UGC NET 2025 June Political Science Syllabus: Chapter Wise Topics, PDF Download, Pattern & More

University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test 2025 ( UGC NET )

DeskCalelnderExam On - 31 Dec '25 - 7 Jan '26

Shikha
Shikha Goyal
Assistant Manager
Updated on Jun 17, 2025 11:32 IST
NTA (National Testing Agency) will conduct the UGC NET 2025 June session exam from June 25 to 29, 2025. The candidates can check the syllabus of UGC NET/JRF Political Science syllabus in brief. The candidates can also check out the exam highlights, pattern paper 1 syllabus, and tips to qualify for the UGC NET exam.

The NTA will conduct the UGC NET 2025 exam for June session from June 25 to 29, 2025. Candidates taking the UGC NET Political Science exam can check the syllabus in brief for the June session. The candidates can also learn about the UGC NET exam pattern, exam highlights, and more in the article. 

UGC NET 2023, UGC NET Syllabus, Paper 1 Syllabus, Paper 2 Syllabus, Political Science Syllabus

UGC NET Political Science Syllabus

UGC NET Political Science Syllabus: The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct the UGC NET 2025 Political Science exam on June 26, 2025. The detailed schedule was released. The NTA NET 2025 exam for June session will be conducted from June 25 to June 29, 2025. The candidates who are preparing for the UGC NET exam in Political Science must read the article to learn about the syllabus and preparation tips.  

Table of contents
  • UGC NET Exam Highlights
  • UGC NET Exam Pattern 2025
  • UGC NET Political Science Syllabus 2025
  • UGC NET Political Science Paper 1 Syllabus 2025
  • UGC NET Political Science Paper 2 Syllabus
  • Age Limit for UGC NET/JRF 2025
  • UGC NET 2025 Preparation Tips
View More

UGC NET Exam Highlights 

The UGC NET exam highlights have been given below for the candidates in the table: 

Q:   Why is an analysis important for the preparation journey of the UGC NET exam?
A:

Analysis is important for candidate in NTA NET exam. It helps in preparation, understand paper structure, difficulty level, topics asked or high weightage areas, expected cutoff. By analyzing mock tests and previous years papers students can prepare well.

UGC NET Exam Highlights  

Exam Name 

UGC NET/JRF 

Exam Authority 

UGC (University Grants Commission) 

Exam Conducting Authority 

NTA (National Testing Agency) 

Exam Level 

National  

Exam Frequency  

Twice a year 

June Session 

December Session 

Mode of Exam 

Online CBT 

UGC NET Exam Pattern 2025

The exam pattern for the UGC NET has been given below for the candidates. The candidates must know the exam pattern before applying for the UGC NET exam: 

  • The time duration of UGC NET exam is 180 minutes (3 hours) 
  • No negative marks are given for wrong answers  
  • No marks are deducted for unanswered questions  

Also Read: UGC NET Psychology Syllabus 2025

Upcoming Sarkari Exam Dates

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1 Jan '26 - 31 Jan '26

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UPSC IAS Main Result 2025

11 Nov '25 - 30 Apr '26

IBPS Clerk 2026 notification

31 Aug '26

TSTET Exam Date

3 Jan '26 - 31 Jan '26

Check the exam pattern for Paper 1 and Paper 2 in the table below: 

UGC NET Paper 

Number of Questions 

Marks 

Paper 1 

50  

100 

Paper 2 

100  

200 

Total 

150  

300 

UGC NET Political Science Syllabus  2025

UGC NET 2024 December Session exam will be conducted for 85 subjects. The candidates have to take paper 1 and paper 2 exams for the UGC NET exam. Paper 1 is common for every subject while Paper 2 is subject-specific. Both papers are compulsory and candidates have to take the exam for both papers. The syllabus for paper 1 and paper 2 syllabus for Political Science has been given below for the candidates. 

