Updated on May 20, 2025 05:58 IST

Political science as a discipline focuses on studying and analysing power and politics from varied perspectives such as domestic, international, and comparative. Through this, any student who wishes to understand anything related to politics; process, structure, behaviour, institutions, ideas, ideologies, war, law, diplomacy, strategy, groups, classes, and the government, can fulfil their wish.

  • It can be pursued as an undergraduate course or a postgraduate course, i.e. either a Bachelor's or a Master's.
  • The course should be pursued by people interested in and aspiring to make a career in the political domain.
  • This discipline is offered by many top colleges and universities throughout India and is readily opted for right after the 12th if it interests them.
  • The job roles vary from legislative assistant, political advisor, professor, researcher, IAS officer, IFS officer, public relations specialist, policy analyst, political campaigner etc.

Typical Core Subjects for Political Science

Subject title

Subject details

Understanding political theory

This subject introduces political theory to students. Then it moves on to the traditions and approaches to political theory, explains the critical and contemporary trends, and winds up with political theory practice and its grammar.

Constitutional Government and Democracy in India

The subject discusses the constitution, assembly, government organs, federalism, and decentralisation.

Political Theory and Concepts

This subject deals with the importance of freedom, the indispensability of justice, universal rights, and concerns itself with major debates.

Political Process in India

This subject is a detailed compilation of content on the party system in India, religion, regionalism and politics, caste and politics, and the change in the nature of India along with the times.

Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics

Through this subject, students understand comparative politics, the historical context of modern government such as capitalism and globalisation, socialism, colonialism and themes of comparative politics.

Introduction to Public Administration

This subject introduces students to the public administration discipline, classical theories such as scientific management and administration management, neo-classical and contemporary theories such as human relations, ecological approach etc. and public policy and major approaches in public administration.

Perspectives on International Relations

The subject helps students understand international relations, various related theoretical perspectives, and an overview of the twentieth century.

Political Processes and Institutions in Comparative Perspective

This subject guides students with various approaches to study comparative politics about the system of election and parties, nation-state and democratisation in post-colonial societies.

Public Policy and Administration in India

This subject introduces everything about public policy and administration, explains decentralisation, budget and social welfare administration, citizen and Administration interface.

Global Politics

This subject gives insights on globalisation: concepts and perspectives and contemporary global issues such as terrorism, migration etc.

Western Political Philosophy

This subject gives an insight to students about the framing of the first political questions and goes back in time to Greek antiquity. This has text and interpretations of Plato, Hobbes, Karl Marx, etc.

Indian Political Thought

This subject speaks of the emergence and evolution of Indian political thought over different points of time, including traditional pre-colonial Indian political thought, Ved Vyasa and Manu, Kautilya, Barani and Aggannasutta, Kabir and Abul Faza.

Contemporary Political Philosophy

Political philosophies are introduced with this subject, including those of Lenin, Mao Zedong, Antonio Gramsci, and John Rawls.

Modern Indian Political Thought

This subject has insights into modern Indian political thought. It includes ideas such as Ram Mohan Roy's liberalism to JP Narayan's total revolution and everything in between.

Typical Elective Subjects for Political Science

Subject title

Subject details

Introduction to Human Rights

This subject deals with understanding human rights, i.e. three generations, universal declaration, rights in the national constitution, international refugee law and international humanitarian law.

Development process and social movements in contemporary India.

This subject explains the development process ever since Independence, development strategy, and its impact on social structure and various social movements.

India Foreign Policy in a Changing world

This subject describes the bases, determinants, post-colonial perspectives of India's foreign policy. It further explains India's relations with the USA, Russia, China and South Asia and India’s position as a global power.

Women, Power and Politics

This subject focuses on feminism, issues for women such as patriarchy, violence, women empowerment and development.

Feminism: Theory and Practice

This subject focuses on making students understand feminism, the various theories surrounding it, the issues and participation of women and families in contemporary India and women 's work and labour.

Governance: Issues and Challenges

This subject includes government and governance, good governance, local governance and good governance initiative in India.

Gandhi and the Contemporary World

This subject has key instances of Gandhi and his influence, his initiatives and legacy, for example, Satyagraha, Swaraj etc.

United Nations and Global Conflicts

This subject has an overview of The United Nations, other organisations such as the Security Council, the International Court of Justice and major conflicts in global space since the second world war.

Detailed Syllabus for Political Science

Semester

Subject title

Subject Details

1.

Principles of Political Science I

This subject has everything about political science, such as its definitions, nature, scope etc. The state's elements, nature, theories, and sovereignty are also discussed.

1.

Indian National Movement & Constitutional Development I

This subject has everything about the history of the Indian National Movement, how the Indian National Congress came into existence, The Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha, the Home Rule Movement, the Non-Cooperation movement, the Swaraj Party, the Charter Acts etc.

2.

Principles of Political Science II

This subject has everything about political ideas such as socialism, justice, democracy, equality, liberty, nationalism, feminism, fascism and others.

2.

