2025-2026 Calendar

Current calendar coming soon.

Application Process and Calendar

Students apply to the program in the spring of the third year and should declare a major in Government or Foreign Affairs. Students seeking admission to DMP should be on track to graduate with Departmental and University grade point averages of at least 3.4.

Students are encouraged but not required to complete a Politics research methods course, such as PLAD 2222 (Research Methods), PLAD 4500 (Seminar in Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences) or equivalent courses in other departments before the start of their fourth year.

Your completed application should include the following materials:

1. An unofficial copy of your most recent transcript.
2. A statement of no more than three double-spaced pages of your proposed research.  That statement should include the following elements:
   • The proposed research questions (a statement of the personal or policy relevance of the research is optional).
   • Discussion of any preliminary knowledge of the relevant research literature, including any relevant prior coursework. The best research statements relate the proposed topic to existing research and can describe how their research might contribute to the existing literature.     
   • A preliminary statement of the research hypothesis; we understand, however, that students may revise their research hypotheses as they complete some of the early stages of research.
   • A preliminary statement of potential research methods that might be used in the project.
3. A one-page list of relevant publications.   
4. Two confidential letters of recommendation by faculty members submitted directly to he DMP faculty director, Director Waldner, daw4h@virginia.edu .  At least one of these letters and preferably both should be from full-time Politics faculty.  Try to familiarize your recommenders with your proposed research so that they might comment on its significance and on your competence to undertake it.                        

Academic Components of the DMP

Students in the DMP are required to take 3 credits in the Department as a prerequisite plus 30 credits in the major. These 30 credits must include: (1) At least l2 credits at the 4000 and 5000 levels including six credits of PLAD 4960. (2) Courses to satisfy general departmental distribution rules for Government or Foreign Affairs majors.

In the fall semester of the 4th year, DMP students meet regularly to discuss issues related to conceptualizing, researching, and writing social-science theses. In the spring semester, they present their preliminary hypotheses and findings to the seminar.

Students are required to write a high quality thesis during the fourth year. The thesis seminar, PLAD 4960/PLAD 4961, is a year-long six credit course. Students are responsible for obtaining a faculty member to serve as their thesis advisor for both semesters of the course.

Students are evaluated based on (1) quality of the thesis, (2) overall work in major field of study, (3) their overall College record.

Faculty thesis readers will forward evaluations to the Department’s DMP faculty director, who will review the evaluations and students’ records, and forward recommendations to the College Committee on Special Programs.

Superior theses will be nominated by faculty advisors for the Emmerich-Wright Prize, which is given annually to the outstanding thesis.

Emmerich Wright Prize Winners

2025 | Rocco Burdge

2024 | Jordyn Yoder

2023 | Jaden Evans

2022 | Sophie Roehse

2021 | Abby Groetsch  

2020 | Gregory Arnold

2019 | Jayme Pupatelli

2018 | Rebecca Brough

2017 | Yule Wang

2015 | Jessica Blusiewicz

2014 | Albert Strubler

2013 | Melanie Snail

2012 | Vinitra Rangan