Which is stronger for undergraduate political science: William & Mary or UC Berkeley?

Berkeley’s Political Science Department has a larger faculty and a wider range of advanced courses across American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and political behavior. Its location near California’s state government supports policy-oriented opportunities, while campus institutions such as the Institute of Governmental Studies connect students to public-opinion research, speakers, and political scholarship.

William & Mary’s Government Department is highly respected and can provide a more personal undergraduate experience. Classes are typically smaller, and it is often easier for a student to become known by professors, pursue an independent project, or earn strong mentorship for graduate school, law school, or fellowships.

The key tradeoff is scale. At Berkeley, introductory political science courses can be large, and students need to be proactive about office hours, research applications, and building faculty relationships. In return, they have access to a broader course catalog, more specialized research centers, and a larger network of politically engaged students and alumni. At William & Mary, the academic setting is more intimate, but the department has fewer faculty members and fewer highly specialized course options.

For someone who places unusual value on close faculty contact and a smaller liberal-arts-style learning environment, William & Mary may produce a more personally supportive undergraduate experience.