The mission of the Political Science program is to push forward the boundaries of the discipline, and train graduate and undergraduate students to consume and produce sophisticated modern empirical and theoretical research. The rigorous methodological graduate training that students receive at UC Merced places them at the leading edge of the social sciences. We use a unique approach to graduate training, focused on Political Institutions & Political Economy (PIPE) and Political Cognition & Behavior (CAB), guaranteeing that students will have a comprehensive and creative understanding of politics. We believe in interdisciplinary research, crossing boundaries and finding new frontiers, so students are also encouraged to work with faculty from other disciplines such as cognitive science, psychology, economics, and sociology to enrich their education.
A new partnership between UC Merced's CalTeach program and the Bakersfield City School District gave middle-school children from migrant families a rare opportunity to live and learn on a college...
Editor's note: This story is republished from the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of UC Merced Magazine. Temnee Wright, ’08 has realized a successful career as legal counsel at several Silicon Valley...
Anil Menon is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of California - Merced whose comparative work at the intersection of health policy and political science are widely...
