Category: Political Science

Sophie is a Visiting Scholar with the Prevention, Peacebuilding and Protracted Crises Program of NYU’s Center for International Cooperation, as well as a non-resident fellow with the Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Program, having recently completed a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship based at both institutions.

Marco Mascorro (he/him) is an educator, engineer, immigration advocate, soccer coach, and analyst at Goldman Sachs. Marco is the descendant of a long line of Native American bean and corn farmers. A first-generation immigrant who moved to the U.S. from Mexico at age 5, he graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with a major in Political Science and a minor in Finance.

I was interested with economics for the first time my senior year of high school. That was the first time I ever got to interact with this subject. It intrigued me to learn about the importance of economics in all aspects of the world. It was quite fascinating to me.

I chose International Political Economy as my major because of the way it combined several things I was passionate about. The entire major promotes interdisciplinary study while still allowing for the flexibility to do things like study abroad. In addition, I have found IPE faculty and students to be some of the most involved and supportive on campus.

Use your time at UTD to experience as many different things as you can. EPPS degrees are also very flexible, so don’t feel limited in your career choices.

I have always been interested in what constitutes good governance and the reasons why people vote the way they do.

Never stop pursuing your goals with passion. If everyone else can do it, so can you!

In a recent CBC News segment, Dr. Thomas Gray, assistant professor of political science in EPPS, provided insight into the implications of the Sunshine Protection Act, a proposed bill to make daylight time permanent in the U.S. in a recent report by CBC News. The act is of particular interest to Canadians as the proposed […]

I’ve always had an interest in politics and law throughout my life growing up. I enjoy reading articles on current events centering around those categories as well as on an international level, it helps having a much open-minded perspective of the world and what is going on.

My interest in environmental policy led me to Geospatial Information Sciences. Although I originally entered as a Political Science major, I was interested in the hands-on research applications of GIS.

The key to my success has been making sure to maintain a balance in my life. Everyone at this school is very focused and driven but being able to know when to stop studying and enjoy myself has helped me maintain my physical and mental health while still allowing me to achieve my academic goals.

For me, studying public policy and/or political science means understanding the intersectionality of policy issues I am interested in. This includes the environment, economy, and equity.

Currently, I am the campaign manager for Dowd for Texas, which is a Democratic campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 2022. Since we just launched recently, a lot of my job currently involves organizing the internal structure of the campaign, setting up contracts with vendors & contractors, and setting our overarching strategy & tone of the campaign. Additionally, from my time at the Texas Capitol and previous campaigns, I’m reaching out to other elected officials around Texas to discuss meetings and possible support of our Campaign. My primary concern, daily, is to ensure that we are executing the appropriate actions so that we meet our goals and deadline. (I can expand on this, but I don’t want to get too partisan here).

EPPS helped me develop a strong foundation that has helped me learn a great deal while working on the Hill. I owe the Bill Archer Fellowship Program and the Fred Hill Endowed Scholarship for the opportunity to intern for the House Budget Committee. Without the chance to take time to intern unpaid on the Hill, I would not be where I am in my career today.

Plan for what you want to do after EPPS while you are there — take advantage of your resources, including your colleagues and support staff. Take a statistics course, even if you don’t want to initially!

I credit my EPPS education for allowing me to better understand the behaviors and social interactions of different groups and organizations as well honing my skills around analysis and understanding data. I feel that I am better equipped to handle situations in the workplace, deal with the “politics” that exist, and strengthen the relationships I build with the different areas of the business.

Take advantage of the knowledge and connections of your professors. One of my summer internships and my involvement with a local political campaign were both experiences directly related to my classes. Connections like these can lead to great opportunities in the future, especially in the work place and with graduate programs.

Have goals and network. Networking is always one of the most important things you can do while in college, but networking with specific goals in mind will be the key to your success.

As you go through life, almost everything can be taken from you, including your home, family, and friends. One thing that cannot be taken from you is your education. Once your degree is earned, it’s yours for life. Treasure and value your education.

Gain practical experience through internships, fellowships, join organizations and travel.

My job requires frequent cross-cultural communication, strategic thinking, and analytical skills. EPPS helped me get started with those skills many years ago, and taught me to be a clear, confident communicator in writing and in person.

I would suggest learning at least some math and/or statistics. This will give you a quantifiable boost in the job market, and will allow you to seek jobs outside of politics as well.

The top two skills I learned from UTD that I use today are preparation and thinking on my feet. Specifically competing in moot court with UTD.

Vary your course work as much as possible. Doing so will expose you to the many different functional areas of government and complexities of politics. If you do, you just might find a new passion.

Be the best that you can be. Strive for excellence in all aspects of your life.

The biggest factor by far was the time and attention that faculty invested in students like myself. The assistance they provided has had a lasting effect on me as a student and as a person.

Pay attention to the world. Learn how to give back and don’t wait until you graduate to begin thinking about what to do after school.

The rigorous course load and wide-ranging variety of EPPS, and more specifically pre-law, classes were instrumental in making law school a much easier experience for me.

For those who seek it, UT Dallas and EPPS offers students the opportunity to become leaders that have exceptional critical thinking skills and developed analytical abilities.

The Archer Fellowship program will give you an amazing experience working an internship with other UT System students in Washington, D.C. The alumni network is active and has strong contingents in D.C., Dallas, Austin and New York.

Everything we do, we want to focus on being the groundbreaker. But the way we do that is through people.

Do not waste the opportunities available at UT Dallas. Apply for the various programs that exist to help you achieve your goals.

This University is unique and so much fun. We don’t have a football team, we have an esports team and an awesome chess team. There are so many resources available. I hope that current students take advantage of everything that’s out there. 

UT Dallas is the best thing that ever happened to me. It has a small-family feel but big-school resources. I loved being surrounded by smart people who constantly push you to be better, with professors who give so much attention to the individual success of each student.