Dive Summary:

• A new study described in The Georgetown Public Policy Review by Robert Oprisko, a visiting assistant professor of international studies at Butler University, the study looked at all 116 universities ranked for political science graduate programs by U.S. News & World Report, examining where the tenure-track and tenured faculty members earned their doctorates.
• The Ph.D. alma maters for 616 of the political scientists at the 116 institutions were the magazine's top four political science schools (Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and the University of Michigan), and half of those in tenured or tenure-track positions were graduates of the top 11 schools.
• Whether graduates of elite universities are favored in hiring is an issue that spans beyond political science, and Oprisko suggests that institutions shouldn't rule out potential hires that come from less-prestigious institutions because the many great people who attend elite schools aren't just chosen on their own qualifications, but are assisted in part by great networks and institutional reputations.

From the article:

Is pedigree destiny? A new study finds that, in political science, earning a Ph.D. from one of a relatively small number of universities is the key to landing a job at a research-intensive university. And the study suggests that the number of academic "superpowers" is so small that good candidates from less-favored institutions are likely being overlooked. ...