The Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is one of the country’s oldest and most respected programs. Ranked one of the top political science departments in the country, we are also one of the largest undergraduate majors on campus. Our award-winning faculty are known for their innovative research and their nonpartisan teaching about the most pressing political questions at home and abroad. In these turbulent times, our mission is as important as ever.
How your gifts make an impact
Your support enables the Department of Political Science to provide exciting classes, research, and internship opportunities and deeper engagement at the university and in the community. These opportunities support our more than 1,000 majors and the nearly 5,000 non-major students whom we serve each year. Your involvement also allows us to train the next generation of leaders. Our students pursue a wide variety of careers, whether in politics, government, law, business, journalism, the nonprofit sector, or academia. Our alumni can be found around the world, fulfilling the promise of the Wisconsin Idea. Your gifts also support our faculty and student researchers as they conduct cutting-edge research on issues such as American politics, international relations, political theory, and politics around the world. Thank you for making our work inside and outside the classroom possible.
Why we need your support
Gifts of any size support our teaching and research missions by enabling us to offer a wealth of programming and community-building opportunities for our students. These include scholarship opportunities (for students in Madison; Washington, DC; or abroad), awards for student writing (such as best paper awards and honors theses), faculty-student engagement (such as faculty-guided research projects), guest lectures from internationally renowned speakers in our eight faculty-student workshops, student internship support, our peer mentor program (to assist with student advising), the 1050 Bascom podcast, and the Wisconsin in Washington Program. Your support also makes it possible for us to recruit the best graduate student and faculty talent in the country (and the world) by providing critical research and teaching support. All of these programs and opportunities are why we are one of the leading departments in the country. Your generosity enables us to help these programs prosper.