Mission Statement

The University of North Dakota Department of Political Science & Public Administration's mission is "to serve the global, national, state, and local community by providing teaching, research, and service."  Specifically,

(1) in its teaching mission, the Department is committed to the liberal arts mission of the university and strives to develop students' communication skills and critical and independent thinking.  It also provides professional education to prepare students to assume leadership positions in the public, non-profit, and private spheres because of their understanding of the roles and responsibilities of public service.  The Department stresses to students the importance of civic involvement and an understanding of democratic processes and outcomes;

(2) in its research mission, the Department produces basic research to understand the functioning of the public sector, the role of citizens, and the relationship between the public and private sectors in society.  It also produces applied research that contributes to the efficient and effective functioning of the public sector for the improvement of society;

(3) in its service mission, the Department is committed to contributing to the governance and functioning of the university and using its expertise to benefit the broader communities at the local, state, national, and international levels.  The Department also serves its professional community by being active in national and international professional organizations and participating in continuing education activities sponsored by those organizations.