UGC NET Political Science Paper 1 Syllabus 2025

The Paper 1 syllabus is the common paper for all the candidates who are taking the UGC NET exam. Paper 1 comprises 50 questions that hold two marks for each correct answer. The total mark for Paper 1 is 100 marks. The syllabus for paper 1 has been given below for the candidates: 

  • Teaching Aptitude   
  • Research Aptitude   
  • Reading Comprehension   
  • Communication   
  • Reasoning   
  • Logical Reasoning  
  • Data Interpretation   
  • Information and Communication Technology   
  • People and Environment   
  • Higher Education System: Governance, Polity, and Administration 

Also Read: UGC NET English Syllabus 2025

UGC NET Political Science Paper 2 Syllabus

Paper 2 is subject-specific and holds 200 marks for 100 questions. There is no negative marking for the exam. The syllabus for Political Science comprises 10 units. The detailed syllabus for the political science has been given below for the candidates: 

Unit 1: Political Theory  

  • Political Traditions 
  • Liberalism 
  • Conservatism 
  • Socialism 
  • Marxism 
  • Feminism 
  • Ecologism 
  • Multiculturalism 
  • Postmodernism 

Unit 2: Political Thought  

  • Confucius, Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt, Frantz 
    Fanon, Mao Zedong, John Rawls 

Unit 3:  Indian Political Thought 

  • Dharmashastra, Kautilya, Aggannasutta, Barani, Kabir, Pandita Ramabai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Swami Vivekanand, Rabindranath Tagore, M.K Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, Muhammad Iqbal, M.N.Roy, V D Savarkar, Dr. B.R.Ambedkar, J L Nehru, Ram Manohar Lohia, Jaya Prakash Narayan, Deendayal Upadhyaya 

Unit 4: Comparative Political Analysis  

  • Approaches: Institutional, Political Culture, Political Economy and New, Institutionalism; Comparative Methods 
  • Colonialism and decolonisation: forms of Colonialism, anti-colonial struggles, and decolonisation 
  • Nationalism: European and non-European 
  • State theory: the debate over the nature of the state in capitalist and socialist societies; post-colonial state; welfare state; globalization and nations-states 
  • Political regimes: democratic (Electoral, Liberal, Majoritarian and Participatory) and non-democratic regimes (Patrimonialism, Bureaucratic authoritarianism, 
    Military dictatorship, Totalitarianism, and fascism) 
  • Constitutions and Constitutionalism: forms of constitutions, rule of law, judicial independence and liberal constitutionalism; emergency powers and the crisis of 
    constitutionalism 
  • Democratisation: democratic transition and consolidation 
  • Development: Underdevelopment, Dependency, Modernization, World Systems, Theory, development and democracy 
  • Actor and Processes: Electoral Systems, Political Parties, and Party Systems, Interest groups, social movements, new social movements, Non-Governmental 
    Organisations (NGOs) and civil society campaigns; Revolutions 

Unit 5: International Relations 

  • Approaches to the study of International relations: Idealism, Realism, Structural, Marxism, Neoliberalism, Neorealism, Social Constructivism, Critical International 
    Theory, Feminism, Postmodernism  
  • Concepts: State, state system and non-state actors, Power, Sovereignty, Security: traditional and non-traditional 
  • Conflict and Peace: Changing Nature of Warfare; Weapons of mass destruction; deterrence; conflict resolution, conflict transformation 
  • United Nations: Aims, Objectives, Structure, and Evaluation of the Working of UN; Peace and Development perspectives; Humanitarian intervention. International law; International Criminal Court 
  • Political Economy of IR; Globalisation; Global governance and Bretton Woods system, North-South Dialogue, WTO, G-20, BRICS 
  • Regional Organisations: European Union, African Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, ASEAN 
  • Contemporary Challenges: International terrorism, Climate change and Environmental Concerns, Human Rights, Migration and Refugees; Poverty and Development; Role of Religion, Culture and Identity Politics 

Also Read:

Unit 6: India’s Foreign Policy 

  • Perspectives on India’s Foreign Policy: India’s Identity as postcolonial, development, rising power, and as emerging political economy 
    Continuity and change in India’s Foreign Policy: Principles and determinants; Non-Alignment movement: historical background and relevance of Non Aligned 
    Movement; India’s Nuclear Policy India’s relations with major powers: USA, USSR/Russia, People’s Republic of China 
  • India’s Engagement with the multipolar world: India’s relations with European Union, BRICS, ASEAN, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, African Union, Southern African Development Community, Gulf Cooperation Council 
  • India’s relations with neighbourhood: SAARC, Gujaral doctrine, Look East/ Act East, Look WestIndia’s Negotiation Strategies in International Regimes: The United Nations, World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 
    Contemporary challenges: maritime security, energy security, environmental security, migrants and refugees, water resources, international terrorism, cyber security 