Indian National Movement & Constitutional Development II

This subject explains the rise and growth of revolutionary movements in India, such as the Quit India Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement and acts such as the Government of India Act, 1935, Indian Independence Act, 1947 etc.

3

Comparative Political Institutions I

This subject describes the nature and approaches of comparative political institutions, constitutionalism and rule of law, federalism and separation of powers, etc.

3

Constitution of India

This subject is comprehensive information about the composition, aims and objectives of the constituent assembly, preamble, parliament, judiciary, citizenship, fundamental rights and duties etc.

4

Comparative Political Institutions II

This subject describes the executive, legislature, and judiciary of countries such as the UK, USA, China, Russia, and the different political parties therein.

4

Constitution of India II

This one has all the information one needs on the governor, chief minister, union-state relations, amendment procedure, election commission and finance commission.

5

Political Thought - Indian and Western I

This subject is a comparative assessment of Indian thinkers such as Manu and Kautilya and Western thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle.

5

Indian Government and Politics

This subject describes salient features of the Indian political system, federalism, parliament, Supreme Court, union government, fundamental rights and duties etc.

5

Political Sociology I

This subject has everything about political sociology, such as emergence, nature, scope and approaches. It also includes political socialisation, participation and power.

5

Principles of Public Administration I

This one describes all aspects of public administration such as nature, scope, public and private, etc. It also focuses on the concept of the organisation such as meaning, types, principles, units, and the concept, merits, and demerits of delegated legislation.

5

International Relations I

The different concepts of international business such as meaning, scope, approaches, power and ideology are studied in this subject. It also has national power, interest, Cold War, non-alignment, etc.

6

Political thought: Indian and Western II

This one continues from its predecessor, describing the ideals and studies of Indian thinkers such as Vivekananda Gandhi and Western thinkers such as Rousseau, Machiavelli, etc.

6

Indian Government and Politics II

ThIs one describes the political process and issues in Indian democracy.

6

Political Sociology II

Political culture, parties, pressure groups, public opinion, mass society, modernisation etc., form the content to be studied in this subject.

6

Principles of Public Administration II

This subject describes the types, functions and roles of the Chief Executive, personal administration, administrative corruption, financial administration and administrative improvement.

6

International Relations: Concepts and Issues -II

As a continuation to its first volume, this one describes Cold War politics, regionalism, foreign policy, and the United Nations.

Specialisations offered in Political Science

Specialisation

Specialisation Subjects

Comparative Politics

Political change, comparative politics, party system, political institutions, terrorism, hybrid regimes

Electoral Politics

Parties, party system, voting behaviour, democracy and elections, survey methodology, religion and party politics in the west

Political Communication

Citizen politics, automated text analysis, political communication, social movements

Political Economy

Democracy, globalisation, inequality, devolution, decentralisation, autocracy, state and markets, business, Neoliberalism

Political Research Methodology and Social Analysis

Field research and data analysis, introduction to statistics, applied statistics, multivariate statistics, casualty

Social and Political theory

Political Institutions, populism, popular sovereignty, reinterpreting physical violence, manipulation, power and representation in legislatures.

Post-Communist Politics

Populism, democracy, nationalism, topics, trends and techniques of political research.

Books and Authors Related to Political Science

Subject

Book title

Authors

Understanding political theory

Political theory: An Introduction

Bhargava, R. and Ashok Acharya

Political theory

Modern Political theory

Verma, S.P.

The political process in India

Politics in India

Kaviraj, Sudipta

Comparative government and policies

World Constitutions

Bhagwan, Vishnu

Syllabus for Distance Program in Political Science

Students who wish to pursue political science but cannot attend regular college because of financial constraints, distance, eligibility, job, or other reasons, have another option, which is distance learning. The course structure remains the same, the only difference being that students do not have to go to college regularly.

There are options for colleges and universities which allow you to pursue political science in distance mode, such as:

  • Delhi University SOL

  • IGNOU

  • CU

  • University of Mumbai

  • Jaipur National University

Table of contents
  • Popular Political Science Colleges in India
  • Popular Private Political Science Colleges in India
  • Popular Exams
  • Popular Political Science Specializations
  • Most Popular Courses
  • Popular Political Science UG Courses
  • Popular Political Science PG Courses
View More

Popular Political Science Colleges in India

Following are the most popular Political Science Colleges in India. Learn more about these Political Science colleges (Courses, Reviews, Answers & more) by downloading the Brochure.
4 Courses
55.95 K - 86.01 K
9.24 - 9.5 LPA

#1 NIRF

13 Courses
19.01 K - 19.09 K
7 LPA

#2 NIRF

9 Courses
33.81 K - 47.45 K
5.4 LPA

#4 NIRF

2 Courses
432 - 540
4.62 - 7.9 LPA

#7 NIRF

48.15 K - 2.91 L
5.5 - 6.22 LPA

#8 NIRF

3 Courses
65.56 K
6 LPA

#11 NIRF

Popular Private Political Science Colleges in India

4 L - 16 L
5.5 - 6.6 LPA

Political Science Applications open. Apply Now

1.53 L - 2.53 L
5.5 - 7.5 LPA

Political Science Applications open. Apply Now

2 L

Political Science Applications open. Apply Now

1.7 L - 3.4 L
5.0
16 L
5.5 LPA

Political Science Applications open. Apply Now

3 L

Popular Exams

Following are the top exams for Political Science. Students interested in pursuing a career on Political Science, generally take these important exams.You can also download the exam guide to get more insights.

