PhDs in int'l affairs/political science?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>I recently (2008) finished my MA from the GWU Elliott School in IR (focus: security studies/east asia).</p>

<p>I'm now interested in doing a PhD...but I don't know which one I should do, a general "International Affairs/Relations" PhD or a Political Science PhD with a focus on IR.</p>

<p>Is there anyone out there whom could shed some light on this? Also, which schools would you recommend? It doesn't seem to be as clear cut as it (relatively) is for a MA.</p>

2

<p>What do you plan to do with it? Poli Sci PhDs are designed to produce professors. You’re not going to be viewed too well if you have different plans. Political science nowadays is very much into quantitative methodology and not so much the real-world application. If you are looking to make policy a career, better to get a PhD in IR from a policy school like Fletcher/SAIS/SIS etc or a PhD in public policy (though only a handful have IR tracks).</p>