Why Iowa?

A degree in political science or international relations at Iowa is your start to a rewarding career that makes an impact in the world.

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See yourself here

At Iowa, you’ll sharpen your research expertise and develop the leadership skills to influence policy, institutions, and democratic practice.

"The University of Iowa has prepared me for my future by teaching me what professionalism is and a way to navigate life and have a balance between work life, school, and friendships."

– Andrea Longstreet, political science major

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Build knowledge. Conduct research. Create new work. Stand out among your peers. You're going places, and it all starts here.

students in political science class at MacBride

~ 9,000

Alumni
Poli Sci classroom

20 +

Graduate students

2025 data

400 +

Political science majors

2025 data

Political Science class discussion

70 +

International relations majors

2025 data

Group of University of Iowa students.

Shop for Poli Gear

Shop for University of Iowa Department of Political Science swag and merch in our online store.

News and announcements

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Hawkeye Poll Examines How Americans Use Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age

Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Results from a recent University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll on How Americans Use Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Age.
Sarah Guilfoyle

Sarah Guilfoyle selected for Dare to Discover Campaign

Thursday, February 12, 2026
Sarah Guilfoyle is an undergraduate student in Political Science who was selected for the Dare to Discover Campaign. Her banner can be seen throughout downtown Iowa City.
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Hawkeye Poll Examines American’s Perceptions of the Effects of Trump’s Executive Orders

Friday, January 30, 2026
Results from a recent University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll on American’s Perceptions of the Effects of Trump’s Executive Orders.

Events

Winifred Tate | Art After the Unspeakable: Reflections on Works by Doris Salcedo and Jeremy Frey promotional image

Winifred Tate | Art After the Unspeakable: Reflections on Works by Doris Salcedo and Jeremy Frey

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 2:30pm to 4:00pm
Stanley Museum of Art

This talk examines mourning and worldmaking through community action and art in the wake of violence, dispossession, and collective loss. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with communities in southern Colombia and rural Maine, Tate considers the intersections, possibilities and limitations of rights activism and art through an exploration of the visual repertoires and material practices of Colombian sculptor Doris Salcedo and Passamaquoddy artist Jeremy Frey. This program is free and open to all...

Launching and Sustaining a Writing-Enriched Curriculum in the Age of AI promotional image

Launching and Sustaining a Writing-Enriched Curriculum in the Age of AI

Friday, April 3, 2026 10:00am to 11:30am
University Capitol Centre
In this interactive session, Lindsey Harding, University of Georgia, describes how she transitioned a 25-year-old writing-in-the-disciplines program to a writing-enriched curriculum program, now in its third year with eight departments.
Conflict and Resolution — An Obermann "Wide Lens" Event promotional image

Conflict and Resolution — An Obermann "Wide Lens" Event

Wednesday, May 6, 2026 4:00pm to 5:30pm
Voxman Music Building

The Obermann Center's Wide Lens series aims to inspire and connect the University of Iowa community across the disciplines. For each Wide Lens event, researchers, scholars, and artists from across the university briefly present their work on a shared topic of interest PechaKucha–style. Then, we open the floor to questions and conviviality over hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

Presenters:

Stephanie DiPietro, Sociology & Criminology: Only the Dead Have Seen the End of War: Life Course Legacies of Conflict...

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