| Sumario: | A comparative study examined the structure of the undergraduate political science curriculum in the U.S. and in seven other countries. Data were obtained from a representative survey of 200 political science programs in the U.S. to determine the requirements for quantitative methods, research methods, and research projects, and compared to results from a survey of all political science programs in Australia, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Britain. Findings indicated that the state of undergraduate methods instruction is much weaker in the U.S. than indicated in previous analyses, that this pattern is repeated in other countries focusing on broad and flexible liberal arts degrees, and that this pattern of weak methods requirements is not observed in more centralized, European higher education system that value depth over breadth. Findings suggested that these nations exhibit a consistent commitment to undergraduate training in research methods that is followed up with requirements for students to engage in hands-on research. Findings are discussed in detail.
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