Graduate Student Careers and Outcomes

Our department strives to attract excellent graduate students and place them in positions where they can make full use of their skills.

The training we provide in our graduate programs primarily focuses on preparing students for teaching and research in academic institutions. Many of our graduates go on to work in government, non-profits, teach in non-university settings, and work in the private sector.

In addition to our graduate degree programs, students can take courses in other departments and institutes and earn interdisciplinary graduate certificates that will enhance their career development. Examples include our Department's own Graduate Certificate in Intersectional Indigeneity, Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, and UConn's Graduate Certificates in Human Rights and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
 

Meet UConn Political Science Alumni

Job Placements

Alumni of UConn's political science graduate programs go on to work at top educational institutions and have successful careers in industry and the public sector. See some of our recent job placements below.

Imge Akaslan  '23 (Ph.D.)
Postdoctoral Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law
(Heidelberg, Germany)

Sercan Canbolat '23 (Ph.D.)
Inaugural Director of Abrahamic Programs, University of Connecticut
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Connecticut
(Storrs, CT)

Carol Gray '22 (Ph.D.)
Assistant Professor of Public Law, University of Alaska Fairbanks
(Fairbanks, AK)

Alyssa Webb '21 Ph.D.
Educational Program Coordinator, Human Rights Institute, University of Connecticut
(Storrs, CT)

Steven Manicastri '20 Ph.D.
Staff Representative, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1036
(West Trenton, NJ)

Derefe Chevannes '19 (Ph.D.)
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Memphis
(Memphis, TN)

Andrew Cain '19 (M.A.)
Academic Department Administrator, George Washington University
(Washington D.C.)

Kelly Delaney '19 (Ph.D.)
Assistant Professor, Community College of Rhode Island
(Warwick, RI)

Frank Griggs '19 Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in Residence, University of Connecticut Avery Point
(Groton, CT)

Gabriela Tafoya '19 (Ph.D.)
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Manchester University
(North Manchester, IN)

Taesim Kim '19 (Ph.D.)
Postdoctoral Researcher, NRF-SSK Project
Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Sogang University
Senior Researcher, Institute for Social Sciences, Sogang University
(Seoul, South Korea)

Briana Bardos '18 (M.A.)
Manager of Licensing and Compliance, Builders FirstSource
(Hartford, CT)

Ahmad Wais Wardak, '18 (Ph.D.)
Assessment, Monitoring & Evaluation (AM&E) Specialist Federal Contractor
(Washington, DC)

Salil Benegal '16 (Ph.D.)
Joseph B. Board Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy, Union College
(Schenectady, NY)

Yunmin Nam '16 (Ph.D.)
Assistant Professor, Kongju National University
(South Korea)

Gregory P. Williams '15 (Ph.D.)
Associate Professor of Political Science and IR, Simmons University
(Boston, MA)

Dina Badie '12 (Ph.D.)
Frank B. and Virginia B. Hower Professor of Politics and International Studies, Centre College
(Danville, KY)

Robert Bosco '10 (Ph.D.)
Associate Professor and Chair of International Studies, Centre College
(Danville, KY)

View a complete listing of our alumni doctorates, dissertations, and job placements.

Student Achievements

Career Resources

Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills

UConn's Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills offers an array of services to help graduate students build skills, communicate their value, and conduct their job searches.

View a full list of resources for graduate students.

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) offers events and series to help graduate students become better teachers at UConn and beyond. View their web page for Teaching Assistants and learn more about their teaching seminars and workshops.

Graduate Certificate Programs

UConn offers graduate certificate programs in topics ranging from digital humanities and quantitative research methods to nonprofit management and power grid modernization.

View a full list of programs on the Graduate School's Website.

External Professional Resources

Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan

The Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR)
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University

Professional Development Resources, American Political Science Association