Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge

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.

Department of Politics and International Studies

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 Department	Jude Browne (2021- )
Undergraduates	612
Postgraduates	439
Location	Cambridge , England
Business Operations Manager (formerly Departmental Administrator)	Helen Reynolds (2024 - ) Emma King (2021-4)
Website	www.polis.cam.ac.uk

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.

Heads of department

• Geoffrey Hawthorn (Founder)
• Andrew Gamble (2009-12)
• Christopher J. Hill (2012-14)
• David Runciman (2014-18)
• Jason Sharman (2018-21)
• Jude Browne (2021- )

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:

• Master of Studies (MSt) in International Relations^[10]
• Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Politics and International Studies,^[11]
• MPhil in Public Policy,^[12]
• MPhil in African Studies Overview^[13]
• MPhil in Development Studies^[14]
• MPhil in Latin American Studies^[15]
• MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies^[16]
• MPhil in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies^[17]
• MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History (this MPhil is inter-Faculty: History, Politics, and Classics are the participating departments)^[18]

as well as four PhD programmes including:

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Politics and International Studies.^[19]
• PhD in Development Studies^[20]
• PhD in Latin American Studies^[21]
• PhD in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies^[22]

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.

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

Notable people

Alumni

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

• Salman Ahmed — Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State^[41]
• Robyn Curnow — Journalist, CNN^[42]
• Hugh Evans — Founder, Oaktree^[43]
• Mirza Shakir Ispahani — Managing Director of M. M. Ispahani Limited^[44]
• Emily Kassie — Documentary filmmaker, recipient of the 2016 World Press Photo award^[45]
• Yuri Kim — United States Ambassador to Albania^[46][47]
• Dan Markel — Professor, Florida State University^[48]
• Michael G. Masters — CEO, Secure Community Network^[49]
• Evan S. Medeiros — Professor, Georgetown University^[50]
• Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón — United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra^[51]
• Stuart Peach — Chair of the NATO Military Committee^[52]
• Samir Rifai — Prime Minister of Jordan^[53]
• Rohan Sajdeh — Senior Partner, Boston Consulting Group^[54]
• Elizabeth N. Saunders — Professor, Columbia University^[55]
• Andrew Shearer — Director-General of the Australian Office of National Intelligence^[56]
• Damian Williams — United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York^[57]

Master of Studies (MSt) programme

• Massimo Ambrosetti — Ambassador of Italy to the People's Republic of China^[58]
• Marcus Bleasdale — Photojournalist, recipient of the 2014 Robert Capa Gold Medal^[59]
• Nadine Chahine — Typographer, Fast Company's 2012 "100 Most Creative People in Business"^[60]
• Janis Mackey Frayer — Journalist, NBC News
• Vin Gupta — Medical correspondent, NBC News^[61]
• Zach Nunn — Member of the U.S. House of Representatives^[62]
• Paul Paton — Dean of law, Chapman University^[63]
• Roxana Saberi — Journalist, CBS News^[64]
• Chae-Hyun Shin — Chair of the International Atomic Energy Agency^[65]
• Yusuf Tuggar — Foreign Minister of Nigeria^[66]

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes

• Peter Biar Ajak — Peace activist^[67]
• Ronen Bergman — Journalist and recipient of the Pulitzer Prize^[68]
• Reuben Brigety — United States Ambassador to South Africa^[69]
• Masuma Hasan — Chair of the Group of 77^[70]
• Asle Toje — Deputy Leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee^[71]
• Paul Twomey — CEO of ICANN^[72]
• Daniel Yergin — Vice Chair of S&P Global, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize^[73]

Faculty, past and present

• Duncan Bell^[74][75]
• Dame Diane Coyle^[76]
• John Dunn^[77]
• Andrew Gamble^[78]
• Cristina Penasco^[79]
• David Walter Runciman, 4th Viscount Runciman of Doxford^[80]
• Lauren Wilcox^[81]
• Ayşe Zarakol^[82][83]

