<p>I want to do Political Science, specifically Public Policy for my undergrad. What schools have the best UNDERGRADUATE Political Science programs? I want it to be within driving distance of Washington DC. </p>
<p>I couldn't find it online, so any help would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>You couldn’t find any information about good schools for public policy online?
Obvious ones include American University, GWU, Georgetown, George Mason University, and the University of Maryland.</p>
<p>Georgetown
George Washington
American</p>
<p>Georgetown is way overrated for poli sci. Their department isn’t especially well respected by academics.</p>
<p>What do you consider “within driving distance”? If you set the outer limit at an 8 hour drive, you get:</p>
<h1>1 Harvard (7 hours)</h1>
<h1>2 Princeton (3 hours)</h1>
<h1>4 Michigan (8 hours)</h1>
<h1>4 Yale (5 hours)</h1>
<h1>7 Columbia (4 hours)</h1>
<h1>8 MIT (7 hours)</h1>
<h1>10 Duke (4 hours)</h1>
<h1>13 UNC Chapel Hill (4 hours)</h1>
<h1>15 NYU (4 hours)</h1>
<h1>15 Ohio State (7 hours)</h1>
<h1>15 U Rochester (7 hours)</h1>
<h1>19 Cornell (6 hours)</h1>
<h1>28 Penn State (4 hours)</h1>
<h1>28 Penn (3 hours)</h1>
<h1>28 U Maryland (0.5 hours)</h1>
<p>GW ranks #36 and Georgetown #40 in grad school poli sci rankings.</p>
<p>These are grad school rankings, but they represent an approximate ranking of faculty strength in the field. I wouldn’t take the precise rankings too seriously, but certainly any highley ranked program is going to have a major presence in the field. Something to keep in mind with poli sci, however, is that it tends to be a popular major, consequently you may find many large classes at major research universities. Some LACs also have excellent programs.</p>
<p>If you’re a girl, do consider Wellesley.</p>
<p>When i first read this, i thought the OP meant within an easy drive to DC. For clarification, what do you mean by driving distance? As in an easy drive to DC for internships and the ilk or within 6ish hours of DC? </p>
<p>Also BClintonk, isn’t Georgetown’s poly sci strong because its location allows for unbelievable internship access, not because the faculty are particularly well known? Though UMichigan has some of the most noted poly sci professors in the world, it’s hard to argue that Ann Arbor offers the same opportunities as DC.</p>
<p>
Well California’s in driving distance too but I’m guessing you don’t want to be [i[that* far away.</p>
<p>whenhen, I think you are confusing Political Science with International Relations. Georgetown arguably has the best International Relations department in the US, thanks primarily to its location in the nation’s capital. GWU and AU benefit in this regard as well. Political Science is a very theoretical and philosophical field which depends very little on location. None of the top 20 Political Science department (other than perhaps Columbia and Princeton) are located anywhere near DC. You could draw a 400 mile radius from the White House, and you will only find 3 or 4 of the top 30 Political Science departments. Clearly, location has nothing to do with the strength of a Political Science department. </p>
<p>By the way, location is seldom going to benefit college students in finding internships. Most college students are way too busy to work on internships during while classes are in session. They usually work during summer months. I seriously doubt that Political Science majors at Harvard, Michigan, Cal, Stanford, Duke, Chicago etc… who seek summer internships in DC are going to be at a disadvantage when it comes to finding summer internships.</p>
<p>No one here has bothered to correct the OP in her thinking that Public Policy is a subfield of Political Science. These are two distinct areas of study with Political Science being more “theoretical” and Public Policy being more “real world”.</p>
<p>Duke and Princeton are the only two schools within driving distance of Washington DC that offer “elite” programs in both Political Science and Public Policy. Georgetown is slightly less selective but still good in both areas. Other solid options are Maryland, UNC-Chapel Hill, GW, Johns Hopkins, and CMU.</p>
<p>Michigan is driving distance (roughly 7 hours) from DC.</p>