Unit 7: Political Institutions in India 

  • Making of the Indian Constitution: Colonialism heritage and the contribution Indian National Movement to the making of the Indian Constitution 
  • Constituent Assembly: Composition, Ideological Moorings, Constitutional Debates 
  • Philosophy of the Constitution: Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles 
  • Constitutionalism in India: Democracy, Social Change, National Unity, Checks and Balances, Basic Structure Debate, Constitutional Amendments 
  • Union Executive: President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers 
  • Union Parliament: Structure, Role and Functioning, Parliamentary Committees 
  • Judiciary: Supreme Court, High Court, Judicial Review, Judicial Activism, Judicial Reform. 
  • Executive and Legislature in the States: Governor, Chief Minister, State Legislature 
  • Federalism in India: Strong Centre Framework, Asymmetrical Federal Provisions and Adaption, Role of Intergovernmental Coordination Mechanisms, Inter-State 
    Council, Emerging Trends 
  • Electoral Process and Election Commission of India: Conduct of Elections, Rules, Electoral Reforms 
  • Local Government Institutions: Functioning and reforms 
  • Constitutional and Statutory Bodies: Comptroller and Auditor General, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for Human Rights, National Commission for Women, National Commission for Minorities 

Unit 8: Political Processes in India 

  • State, Economy and Development: Nature of Indian State, Development Planning model, New Economic Policy, Growth and Human Development 
  • Process of globalisation: social and economic implications 
  • Identity Politics: Religion, Tribe, Caste, Region, Language 
  • Social Movements: Dalit, Tribal, Women, Farmers, labour 
  • Civil Society Groups: Non-Party Social Formations, Non-Governmental Organisations, Social Action Groups 
  • Regionalisation of Indian Politics: Reorganisation of Indian States, States as Political and Economic Units, Sub-State Regions, Regional disparities, Demand 
    for New States 
  • Gender and Politics in India: Issues of Equality and Representation 
  • Ideology and Social basis of Political Parties: National Parties, State Parties 
  • Electoral Politics: Participation, Contestation, Representation, Emerging trends 

Unit 9: Public Administration 

  • Public Administration: meaning and evolution; public and private administration 
  • Approaches: System Theory, Decision Making, Ecological Approach 
  • Public administration theories and concepts: Scientific Management Theory, Rational Choice theory, New Public Administration, Development Administration, Comparative Public Administration, New Public Management, changing nature of Public Administration in the era of liberalisation and Globalisation 
  • Theories and Principles of Organization: Scientific Management Theory, Bureaucratic Theory, Human Relations Theory  
  • Managing the organization: Theories of leadership and motivation 
  • Organisational Communication: Theories and Principles, Chester Bernard Principles of Communication, Information Management in the organization 
  • Managing Conflict in the Organization: Mary Parker Follett 
  • Management by Objectives- Peter Drucker 

Unit 10: Governance and Public Policy in India 

  • Governance, good governance, and democratic governance, the role of the state, civil society, and individuals 
  • Accountability and control: Institutional mechanism for checks and balances, legislative control over the executive, administrative and budgetary control, control through parliamentary committees, judicial control over legislature and executive, administrative culture, corruption, and administrative reforms 
  • Institutional mechanisms for good governance: Right to Information, Consumer Protection Act, Citizen Charter; Grievance redress system: Ombudsman, Lokpal, Lokayukta 
  • Grassroots Governance: Panchayati Raj Institutions and their functioning 
  • Planning and Development: Decentralised planning, planning for development, sustainable development, participatory development, e-governance; NITI Aayog 
  • Public policy as an instrument of socio-economic development: public policies with special reference to housing, health, drinking water, food security, MNREGA, NHRM, RTE 
  • Monitoring and evaluation of public policy; mechanisms of making governance process accountable: Jansunwai, Social Audit 

Age Limit for UGC NET/JRF 2025

There is no age limit to appear for the UGC NET exam to become eligible for Assistant Professor. However, the candidates must be less than equals to 31 years old to be eligible for a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). 

