Coursework Relevant to Chosen Fields of Study
Entering students accepted from other universities are required to take a minimum of eight courses, including two courses in research methodology. Except for research methodology courses, there is no minimum number of courses required of students entering the Ph.D. program with a SAIS M.A. All Ph.D. candidates are required to select, in consultation with their field directors, additional courses as needed to prepare for their comprehensive examinations. To remain in good standing, Ph.D. candidates must maintain a B+ average and receive no grade below a B-.
Courses in Research Methodology
All incoming doctoral students are required to take the following courses in research methodology:
Theories and Methods of Qualitative Political Research
Designed to familiarize doctoral candidates with basic epistemological and methodological issues connected with qualitative research. The first part of the course explores various ways that scholars approach matters of conceptualization and evidence. The second part examines how scholars move from the kernel of an idea to a testable research hypothesis and then to a research design.Quantitative Methods of Political Research
Surveys the applications of quantitative techniques to political phenomena such as public opinion, voting, political change and interstate behavior. A knowledge of basic statistics is a prerequisite for this course. With the approval of their field director, students with equivalent prior quantitative training may request that the Ph.D. Committee waive the Quantitative Methods course requirement.
Comprehensive Examinations
Students select three examination fields from the following: international relations; international economics; international development; international political economy; comparative politics; political and economic theory; American foreign policy; and regional studies.
In exceptional circumstances, a student may select two geographical areas in which to be examined. If the student's dissertation topic will be related to the two world areas, such permission may be recommended by the student's field director and granted by the Ph.D. Committee. Ph.D. students with a SAIS M.A. must take all three comprehensive examinations by the end of the third semester in the Ph.D. program. Ph.D. students from other universities must take all three comprehensives by the end of the fifth semester in the program.
A student who fails an examination once may retake the examination in either the same or another field. A retake is allowed in only one field. Make-up examinations of failures must be completed by the end of the fourth semester for SAIS M.A. graduates, and by the end of the sixth semester for graduates of other universities. If the retake is a failure, the student is automatically dropped from the Ph.D. program. Any two failures eliminate the student from the program.
International Economics Competence
All Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate competence in the field of International Economics. SAIS M.A. degree recipients will be accepted as having met the economics requirement. Other students must either take the written comprehensive examination in International Economics as one of the three doctoral field examinations, or take an oral or written examination to establish equivalence with the SAIS M.A. standard in the field.
The faculty of the International Economics field administers the equivalency exam each year during the regular M.A. oral examination periods in December and May. Students selecting the equivalency exam are allowed to take the exam no more than twice. The economics equivalency exam must be successfully completed within the student’s first three semesters.
Language Competence
Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate competence in two foreign languages. Standards of satisfactory performance in the first and second languages are determined by each field director in consultation with the language faculty.
With permission of the field director, a student may replace competence in a second foreign language with two courses in basic and applied econometrics. Fulfillment of this requirement through courses taken outside SAIS must be certified by the instructor of quantitative methodology at SAIS.
For more information about languages taught at SAIS, please visit the Language Studies web page.
Ph.D. Dissertation
Prospectus - Each student will prepare a written prospectus of his or her dissertation and present the prospectus in a public defense no later than six months after taking the last comprehensive examination. The prospectus should define the dissertation’s subject and central questions, explain the methods by which the questions will be answered, and itemize the evidence and sources that will be examined.
Dissertation - The dissertation must be an original and analytical treatment of a subject of conceptual importance. A candidate will have a period of five years beginning at the date of the first written comprehensive examination to conduct the research for, write, and defend the dissertation. It is understood that in fields with exceptionally difficult languages, the process may take longer.
Defense - The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs appoints the members of a student's dissertation committee after consultation with the candidate’s field director. The aim is to ensure both quality control and involvement of the entire full-time faculty in the reading and evaluation of dissertations.
The examination committee will grade the dissertation as defended (1) pass with distinction, (2) pass, (3) conditional pass, or (4) fail. When the grade is a conditional pass, the members of the committee provide the candidate with a memo that itemizes required revisions, establishes a deadline for completion, and specifies the procedure through which revisions will be reviewed and approved. |
