Student and Alum Highlights
The Political Science program frequently reports on notable student and alum news and accomplishments. Our department newsletter, Homo Politicus, also regularly features interviews with students and alum about their research, their time at the GC, their plans for the future and their experience in the job market.
Recent Student News and Interviews
Recent Alum News and Interviews
Alum Dissertations
For full dissertations, please visit CUNY's Academic Works for dissertations from 2014-present or the Mina Rees Library for dissertations prior to 2014.
Alum Outcomes
The Graduate Center's Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness makes data available on alum through Tableau. For Political Science, data shows:
- In recent years, 6-22 doctoral degrees have been awarded annually.
- The current (as of Fall 2020) median time-to-degree is 10.4 years (by graduation year) and 6.0 years (by entering cohort).
- Graduates (2003-2016) work in following job sectors: education (72%), government (11%), and non-profit (7%).
Student Voices
The GC’s political science program is a great academic network that I hope to continue to engage with after graduation, wherever I end up for doctoral study. I will be better prepared to enter a doctoral program because of my incredibly useful time at the GC.
— Abby Dobson
M.A. Student

Student News and Interviews
May 1, 2022
Scholars to Know This AAPI Heritage Month
Meet Graduate Center faculty, students, and alumni who study and celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.
- Alumni News
- Faculty News
- Student News
- GC Stories
Mar 11, 2022
How Our Scholars Played Heroic Roles in the Pandemic
Graduate Center scholars have been at the forefront of research to understand the virus and the larger pandemic.
- Faculty News
- Student News
- GC Stories
- Alumni News
Dec 2, 2021
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: 12 BOOKS BY GRADUATE CENTER FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND ALUMNI THAT BEND GENRES AND OFFER COMPELLING TAKES ON CULTURAL ISSUES
Haven’t yet tried a book by Maggie Nelson? Want to delve into the complexities of the fracking debate or learn why calls for civility hold...
- Alumni News
- Faculty News
- Student News
Oct 14, 2021
THE LONG SHADOW OF 9/11 HANGS OVER GUANTÁNAMO BAY
The Graduate Center, CUNY · The Long Shadow of 9/11 Hangs Over Guantánamo Bay Philip Luke Johnson is a Political Science Ph.D. candidate at the...
- Podcast
- Student News
Alum Voices
I came to our program to learn about city government, particularly NYC’s. So having the opportunity to work at a social services organization that contracts with a major city agency, I feel extra prepared due to my time at the GC. We talk so much about public policy in a theoretical sense, it’s fulfilling to be on the front lines of policy implementation.
— Adam Sachs
Alum

Alum News and Interviews
May 1, 2022
Scholars to Know This AAPI Heritage Month
Meet Graduate Center faculty, students, and alumni who study and celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.
- Alumni News
- Faculty News
- Student News
- GC Stories
Mar 11, 2022
How Our Scholars Played Heroic Roles in the Pandemic
Graduate Center scholars have been at the forefront of research to understand the virus and the larger pandemic.
- Faculty News
- Student News
- GC Stories
- Alumni News
Jan 31, 2022
Our Scholars Shed Light on Black History – and Make History
During Black History Month and every month, we are celebrating the work of our scholars who are shedding light on Black history – and those...
- Faculty News
- Alumni News
- GC Stories
Jan 10, 2022
CONFRONTING SOCIAL NORMS IS CRITICAL FOR WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT IN BANGLADESH, A NEW BOOK BY POLITICAL SCIENCE ALUMNA SHOWS
Nayma Qayum (Ph.D. ’14, Political Science) recently published Village Ties: Women, NGOs, and Informal Institutions in Rural Bangladesh, a book that argues that women’s mobilization...
- Alumni News

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