Mr. Eskew,

I have three points in response to your reluctance of Notre Dame. First, be aware that when you are a graduate student, you are much more removed from the mainstream campus culture (to a point,) so any predominant postmodernist tendencies would be diluted.

Second, the guide put out by the Cardinal Newman Society (as with most college guides) is oriented toward undergraduates. The character of the graduate programs (depending on your advisor) can be radically different.

Third, I'm not sure you read far enough on the page you referred to me. Go to the link you referenced to me, scroll down, click on "What about Notre Dame?" under Epilogue and read what the guide said about Notre Dame.

But, I'm not defending Notre Dame. You can go wherever you want to earn your PhD. I just want to make sure you make a well-informed decision.

Good luck!

Good points, INsage.

But it's that "depending on your advisor" part that worries me. I've heard horror stories about advisors who, if they disagree with you, can hold you up for years. Of course this can happen anywhere, but it's far more likely in a corrupt program.

True, I haven't yet read the whole article on ND. Thanks for the heads-up.

Mr. Eskew,

I don't have a graduate degree, but I remember the advice I received when I was contemplating a masters in Political Science. I e-mailed prominent conservative political science professors, and they told me to:

1) Find a program that is strong in the area of political science I was interested in specializing in and,

2) Find a department that has more than one like-minded professor (conservative or libertarian) to advise me (in case, for example, my initial advisor dies or something.)

Theoretically, then, you're shopping for people, not just programs. So, the standards you're using (though perfect for the undergraduate) is a bit irrelevant for a PhD program.

Using the advice I received from my inquiries, that might put Georgetown and Boston College in play, or maybe even some of the Ivy League schools or major state universities. There are prominent conservative/libertarian professors at many of these schools. A. James Gregor is a prominent right-wing political science professor at Berkeley of all places!

You may have to take the time to list a couple dozen schools that offer what you're looking for and research every member of the relevant department. Look at their publications and personal websites (if they're available). Or, do what I did and compile a list of like-minded professors and ask them for their advice just like I did. I've got to believe there are some hidden gems out there, but they will need to be dug up - and that takes time.

BTW - The University of Dallas has an excellent PhD program in Politics, but I was told, for some reason, that graduates don't get hired much.

It sounds like good advice, INsage. Many thanks. I'll keep it in mind.

As for the Univ. of Dallas, I was just looking at their site yesterday. Their program seems quite rigorous and indeed wonderful, in fact quite what I'm looking for. I'll explore it further. I wonder why, if it's true, that they don't get hired much. There could be some anti-Catholicism involved.

Dear Mr. Eskew,

You have received some very sound advice in the posts above. It would be unwise to search out a graduate program following the same criteria as one would use in deciding on one's undergraduate education.

In addition to seeking out programs with one or two sympathetic faculty who could serve as your advisors, you should also consider the kinds of students who are likely to enter a particular graduate program.

Just as Notre Dame undergraduates are markedly more pious than the faculty that teaches them, you would likely discover that Notre Dame graduate students are substantially more conservative and more likely to be practicing Catholics than at other schools. Much like yourself, many bright aspiring graduate students seek out Notre Dame despite the trends among its faculty. Because Notre Dame stands somewhere on the cusp of the elite graduate universities, its academic reputation and the self-selecting of students attracted to its Catholic ambiance, would likely combine to make for a far more satisfying graduate career than you could have elsewhere.

Places like Dallas are very fine and produce good, even great, graduates. But it is worth your considering that Notre Dame's Catholic identity is not reducible to its faculty, and that that identity actually attracts a distinct kind of graduate student (usually, exceptionally bright and more likely to be Catholic) regardless of the problems that currently infest certain aspects of the University.