Welcome!

Welcome to the APSA Committee on the Status of Graduate Students in the Profession website! We are a group of graduate students and faculty who work through the American Political Science Association to advance the interests of graduate students in political science.

Upcoming Events

“Pursuing Non-Academic Careers with a Political Science PhD“
Wednesday, May 13 at 1:30pm (ET) | Register Here 

Navigating the non-academic job market as a political science graduate student or PhD requires a different approach than the academic job market.

Join us for a discussion focusing on how the core tools you learned in graduate school translate directly into high-impact roles and hear best practices on how to market yourself to non-academic employers. Panelists include: 

This event is co-sponsored by the APSA Committee on the Status of Graduate Students in the Profession and the APSA Careers Diversity Committee. 

Please Note: This content is not intended to be professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This webinar is informational and educational. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical questions or concerns. Please direct all general inquiries to teaching@apsanet.org.

About

The APSA Committee on the Status of Graduate Students in the Profession was formed in 2016 to learn more about the varied experiences of political science graduate students, communicate with APSA leadership about graduate student issues, and develop resources to help graduate students navigate the discipline. Our goals is to bring attention to issues and concerns affecting graduate and PhD students in the discipline and to provide input to the APSA Council and staff on policies and programs to effectively engage and support them.

Although graduate students make up a large portion of the political science community, their voices are not always represented in decision-making bodies, meaning that discipline-wide policies and priorities may not affect graduate students’ concerns.

Mission

We’d like you to know that we are here to serve YOU. The committee works hard to make your journey as a student and in the profession a little easier by offering discussions, panels, research papers, and resources including access to job listings. Over the past few years we have:

• Correlated research findings across three years of APSA surveys 
• Held panels on Alternative Careers for PhD’s, 
• Advocated for the importance of inclusion and racial justice within the discipline and society
• Spearheading the push make APSA’s ejobs available to nonmembers without charge.

Please click on the tabs above to learn about us (Committee Members), and to read our Mission Statement and By-laws. Use the Current Projects link to see past and ongoing work. The Resources tab will lead you to a variety of helpful links.

Going Forward

Going forward, our plans for 2025 are to organize and increase the repository of helpful resources for:

• International Students
• Domestic Students
• Students from marginalized groups
• Students with families

Getting In Touch

Our purpose is to serve and advance graduate student interests. Looking for a particular resource and don’t see it on the site? Is there a issue the committee should be aware of and can better advocate for? Please let us know. Contact options include:

1. Write APSA staff who work with the committee using the subject heading: APSA Graduate Student Committee. Email to grad [at] apsanet.org.
2. This anonymous Wufoo form.