Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge

Last updated

Department of Politics and International Studies
Alison Richard Building, Cambridge university.jpg
The Alison Richard Building, in which the department is located
Parent institution
Faculty of Human, Social, and Political Science
Affiliation University of Cambridge
Head of DepartmentJude Browne (2021- )
Undergraduates 612
Postgraduates 439
Location,
England
Business Operations Manager (formerly Departmental Administrator)Helen Reynolds (2024 - )
Emma King (2021-4)
Website www.polis.cam.ac.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge (abbreviated POLIS) is the department at the University of Cambridge responsible for research and instruction in political science, international relations and public policy. It is part of the Faculty of Human, Social, and Political Science.

Contents

History

The inductive study of political science at Cambridge was pioneered in the 19th century by John Robert Seeley. [1] In 1928, the Rockefeller Foundation endowed the university's first chair in political science, which was situated in the Faculty of History and inaugurally held by Ernest Barker. [2] The Social and Political Sciences Committee was formed in 1970 as an early attempt to unify research and instruction in political science at the university and, in 2004, the Department of Politics was established. [2] [3]

POLIS, formed in 2009 by the merger of the former Department of Politics and the Centre for International Studies, is administratively housed at the university's Alison Richard Building on the Sidgwick Site. [4] [5]

In 2016, POLIS PhD student Giulio Regeni was killed while carrying out research in Cairo, Egypt. [6] [7]

The first chair in political science at Cambridge, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, was held by Ernest Barker. Ernest Morton Barker in the 1890s.jpg
The first chair in political science at Cambridge, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, was held by Ernest Barker.

Heads of department

Degrees and reputation

Degrees

Politics and International Studies are taught at the undergraduate level through either the Human, Social, and Political Sciences Tripos [8] or the History and Politics Tripos. [9] At the postgraduate level, the department offers nine Masters' programmes including:

as well as four PhD programmes including:

University rankings
University of Cambridge
Global – Liberal arts
QS Politics [23] 7 (2024)

Reputation

The 2024 edition of the QS World University Rankings ranked Cambridge seventh in the world for the study of politics. [24] The 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked it sixth. [25] The department has been ranked top in the UK for the teaching of politics by the 2025 Complete University Guide. [26] Its masters and doctoral programmes have been ranked among the 25 "Best International Relations Schools in the World" by Foreign Policy . [27] [28] In the 2021 UK government Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, the department was ranked 21st out of 56 institutions. [29]

Academic and research centres

The peer reviewed journal Cambridge Review of International Affairs is published by Taylor & Francis in academic affiliation with the department. [30]

Ten specialised centres are housed within the department.

CentreFocusDirector(s)Official websiteReference(s)
Bennett Institute for Public Policy logo.png
Bennett Institute for Public Policy
Public policy Michael Kenny bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk [31]
Coat of Arms of the University of Cambridge.svg
Cambridge Centre for Political Thought
Political theory Duncan Bell, Richard Bourke, Annabel Brett, Duncan Kelly polthought.cam.ac.uk [32]
Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies logo.jpg
Centre for Gender Studies
Gender studies Lauren Wilcox gender.cam.ac.uk [33]
Cambridge Center for Geopolitics logo.png
Centre for Geopolitics
Geopolitics Brendan Simms cfg.polis.cam.ac.uk [34]
CSAS 50 year logo.jpg
Centre of African Studies
African studies Adam Branch african.cam.ac.uk [35]
Copy of colour Dev Studies logo.png
Centre of Development Studies
Development studies Graham Denyer Willis devstudies.cam.ac.uk [36]
CHGR Cambridge logo.jpeg
Centre of Governance and Human Rights
Human rights, Social justice Ella McPherson, Sharath Srinivasan cghr.polis.cam.ac.uk/ [37]
CLAS logo.tif
Centre of Latin American Studies
Latin American studies Pedro Mendes Loureiro latin-american.cam.ac.uk [38]
South Asian Studies logo.jpg
Centre of South Asian Studies
South Asian studies Shailaja Fennell s-asian.cam.ac.uk [39]
Coat of Arms of the University of Cambridge.svg
YouGov-Cambridge Centre for Public Opinion Research
Public opinion Roberto Stefan Foa yougov.co.uk/cambridge [40]

Notable people

Alumni

Stuart Peach in dress uniform.jpg
Foreign Minister of Nigeria Yusuf Tuggar at Joint Base Andrews in Camp Springs, Maryland on May 17, 2024 (cropped).jpg
Hugh Evans - Global Citizen Festival Hamburg 01.jpg
Ronen Bergman by Dor Malka.jpg
Roxana Saberi headshot.jpeg
Julissa Reynoso, U.S. Ambassador 2.jpg
Daniel Yergin - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012.jpg
BOG Chairperson Chae-Hyun Shin (01613854) (51522039522).jpg
Notable alumnae of Cambridge's politics and international studies programmes include: (top row, left to right) NATO Military Committee chair Sir Stuart Peach, Nigerian foreign minister Yusuf Tuggar, Oaktree founder Hugh Evans; (middle row, left to right) Pulitzer Prize winner Ronen Bergman, CBS News journalist Roxana Saberi, U.S. Ambassador to Spain Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón; (bottom row, left to right) S&P Global vice chair Daniel Yergin, IAEA chair Chae-Hyun Shin.

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programmes

Master of Studies (MSt) programme

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes

Faculty

Key faculty (by career citation count):


Former faculty:

See also

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