Doctor of Political Science

Doctorates like those offered by ANU take four years of full time study to complete, or around eight years part time. They entail writing a thesis with a maximum of 100,000 words on a topic of the student’s choosing, provided they haven’t elected to do a PhD by publication. Regardless, this program is entirely research based and designed for those with the utmost expertise in the field. It’s an opportunity to not only be a part of the field, but contribute to it.

Employment options

Completion of a doctorate in political science readies graduates for a career in academia. The process of earning a doctorate by defending a thesis and undergoing rigorous research is integral to an academic career. In addition, subject expertise provides graduates with the authority to teach other students.

It’s also possible to enter the employment paths specified here. Graduates could work as a public relations specialist at companies like Edelman, or perhaps as a political consultant at Keybridge PPE. Having not spent much time in the private sector could be a hindrance to these goals however, so it’s vitally important to learn how to break in. We’ve got an article on this here.

Scholarships and funding

The following are just a few examples of scholarships available to students of doctorates. If you find any to be closed, they reopen annually.

• The Fulbright Scholarships Program allows PhD students to study and conduct research in the US, so long as they aren’t already US citizens. There are distinct variations upon this, targeted at different demographics.
  • One of these scholarships is dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
  • One is for staff and academics
  • One is for postdoctoral students
• The HEC-ECU PhD Scholarship is more than just a pile of acronyms. This opportunity offered by ECU provides $28,000 pa to PhD students across disciplines.
• If you’re unlucky in securing a scholarship, apply for Flinders University: Thesis Write-Up Stipends. These provide a steady trickle of income while you’re writing your thesis, so long as you can prove you’re capable of doing so.
• The Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship, valued at $120,000 pa. This requires students to argue for why their line of study benefits one of three focuses:
  • Technology and innovation
  • Strengthening Australia-Asia ties
  • Enabling positive social change

PhD students might be well-versed in arguing for either the second or third cases. This entirely depends on their thesis topic; if they’re writing about Australia-Asia ties, then arguing for the second case is clearly an excellent idea. Most of the time however, the third option is likely the best to argue for, as political science is geared to exactly that end.

Prerequisites and selection process

There are a number of methods for entry. Students ought to have one of the following:

• A four year bachelor’s degree with at least second class honours (strongly recommended to be in a relevant discipline, but not required),
• A bachelor’s degree plus an additional postgraduate qualification, such as a graduate diploma or master’s degree, or
• A bachelor’s degree with relevant work experience and/ or relevant published work