Every year the National Testing Agency conducts UGC NET twice to determine the eligibility for Assistant Professorships, Junior Research Fellowships, or both for Indian Universities and Colleges. The UGC NET Exam is conducted twice in June & December every year. This year the exam is expected to be held in June/July 2025. So in this article, we have provided the UGC NET Political Science Syllabus 2025 through which candidates can understand the topics included and start their preparations according to them. 

UGC NET Political Science Syllabus 2025

First of all, the candidates who are willing to appear for the UGC NET 2025 exam with political science subject must have knowledge of the UGC NET Political Science Syllabus 2025. The syllabus is the basic and foremost step for the candidates who are preparing for the exam. The exam will be conducted in 2 papers i.e. Paper 1 and Paper 2.  A total of 150 questions will be included in the exam paper. 50 questions in Paper 1 and 100 questions in Paper 2. 

UGC NET Political Science Syllabus 2025
Conducting BodyNational Testing Agency (NTA)
Exam NameUGC NET Political Science
Full-FormUniversity Grants Commission National Eligibility Test
Exam LevelNational
Exam FrequencyTwice a year
Mode of ExamOnline - CBT (Computer-Based Test)
UGC NET Political Science Exam Date 2025June/July 2025 (Tentative)
Exam Duration180 minutes
Language/Medium of ExamEnglish and Hindi
Exam PurposeDetermine the eligibility of candidates for posts of only Assistant Professor or 
both Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor in Indian universities and colleges
Official Websitewww.ugcnet.nta.nic.in 

UGC NET Political Science Exam Pattern 2025 

  • The exam will be conducted online in CBT mode.
  • There will be 2 Papers for the exam i.e. Paper 1 & Paper 2.
  • There will be around 50 questions in Paper 1 & 100 questions in Paper 2.
  • Both the Papers will contain Multiple-choice Questions.
  • Paper 1 will be of 100 marks and Paper 2 will be of 200 marks.
  • For every correct answer 2 marks will be given and there will be no provision of negative marking for incorrect answers.
UGC NET Political Science Exam Pattern 2025 
PapersPattern of PaperNumber of QuestionsMarksTime Duration
Paper 1The questions in the exam will be basic & aim to evaluate the candidate’s ability to teach or conduct research50100180 Minutes (3 hours)
Paper 2The assessment of domain knowledge will be based on the Political Science100200
Total 150300

UGC NET Political Science Syllabus 2025 Paper 1 

The questions in the exam will be basic & aim to evaluate the candidate’s ability to teach or conduct research. The topics that are included in the UGC NET Syllabus for Political Science Paper 1 are detailed below;

Teaching Aptitude:

  • Nature, objectives, characteristics, and basic requirements of teaching
  • Factors affecting teaching
  • Methods of teaching        
     

Research Aptitude:

  • Research methods
  • Steps in research
  • Methods of research
  • Research ethics

Reading Comprehension:

  • Reading and interpreting passages

Communication:

  •  Effective communication
  • Barriers to effective communication
  • Types of communication
     

Mathematical Reasoning: 

  • Number series
  • Letter series
  • Codes
  • Relationships
     

Logical Reasoning: 

  • Logical arguments
  • Analogy
  • Syllogism
  • Deductive Reasoning

Data Interpretation:

  • Interpretation of tables, graphs, and charts

Information and Communication Technology (ICT): 

  • Basics of ICT
  • Use of ICT in teaching
  • E-Governance 
     

People, Development, and Environment: 

  • Environmental issues
  • Sustainable Development
  • Human Rights
     

Higher Education System: 

  • Structure of Higher Education
  • Governance
  • Policies
     

UGC NET Political Science Syllabus 2025 Paper 2

The assessment of domain knowledge will be based on the Political Science. The UGC NET Political Science Syllabus 2025 Paper 2 includes a variety of topics detailed below;

Political Theory: 

  • Concepts: Liberty, Equality, Justice, Rights, Democracy, Power, Citizenship
  • Political Traditions: Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism, Marxism, Feminism, Ecologism, Multiculturalism, Postmodernism

Political Thought: 

  • Confucius, Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt, Frantz Fanon, Mao Zedong, John Rawls
     

Indian Political Thought: 

  • Dharamshastra, Kautilya, Aggannasutta, Barani, Kabir, Pandita Ramabai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Swami Vivekanand, Rabindranath Tagore, M.K Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, Muhammad Iqbal, M.N.Roy, V D Savarkar, Dr. B.R.Ambedkar, J L Nehru, Ram Manohar Lohia, Jaya Prakash Narayan, Deendayal Upadhyaya

Comparative Political Analysis: 

  • Approaches: Institutional, Political Culture, Political Economy, New Institutionalism
  • Comparative Methods
  • Colonialism and decolonization
  • Nationalism
  • State theory
  • Political regimes
  • Constitutions and Constitutionalism
  • Democratization
  • Development
  • Structures of Power
  • Actor and Processes

International Relations: 

  • Approaches to IR study
  • Concepts: State, Power, Sovereignty, Security
  • Conflict and Peace
  • United Nations
  • Political Economy of IR
  • Regional Organisations
  • Contemporary Challenges

India’s Foreign Policy: 

  • Perspectives on India’s Foreign Policy
  • Continuity and Change in India’s Foreign Policy
  • India’s relations with major powers
  • India’s Engagement with multipolar world
  • India’s relations with neighborhood
  • India’s Negotiation Strategies in International Regimes
  • Contemporary challenges

Political Institutions in India:

  • Making of the Indian Constitution
  • Constituent Assembly
  • Philosophy of the Constitution
  • Constitutionalism in India
  • Union Executive
  • Union Parliament
  • Judiciary
  • Executive and Legislature in the States
  • Federalism in India
  • Electoral Process and Election Commission
  • Local Government Institutions
  • Constitutional and Statutory Bodies

Political Processes in India:  

  • State, Economy, and Development
  • Process of Globalization
  • Identity Politics
  • Social Movements
  • Civil Society Groups
  • Regionalization of Indian Politics
  • Gender and Politics in India
  • Ideology and Social Basis of Political Parties
  • Electoral Politics

Public Administration: 

  • Public Administration: meaning and evolution
  • Approaches
  • Public administration theories and concepts
  • Theories and Principles of Organization
  • Managing the organization
  • Organisational Communication
  • Managing Conflict in the Organization
  • Management by Objectives

Governance and Public Policy in India: 

  • Governance concepts
  • Accountability and control
  • Institutional mechanisms for good governance
  • Grassroots Governance
  • Planning and Development
  • Public policy as an instrument of socio-economic development
  • Monitoring and evaluation of public policy

UGC NET Syllabus 2025- Click to Check

FAQs

The UGC NET Exam is conducted twice in a year i.e. June and December.

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