W.D. Kay is a Political Science professor at Northeastern University rated 2.6/5 by 23 students, with 3.3/5 difficulty and 57.0% who would take them again (TRACE + RateMyProfessors + Reddit, updated July 2026).
W.D. Kay professor reviews and ratings: 2.6/5 from 23 student reviews at Northeastern (57.0% would take again). TRACE + RateMyProfessor + Reddit.
Nice guy, cares about what he talks about, etc, but I felt like I was wasting my time. Lectures were long-winded and filled with irrelevant information, no assignments given (2 months into the semester now) so we all have no clue what we're being evaluated on, and just plain disorganized. I learned nothing of actual use (poli sci major)POLS2390 2022-02-16 18:16:21 +0000 UTC
The most disorganized class I've ever taken - 1/2 the lectures got cancelled less than an hour before the meeting time. The mid-term was cancelled & turned into 2 additional papers due at the end of the semester. We received no grades or feedback all year before turning in final assignments. Lectures irrelevant & assignment guidelines were vaguePOLS2333 2021-12-15 18:21:45 +0000 UTC
Prof Kay does not respond to student emails. He has not graded assignments or given feedback (3 months into semester). His instructions on assignments are long winded and unclear. While the course material is interesting, he is inept at performing basic parts of his job. I would not recommend him.POLS7302 2021-04-16 02:41:12 +0000 UTC
American Government itself is an easy intro class and Professor Kay is an energetic professor. His class consists of teaching using Powerpoints and assigning a lot of reading. Grading is determined by quizzes about the current news and the three main exams. Briefly look up the current news and the quizzes should be no problem.POLS1150 2020-04-14 22:02:09 +0000 UTC
Prof. Kay cares about his students and wants them to succeed. His lectures can be long and the course requires a lot of reading but if you are willing to do participate and do your work, you will do just fine. He was always accessible to me via email and responded in 1 - 2 days.PPUA6504 2018-01-14 12:24:50 +0000 UTC
This man truly does care about his students. He asks no more than what is required of a student. Some students think he rambles to much but his stories mostly apply to the theories being taught.POLS2340 2018-01-01 20:19:12 +0000 UTC
I LOVED Dr. Kay. He is quite caring about his students. Instead of a lot of textbooks, assigns several cool paperback books. All one has to do is TRY. Participate as much as possible in the discussion board. There was no exam. 40% was final paper, 30% mid-term and 30% participation. I worked very hard and got an A. Truly a great prof & kind tooPOLS7301 2015-01-08 22:59:23 +0000 UTC
I could only stand one and half of his classes before dropping out. He is extremely self-interested and loves to hear himself talk. If you can take a loud piercing voice and boring information then sign up.POLS2240 2013-09-11 20:33:57 +0000 UTC
He is a lazy professor and never reply your e-mails.0987 2013-04-18 22:25:55 +0000 UTC
I just had him for Intro to Political Science (for entering Poli Sci students) and he's a very funny guy and knows what he is talking about. He is a little disorganized and tends to show up late, though.POLS1000 2011-11-17 16:34:24 +0000 UTC
Awful class. He has way too much going, and he is horribly organized. It takes him months to pass back tests and papers. He throws a ton of information at you, but only uses complex technological examples (probably relating to NASA) to explain the concepts. If you don't have PhD in a science-related field, his examples do you know good.POL307 2009-04-23 22:47:27 +0000 UTC
A Lunatic, in the best sense of the word. I took two classes w/ Professor Kay, and wasn't even a PoliSci major. You will never be bored in his class. It's a lot of work but a great experience.POL999 2008-06-18 19:33:43 +0000 UTC
Okay, so he's all over the place, and my notes don't seem to follow a logical order. Still, he gets a lot of useful stuff out there, interspersed with anecdote. Oh, and if you ever want to hear someone talk about NASA for 6 1/2 hours...POL340 2007-04-13 20:22:03 +0000 UTC
No CommentsPOLU340 2007-04-05 00:26:07 +0000 UTC
Although I could cite every thing that's terrible about him, I'll say just one: HE MISSED 6 WEEKS OF CLASSES (illness, working on a book, lecture somewhere, etc.) AND YET STILL EXPECTED US TO TAKE A FINAL AND WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER WITHOUT HELP FROM ANYBODY. He's a joke and obviously doesn't like to teach. Take the class with Dukakis.PUB1 2006-11-01 04:16:19 +0000 UTC
W.D. Kay has an average rating of 2.6/5 from 23 student reviews. 57.0% of students said they would take them again.
W.D. Kay's classes have a difficulty rating of 3.3/5 based on student reviews.
Data updated July 2026.