faculty doing work in that area, including network analysis with serious collaboration with UMass's very good Computer Science department, and they've apparently just secured a large NSF grant to pursue a pretty massive, multi-year survey research project.

I honestly really like their program (I was admitted w/ fellowship), but--although I admire a lot what they're doing there--I don't feel comfortable betting on the program they'll be five or ten years down the line.

So you're the Umass admit! Congrats! Jesus, I'm still waiting on them to make a decision on my application.

Edited February 23, 2012 by Ironheel!!

[Jwnich1]

I forget exactly where UMass-Amherst is ranked (40s?), but I'd like to submit it for consideration. They've hired about 15 new faculty recently--most of them early/mid-career folks with serious potential to rise in status (from what one of my LoR professors has told me), and if you, like me, have a serious interest in digital media and politics, they have a number of faculty doing work in that area, including network analysis with serious collaboration with UMass's very good Computer Science department, and they've apparently just secured a large NSF grant to pursue a pretty massive, multi-year survey research project.

I honestly really like their program (I was admitted w/ fellowship), but--although I admire a lot what they're doing there--I don't feel comfortable betting on the program they'll be five or ten years down the line.

While I agree completely with you; I will submit that we are all betting on where a department will be in 5-7ish years...

[CafeAuLait12]

While I agree completely with you; I will submit that we are all betting on where a department will be in 5-7ish years...

We can predict all we want at this stage, but who knows what will happen. All we can do is make the best decision based off of the information presented and then pray a bunch that it works out the way we hope that it will...

[dienekes]

While I agree completely with you; I will submit that we are all betting on where a department will be in 5-7ish years...

Oh, certainly. Every decision you make about programs at this point (even if you've gotten into a top 5 program) has inherent risks and tradeoffs; all I'm saying is that, having gotten into a few higher ranked programs, UMass seems like a riskier prospect despite my general good feelings about the program currently and about the kind of program they may be farther down the road.

[wordshadow]

Anybody have an opinion on the direction of UC-Irvine's program, especially their political psychology faculty?