This is the last post of a three part series outlining some of the benefits that UK universities can offer prospective students from North America (or elsewhere) who wish to pursue degree studies in Politics or International Relations. Provisos and caveats can be found here.
Previous posts have looked at the undergraduate and Masters levels. Today, I turn to the doctorate...7 Reasons to Consider Pursuing a Ph.D. in Politics or International Relations at a UK University
1. You already have a really good idea of the topic you want to research and do not want to spend 2.5 years taking additional courses, studying for comprehensive examinations, and obtaining research proposal approval. At UK institutions, you spend your first year undertaking advanced research training that goes towards drafting a research proposal. The length of time that it takes to write a proposal that meets the standards of your committee usually varies from between three months and nine months. Once your proposal is approved, you will be fully immersed in your dissertation.
2. Your proposed programme of research is in some way different with respect to the norms of North American political science. The behavioural revolution never established as strong a foothold in the UK as it did in the United States or Canada. If you are interested in qualitative research, critical social theories, philosophical approaches to the study of politics, feminisms, or post-positivist political analysis--amongst other developments deemed 'unorthodox' by North American standards--you will be joining a large research community of like-minded scholars in the UK. Not only does this give an opportunity to connect with some of the leading figures in these areas, it also means that you are able to avoid a lot of the 'disciplining by the discipline' that can occur in North America. Often as a researcher engaged in non-traditional work, you can become a target for colleagues, committee members, and other established academics who feel a responsibility to police an imaginary border between what is proper political science and what is not. This kind of 'mentoring' is more rare in the UK.
3. You want to receive quality supervision from your committee. Horror stories about a lack of supervision are rife in North America, whether at world leading universities or lesser known institutions. While universities in the UK are not without their own problems, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) --a significant research funding body--has spent the past several years tightening up supervisory norms and making institutional eligibility for research funding tied to Ph.D. completion rates. This has made quality supervision a priority. For example, at Newcastle University you are guaranteed a minimum 10 meetings a year with your supervisory team. Other universities have similar policies that are in place to ensure that your progress is being monitored and that you have the opportunity to receive feedback from your committee on a regular basis.
4. You want to complete your Ph.D. and get it finished relatively quickly. As mentioned above, Ph.D. completion rates and the time that it takes to finish are tied to institutional research funding eligibility so UK universities take them very seriously. Typically it takes between 3-4 years to complete a Ph.D in politics or international relations. Any doctoral candidates with research council funding taking longer than four years to complete will count against their institution for ESRC monitoring purposes. Thus there is an incentive to ensure that you are making good progress right from the start of your programme as well as producing a quality piece of research that will pass a defense (or what is called a viva in the UK). By comparison, North American attrition rates in doctoral programmes are typically far higher than in the UK and most doctoral programmes are officially 5 years in length, with completion times often averaging around 7.5 years.
5. Your career is not determined by supervisory pedigree or institutional reputation. The results of the recent Research Assessment Exercise have shown that world class research is occurring across a wide spectrum of politics and international relations departments in the UK. Thus, rather than tying your worth and potential to who your lead supervisor is/was or how highly ranked your programme is according to a media outlet, UK academics will generally judge you on the relative merits (or demerits) of your research and publication record.
6. You want to be treated as a colleague by other academics.Institutional cultures in North American departments often dictate that doctoral candidates should be seen and not heard. Moreover, this practice is often internalized by Ph.D. students to the point where they introduce themselves via the name of their supervisor--e.g., I'm working under Professor X and my name is...' Things are generally more collegial in UK institutions and doctoral candidates are very often seen as valuable contributors to the teaching and research environment. For example, at Newcastle University , our Ph.D.s are often involved in research projects with members of staff. We ask them to participate in major decision-making processes including new hires. Our Ph.Ds also run a seminar series that focuses on bringing in early career scholars to present research papers.
7. You want the opportunity to network with leading scholars in your research area. Conferencing tends to be difficult in North America simply because of the logistics of getting people together from a bunch of institutions that may be thousands of miles apart. Distances are quite manageable in the UK making regular 1-2 day events possible. Therefore, beyond the major disciplinary events like the Political Studies Association meeting or the British International Studies Association conference, there are numerous smaller conferences and workshops taking place throughout the year. Moreover, funding for these conferences is often contingent on the organizers offering a reduced--if not free--rate for doctoral students. Thus, there are plenty of opportunities in the UK to see, meet, and connect with academics from other UK institutions.
Photo credit to ME°°
Excellent Post!!!
I've been undecided for quite a while as to the comparative advantages and disadvantages of completing a Phd in the US vs the UK.
This post has gone a long way to clearing the fog from my mind...
Posted by: Rodney L. Grant | 05/19/2010 at 09:31 PM
Hi Rodney,
Glad to be of some help. If you have any particular questions not answered here, or any for which you have not been able to find answers elsewhere, you can get in touch with me via my professional email address (just google me to find it).
Posted by: kyle grayson | 05/19/2010 at 09:56 PM