It has a distinguished and diverse faculty strongly committed to working closely with graduate students; bright and dedicated graduate students, who typically receive full financial support to pursue their degrees; and a program that combines five traditional disciplinary major fields and the opportunity for several innovative minor programs. In March 2017, U.S. News and World report ranked the department 15th overall, 8th in International Relations, 14th in American Politics and 11th in Political Methodology.

Faculty members are integrally involved in graduate training, both in the classroom and through daily interaction with graduate students. Faculty work with students on research projects, which often result in collaborative papers and publications. The department gives graduate students opportunities to develop teaching skills, and faculty provide close mentoring of teaching and other professional development.