AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION

For forty years, APSA has supported scholars from underrepresented groups to attend doctoral programs through recognition and financial support from minority fellowships. More than 500 fellows have been designated in this effort. APSA also supports the work of the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute to allow undergraduates from diverse backgrounds or with interests in broadening opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds to get a preview of graduate level work.

The Centennial Center’s mission is to advance the political science discipline through a broad range of programs supporting research, teaching, and public engagement. These include grant opportunities to support traditional research and larger projects, including collaborations to produce innovative teaching materials, research partnerships between practitioners and academic experts on pressing public issues, and community-oriented programs aimed at enhancing civic engagement and efficacy. Our public engagement programs include a Public Scholarship Program that trains graduate students to blog for The American Political Science Review, and a Pracademic Fellowship Program that places mid-career faculty in fellowships in federal agencies in DC. The Centennial Center also provides support to the Institute for Civically Engaged Research (ICER), a summer methods workshop that trains political scientists in best practices for conducting rigorous, ethical, community-engaged research.

APSA's Congressional Fellowship Program is a highly selective, nonpartisan program devoted to expanding knowledge and awareness of Congress. Since 1953, it has brought select political scientists, journalists, federal employees, health specialists, and other professionals to Capitol Hill to experience Congress at work through fellowship placements on congressional staffs. The nine-month program begins each November with an intensive one-month introduction to Congress taught by leading experts in the field. After orientation, fellows work in placements of their choosing and also participate in ongoing seminars and enrichment programs. Through this unique opportunity, APSA enhances public understanding of policymaking and improves the quality of scholarship, teaching and reporting on American national politics.

APSA’s Department of International Programs works to advance political science scholarship by promoting closer interaction between political scientists based in and outside the United States, as well as providing opportunities to share and learn from a wide range of substantive and methodological interests. Enhancing APSA’s internationalization benefits the discipline by expanding networks, enriching theories, and broadening perspectives.

APSA's Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants are available to all US-based graduate students who are at the point of initiating or are already conducting dissertation research focused on advancing knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics.

APSA's Advocacy Program advances the discipline of political science by educating policy makers and the citizenry about political science scholarship and education. We seek to increase federal support for basic and applied political science research and to promote independent peer review. Our activities address funding priorities across the discipline. APSA is a member of the Consortium of Social Science Associations, the National Humanities Alliance, the Coalition for International Education, and the Coalition for National Science Funding.

APSA also advocates on behalf of political scientists and political science departments through letters, statements, and direct advocacy.

A key component of APSA's mission is to support political science education and the professional development of its practitioners. Teaching is a vital component of the discipline, and APSA seeks to generate a greater understanding of cutting-edge approaches, techniques, and methodologies that can be effectively applied in the political science classroom. Programs include the APSA Teaching and Learning Conference, teaching awards, the APSA syllabus project, and civic engagement initiatives.

Professional development in political science involves educating and training students and faculty on career skills and strategies. The purpose of this training is to enhance knowledge, preparation, performance, and advancement in both academic and non-academic spheres. The APSA professional development program coordinates a series of initiatives aimed at promoting professional development for all those engaged in the discipline of political science.