Graduate Research in Political Science & International Relations - Overview

Contact: Graduate Convener, Graduate Studies Field in Political Science and International Relations

E: polsci.gradprog@anu.edu.au

Graduate Research in Political Science and International Relations includes PhD courses offered in various parts of the University: including the Faculty of Arts, the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, the Crawford School of Economics and Government, and the Research School of Social Sciences. It also includes MPhil (Master by research) courses in the Faculty of Arts and coursework programs leading to specialised Graduate Diploma and Master programs in Public Policy (International Policy, Development Administration and Infrastructure Management), International Affairs, and Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies.

Students have access to the largest concentration of political scientists in Australia, with particular strengths in international relations and strategic studies, Asia and the Pacific, democratic institutions, and social and political theory. Location in the national capital ensures that the Program is particularly well placed for research into Australian politics and international relations, and political scientists at the University contribute to policy discussion on a wide range of national and international issues. Other regional areas of interest within the program are Europe, the USA, and the Middle East; other fields of interest include comparative politics, political sociology, development politics, gender politics, and political economy. There is currently no expertise concerning Latin America, and limited capacity for supervising research on Africa and South Asia.

Resources

Students are normally located within the same department as their principal supervisor, although supervisory support can also be drawn from other areas. The host department provides postgraduate research students with office accommodation and access to telephones, electronic mail, photocopying, and the University's substantial computer facilities. Through the latter, students have access to the Internet and a wide range of data bases.

The University's libraries have excellent holdings in most areas of political science and subscribe to all the leading political science journals. These holdings are complemented by those of the National Library of Australia, and a large proportion of Australia's library collections on Asia and the Pacific are housed in Canberra. Also located in Canberra are the National Archives of Australia, while the Archives of Business and Labour and the Social Science Data Archive are based at the University. Proximity to the Commonwealth Parliament and government departments, as well as to the national headquarters of many non-government organisations, means there is ready access to current materials relating to Australian politics, public policy, and international relations.

Fieldwork is an important component of research in most subject areas, and substantial financial support for fieldwork in Australia or overseas is normally available, depending on the provisions of various scholarships. PhD scholars may be encouraged to undertake intensive fieldwork for up to one year, while MPhil candidates may undertake short field studies. Specialist language training can usually be arranged in preparation for fieldwork.

Students enrolled in research courses are expected to participate in a graduate seminar series during their first year. There is also an extensive program of seminars and conferences organised by the various departments and units, often attended by leading policy-makers from the Commonwealth government and non-government organisations. In addition, a large number of distinguished Australian and overseas political scientists visit the University each year.

Applications
Although formal closing dates for applications are specified, it is most helpful if applications are submitted several months in advance. This allows time for referee reports to be received, for negotiation concerning suitable research topics, and for full consideration to be given to completed applications. Scholarship deadlines are detailed on the web.

The PhD and MPhil programs may be undertaken on a full-time or a part-time basis. The duration of a full-time PhD course of study is from 2 to 4 years (though scholarships are normally available for 3 years) and that of the MPhil from 1 to 2 years. During their first year of enrolment MPhil students may, on application, be considered for transfer to PhD enrolment. Applicants for admission who seek to pursue a part-time program are invited to discuss their plans with the Convenor. Both full-time and part-time enrolment normally requires residence in Canberra, although exernal candidature may be possible in some circumstances.

For admission as a PhD student, an applicant must normally hold at least an upper-second-class honours degree in political science or a master's degree in political science, though in some cases graduates with comparable achievement in cognate disciplines may be considered. The Program does not normally expect students to enrol first at MPhil level before progressing to PhD. For admission as an MPhil student, an applicant must normally possess an upper-second-class honours degree in political science or its equivalent.

Full information on scholarships is available on the web.

Further Information

Applications for research degrees can be submitted either online or as hard copy forms. Full details can be found at: http://www.anu.edu.au/sas/admission/index.php