See also

• List of schools of international relations

References

1. Bevir, Mark (2022). A History of Political Science. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781009043458.
2. Gamble, Andrew (2008). The Limits of Politics: An Inaugural Lecture Given in the University of Cambridge, 23 April 2008. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521145985.
3. Craig, John (25 September 2019). "The emergence of politics as a taught discipline at universities in the United Kingdom". The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 22 (2): 145–163. doi:10.1177/1369148119873081. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
4. "Welcome to POLIS". Department of Politics and International Studies. University of Cambridge. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
5. "The official launch of the University of Cambridge's new Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) will take place on Tuesday, May 5th. The previously separate Centre of International Studies, with its major postgraduate programme, and the Department of Politics, with its very successful undergraduate course, are merging". cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
6. "Giulio Regeni: Cambridge University tribute five years after murder". Retrieved 6 June 2024.
7. Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (7 December 2017). "Giulio Regeni murder: Cambridge tutor agrees to speak to Italian investigators". The Guardian.
8. "Human, Social, and Political Sciences - HSPS Tripos, University of Cambridge". Human, Social, and Political Sciences - HSPS Tripos, University of Cambridge.
9. "History and Politics BA (Tripos), University of Cambridge". University of Cambridge Faculty of History.
10. "MSt in International Relations, University of Cambridge". Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. 4 June 2024.
11. "MPhil in Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge". Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. 18 May 2015.
12. "MPhil in Public Policy, University of Cambridge". Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. 20 January 2015.
13. Weik, Judith (23 July 2013). "MPhil in African Studies Overview". www.african.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
14. Williams, Helen (30 March 2016). "MPhil in Development Studies". www.devstudies.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
15. Evans, H. J. (27 October 2023). "MPhil in Latin American Studies". www.latin-american.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
16. "» MPhil Course". www.s-asian.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
17. Administrator (27 August 2014). "MPhil Overview". www.gender.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
18. "MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History | Faculty of History University of Cambridge". www.hist.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
19. "PhD in Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge". Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. 18 August 2022.
20. Williams, Helen (30 March 2016). "PhD in Development Studies". www.devstudies.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
21. Evans, H. J. (27 October 2023). "PhD in Latin American Studies". www.latin-american.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
22. Administrator (30 August 2014). "PhD Overview". www.gender.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
23. "QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024: Politics". topuniversities.com. QS World University Rankings. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
24. "QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024: Politics". topuniversities.com. QS World University Rankings. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
25. "World University Rankings 2024 by subject: social sciences". timeshighereducation.com. Times Higher Education World University Rankings. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
26. "Politics: SUBJECT LEAGUE TABLE 2025". The Complete University Guide.
27. "The Best International Relations Schools in the World". Foreign Policy. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
28. Tierney, Michael J. (30 July 2024). "The Top International Relations Schools of 2024, Ranked". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
29. "REF 2021: Politics and international studies". Times Higher Education. 12 May 2022. p. 3. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
30. "Cambridge Review of International Affairs". cria.polis.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
31. "Our Team". bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
32. "Cambridge Centre for Political Thought". polthought.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
33. "University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies". gender.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
34. "Center for Geopolitics". cfg.polis.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
35. "Centre of African Studies". african.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
36. "Centre of Development Studies". devstudies.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
37. "CGHR". cghr.polis.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
38. "Centre of Latin American Studies". latin-american.cam.ac.u. University of Cambridge. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
39. "Centre of South Asian Studies". s-asian.cam.ac.uk. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
40. "Cambridge Alumni Network". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
41. "Getting It Right at Home and Abroad: The Future of Diplomacy". harvard.edu. Harvard University. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
42. Arena, Suzanne (2021). Dyslexia and the Journalist: Battling a Silent Disability. McFarland. p. 88. ISBN 978-1476682402.
43. "Hugh Evans". luc.edu. Loyola University of Chicago. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
44. "The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 5 Num 1134". The Daily Star. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
45. "13 Gates Scholars to join POLIS in 2016 — Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS)". www.polis.cam.ac.uk.
46. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individual to Key Administration Post". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
47. Daleno, Gaynor D. (30 June 2019). "AOLG grad to be named US ambassador". The Guam Daily Post.
48. "Markel, Adelson sparred up to the end". Tallahassee Democrat. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
49. "Michael Masters | Columbia Jewish Federation". Columbia Jewish Federation. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
50. Issues, Initiative for U. S.-China Dialogue on Global. "Evan Medeiros". uschinadialogue.georgetown.edu. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
51. "Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon". Biden-Harris Transition. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
52. "Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach GBE KCB DL". nato.int. NATO. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
53. Derhally, Massoud A. (10 December 2009). "Jordan's king picks prime minister". Boston Globe. Vol. 276, no. 163. Boston, Massachusetts. Bloomberg News. p. A27. Retrieved 4 February 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
54. BCG "ASIAN INITIATIVE" – Boston Consulting Group. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
55. "Elizabeth N. Saunders". brookings.edu. Brookings Institution. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
56. "Andrew Shearer" (PDF). house.gov. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
57. "Questionnaire for Non-Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
58. "The Ambassador". esteri.it. Government of Italy. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
59. "About". Marcus Bleasdale – Photographer. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
60. "A trailblazer in Arabic type design – inside look at Dr. Nadine Chahine's journey to success". aub.edu.lb. American University of Beirut. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
61. "Vin Gupta" (PDF). Retrieved 16 October 2024.
62. "State Senator Zach Nunn". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
63. Dino, Angelica (23 March 2023). "University of Alberta law professor Paul Paton named as Chapman University's new dean". Canadian Lawyer. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
64. "Imprisoned Journalist Roxana Saberi". Time. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
65. "IAEA Board of Governors Elects New Chairperson for 2021-2022". IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication. International Atomic Energy Agency. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
66. "Curriculum- H.E. Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar" (PDF). Retrieved 3 March 2023.
67. fionaholland (23 October 2020). "Dr Peter Biar Ajak receives Cambridge PhD: a first for South Sudan". Trinity College Cambridge. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
68. Green, David (2008). "A conversation with Ronen Bergman". Haaretz. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
69. "Reuben E. Brigety II". Biographies of Department Officials. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
70. "Ground breaking chapter on the Punjab Boundary Commission published in Pakistan in a Changing World". Karachi: The Pakistan Institute of International Affairs. 1978.
71. Bakken, Laila Ø. (7 February 2018). "Frp vil ha forskningsdirektør Asle Toje i Nobelkomiteen". NRK. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
72. "Paul Twomey". ICANN. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
73. "A Conversation with Daniel Yergin". The New Journal. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
74. Steele, Brent (17 May 2022). "Duncan Bell". The Duck of Minerva. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
75. "Duncan Bell". Google Scholar. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
76. "Diane Coyle". Google Scholar. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
77. "Professor John Dunn". University of Cambridge. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
78. "Prof Andrew Gamble Authorised Biography" Archived June 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Debrett's People
79. "Cristina Penasco". Google Scholar. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
80. "The History of Ideas by David Runciman review — lobbing thought bombs at western civilisation". 22 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
81. "Lauren Wilcox". Google Scholar. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
82. Tschiggfrie, Sarah (5 March 2012). "W&L's Zarakol Wins International Fellowship from Council on Foreign Relations". The Columns. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
83. "Ayşe Zarakol". Google Scholar. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.

External links

• Official website