Political methodology training at Texas A&M covers the diverse scientific methods used in Political Science. The methods faculty of Texas A&M is nationally acclaimed and active in developing, publishing, and teaching cutting edge techniques of political analysis. Besides the various special topics courses in methods offered by the Department, faculty are regularly asked to teach at the University of Essex and University of Michigan Summer Programs. The breadth of methods covered by the faculty is wide, including traditional econometric and time series analysis, limited dependent variables, maximum likelihood, mathematical modeling, game theory, experimental design, and Bayesian analysis.
We require students who take methods as a minor field to demonstrate an understanding of statistical and formal approaches to research questions, but we allow students to specialize in the particular areas most appropriate for the student’s substantive interests. In particular, we aim to give students the ability to integrate theory, measurement, and estimation using the most appropriate techniques for each step in the research process. In the recent past, our students have taken courses in the maximum-likelihood estimation, game theory, mathematical modeling, time series, hierarchical modeling, experimental methods, and Bayesian estimation. The political science discipline widely expects that graduate students coming from the Texas A&M program will have had strong methods of training.
Organized by Casey Crisman-Cox and David Fortunato.
