Department of Government

Even before reaching the stage of the dissertation, students are encouraged to carry out research projects on their own or in cooperation with faculty members. Many find this independent research the most challenging part of their graduate education. Whether at the dissertation or pre-dissertation stage, Harvard offers some particularly useful resources for research.

Harvard University maintains a wide variety of computer facilities for instruction and research. The Harvard-MIT Data Center and Data Archives Program (located in the department's headquarters in the Knafel building) make available survey data from the Inter-University Consortium for Political Research and the Roper Research Opinion Center, among other sources. All graduate students in the department take at least one course in quantitative methods, and we offer an array of more advanced courses. With the help of the permanent staff of the data center, students gain access to data from hundreds of major social science studies. In addition, personal computers and software are available in the Center for students fulfilling the quantitative methods requirement and conducting their own research.

In the later years of their work at Harvard, graduate students often move beyond the boundaries of Cambridge. At any given moment, students from the Government Department can be found on most continents of the globe, conducting dissertation field research. Graduate students are also encouraged to take part in the national community of political scientists. For example, students who are invited to take part in a professional conference are eligible for financial support from the department's Conference Travel Fund to cover transportation, lodging, and registration fees.