The Graduate Minor in Political Psychology

Political psychology is a rapidly advancing field of scientific inquiry concerned with the psychological aspects of political behavior. It encompasses a variety of interdisciplinary research perspectives, drawing on the theories and methods of core disciplines such as psychology, political science, law, and sociology, as well as interdisciplinary fields such as mass communication and decision sciences.

The graduate minor in political psychology's structured curriculum provides a foundation in basic areas of political psychology: social attitudes and cognition, judgment and decision-making, group relations, personality and leadership, mass communication, public opinion, mass political behavior, and political socialization. In addition to providing a background in political psychology, the program trains students in theory and methods useful to this field, such as content analysis, survey analysis, and experimental design.

Instruction is provided by faculty drawn from programs across the University, including the Department of Political Science, the Department of Psychology, and the Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication.

Students may be admitted from any doctoral program at the University of Minnesota.

Course Requirements

Students who enroll in the graduate minor are expected to complete a total 13 required credits of coursework. These requirements include:

  • 3 core courses:
    • POL 8311: Political Psychology and Socialization (3 credits)
    • PSY 8201: Social Cognition (3 credits)
    • JOUR 8661: Mediated Political Communication in the Digital Age (3 credits)
  • 2 semesters of the Proseminar in Political Psychology:
    • POL 8307/PSY 8211: Proseminar in Political Psychology I (2 credits)
    • POL 8308/PSY 8212: Proseminar in Political Psychology II (2 credits)

Students are also strongly advised to do a sequence of methods courses appropriate for their own research plans. Typically, this is the standard quantitative or qualitative method sequence within the student's major field but may include other courses depending on the student's research goals.

Full Requirements