29 Apr ' 26 - 31 May ' 26

CUET UG 2026 Intimation Slip

To Be Notified:

CUET UG 2026 Admit Card

TENTATIVE

2 May ' 26

SAT India exam (May attempt)

22 May ' 26

Last date to apply for June Attempt

Jun '26

CPGET 2026 Notification

TENTATIVE

Jun '26

CPGET 2026 Registration

TENTATIVE

Popular Political Science Specializations

Following are the most popular Political Science Specializations . You can explore the top Colleges offering these Specializations by clicking the links below.

Popular Specializations

Popular Political Science UG Courses

Following are the most popular Political Science UG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these UG Courses by clicking the links below.

UG Courses

Popular Political Science PG Courses

Following are the most popular Political Science PG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these PG Courses by clicking the links below.

PG Courses

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Answered 4 days ago

For a career in think tanks (like ORF, CPR, ICWA) or practical policy analysis, the theoretical MA programs are excellent for academic research but often lack the professional skills training (policy memos, stakeholder mapping, consulting) you are looking for.

In India, new-age private universities h

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T

Tasbiya Khan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

Good question — CUET subject choices don't lock you out of professional programs like BBA or Journalism.

 How CUET Subjects Work

  • CUET requires you to attempt at least one language + domain subjects + general test.
  • You chose English, History, Political Science.
  • For BBA/Management programs, most universit

...Read more

S

Sidhartha Singh

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

JNU cutoff 2025 for the CUET PG entrance examination was concluded with the release of the final round of cutoffs for various All India categories. 

For the General AI category, the MA in Philosophy course had an overall cutoff range of 84.33. On the other hand, for the OBC AI category, the cutoff ra

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Neerja Rohatgi

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

LSE tuition fee may vary from one programme to another. London School of Economics UG annual tuition fee ranges from INR 26.49 L - 49.01 L. LSE annual tuition fee PG is ranges INR 20.79 L - 59.57 L. London School of Economics and Political Science top programs tuition fee are listed below-

CourseTuition
MBA/PGDM
INR 24.73 L - 59.57 L
MS
INR 37.34 L
M.Sc.
INR 24.73 L - 59.57 L
M.A.
INR 24.73 L - 48.39 L

M

Manashjyoti Sharma

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

CBSE 12th Political Science Question 2026 is available now. The process to download it is given below.

  • Visit our website
  • Click the question paper link
  • CBSE Class 12 Political Science Question Paper 2026 PDF appears on the screen
  • Download and save it

 

I

Indrani Thakur

Contributor-Level 8

Answered a month ago

CBSE 12th Political Science Answer Key 2026 solutions were made available after the exam was over. These were given by the Shiksha expert. It comprises the correct answers for all the given questions.

I

Ishita Aggarwal

Contributor-Level 8

Answered a month ago

CBSE 12th Political Science Question Paper 2026 is available on our website. Students can download the question paper for free. 

B

Bhumika Lama

Contributor-Level 8

Answered a month ago

Hi, you can explore 45+ MA colleges in India for Public Policy, and the admissions are through entrance exams at state-level, held separately by the institute, or merit. Some of the best ranked and highly popular arts colleges that offer this subject are:

  1. Amity University, Noida - It has the MA in Pu

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S

Syed Aquib Ur Rahman

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Of course, you can. International Relations is a part of Political Science, and if you decide to go for your higher studies in Political Science, there's nothing wrong with it. 

But understand this, International Relations means studying international law, global politics, diplomacy, etc. And Politic

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N

Nikita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 2 months ago

A lot! Geopolitics is a lot more than International Relations. You need to understand that the Geopolitics is like a structure used to understand how the world works. Geopolitics says that the Geography decides what we are and what we'll become. 

For instance, if you're born in India and your parents

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A

Akansha Bisht

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

The answer is simple! Go for Political Science if you're into Indian Politics, Domestic Governance, etc. If you have an interest in International Law, Diplomacy, and Global Politics, join IR courses.

If you have any plans to go for higher studies like MA, you can also complete a UG degree in Politica

...Read more

R

Rashmi Thakur

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 2 months ago

It's huge. You can join many private and government sectors. These even include world-level organizations like the UN, the WHO, etc.

Not only that, you can prepare for civil services exams, because the International Relations curriculum is going to help you a lot with the prep.

You can join the educat

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S

Shikha Arora

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 2 months ago

It is about the interactions and relationships between nations across the world. Under this subject, you study a variety of topics, including diplomacy, international law, sovereign entities, MNCs, foreign policy, conflict resolution, and more.

With an International Relations degree, you can become a

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I

Ishita Uniyal

Contributor-Level 9

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