UGC NET 2025 Preparation Tips 

The candidates who want to qualify for the UGC NET exam with flying colours must follow the tips given below for the candidates: 

  • The candidates must start preparing for the UGC NET exam form their post-graduation days  
  • The candidates should follow the syllabus of Central University 
  • Regularly solve the previous years’ question and analyse the repeated topics and weightage of the sections 
  • Take online mock tests to get habitual of exam condition 
  • Give time to paper 1 as paper 2 because paper 1 can be the deciding factor for qualifying the exam 

Read More: UGC NET Preparation Tips 2025

About the Author
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Shikha Goyal
Assistant Manager

Role: Editorial Domain

Education: Mass Com & Journalism, MSC Mathematics

Expertise: Sarkari Exam Expert

About

Shikha Goyal is a double post graduate with more than 12 years of experience in education domain, journal

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Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 4 days ago

The authority will release the NTA UGC NET provisional answer key after the conclusion of an exam in a few days along with the question paper and response sheet. It will help the candidates to verify their responses, estimate the probable scores and evaluate their performance in the examination.

G

Gunjan Majumder

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 4 days ago

No. candidate can not submit the UGC NET application form offline. It was released on the official portal at ugcnet.nta.nic.in. The application form was released online on October 7. All the process of the online form including the registration, document upload, fee payment, confirmation, etc. must

...Read more

K

Kritika Sharma

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 4 days ago

In the UGC NET exam, two marks are awarded for every correct answerThere is no negative marking in the exam. For every correct answer, two marks are awarded. Scroll down to know the marking scheme.

UGC NET Marking Parameters

Marks Allotted 

Correct answer

+2

Incorrect answer

0

Un-attempted question

0

N

Nitesh Pruthi

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 4 days ago

The NTA released the UGC NETadmit card 2025 for the December session exam. It was released on the official portal at ugcnet.nta.nic.in. The admit card is a mandatory document thata needs to be carried at the examination centre by the candidate.  

J

Jasleen Jain

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 4 days ago

The UGC NET December session exam is ongoing. As per the students' feedback UGC NET January 2 Paper 1 was Moderate some felt that Assertion & Reasoning part was a bit difficult. Paper 1 was lengthy. 

S

Shikha Shukla

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

The questions asked in the NTA UGC NET Paper 1 exam are generic and intend to assess the teaching or research aptitude of the candidate. Details are provided below:

UGC NET Paper 1 Sections

No. of Questions

Total Marks

Teaching Aptitude

5

10

Research Aptitude

5

10

Reading Comprehension

5

10

Communication

5

10

Reasoning (including Maths)

5

10

Logical Reasoning

5

10

Data Interpretation

5

10

Information & Communication Technology (ICT)

5

10

People & Environment

5

10

Higher Education System: Governance, Polity & Administration

5

10

Total

50

100

M

Manisha Singh

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

The NTA UGC NET exam consists of two papers and candidates need to complete it in a duration of three hours. Candidates can check below the exam pattern for both papers.

UGC NET Paper

Number of Questions

Total Marks

UGC NET Paper 1

50 

100

UGC NET Paper 2

100 

200

Total

150 

300

C

Chanchal Shekhar

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

Candidates can chech below the methods to downlaod the UGC NET admit card:

  • Go to the ugcnet.nta.nic.in
  • Click on the hall ticket link for the exam
  • Enter the details asked on the login page- application number, date of birth, and security pin
  • Click on the submit button 
  • Download and save it 

S

Satyendra Garg

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

The UGC NET Paper 2 subject specific i.e, Economics, consists of 100 questions worth 2 marks each. The exam will be of 3-hour duration, so there will be no breaks between paper 1 and paper 2. Candidates should cover all significant units of the of the Economics syllabus as mentioned below:

  • Micro Econ

...Read more

S

Shikha Goyal

Contributor-Level 10