Being competitive for a PhD program - nontraditional background

[nuktheory]

Hello all,

 

I wanted to get some advice on getting into a PhD program focused on International Relations. I’m trying to conduct research focusing on nuclear deterrence, but my path up to this point has been rather nontraditional. I’d like to take the next few years and set myself up for success when I start applying to programs, but I’m unsure of what would be the best way to make myself more competitive.

Currently, I have a BS in Music Production from Full Sail University (3.19 GPA) and an MA in International Relations from Webster University (3.78 GPA). I did my schooling online as I was in the military for most of it; I spent 6 years enlisted in the USAF working with nuclear security. Recently, I also received a position working as an analyst contracting for DTRA, evaluating nuclear weapons security and incident protocol. I haven’t taken the GRE yet, though I understand that those scores will be critical to getting into a decent program.

Since I did my school online and through schools that don’t have name-brand appeal, I’m a little worried about getting into a decent program. I don’t need to get into Harvard or anything but would like to make myself as competitive as possible to get into a decent program. I still have a bit of my GI bill benefits left and was playing with the idea of doing some more school first. I’ve been considering a graduate certificate focusing on nuclear policy through George Washington, or perhaps a second Master’s in security studies or something similar at a school here in DC. I don’t mind doing more school before putting in for a PhD, but I don’t want to waste my time either. I’d like to make sure if I do more graduate school it will be conducive to my application. 

Any advice on what I should be doing would be greatly appreciated! My fairly nontraditional background makes it hard for me to judge my competitiveness and what I should do to improve that, it would be great to get some advice from those who may know a little more than myself. Thanks in advance!

Edited July 10, 2019 by 300jerrybrown

[PolPhil]

1 hour ago, 300jerrybrown said:

Hello all,

 

I wanted to get some advice on getting into a PhD program focused on International Relations. I’m trying to conduct research focusing on nuclear deterrence, but my path up to this point has been rather nontraditional. I’d like to take the next few years and set myself up for success when I start applying to programs, but I’m unsure of what would be the best way to make myself more competitive.

Currently, I have a BS in Music Production from Full Sail University (3.19 GPA) and an MA in International Relations from Webster University (3.78 GPA). I did my schooling online as I was in the military for most of it; I spent 6 years enlisted in the USAF working with nuclear security. Recently, I also received a position working as an analyst contracting for DTRA, evaluating nuclear weapons security and incident protocol. I haven’t taken the GRE yet, though I understand that those scores will be critical to getting into a decent program.

Since I did my school online and through schools that don’t have name-brand appeal, I’m a little worried about getting into a decent program. I don’t need to get into Harvard or anything but would like to make myself as competitive as possible to get into a decent program. I still have a bit of my GI bill benefits left and was playing with the idea of doing some more school first. I’ve been considering a graduate certificate focusing on nuclear policy through George Washington, or perhaps a second Master’s in security studies or something similar at a school here in DC. I don’t mind doing more school before putting in for a PhD, but I don’t want to waste my time either. I’d like to make sure if I do more graduate school it will be conducive to my application. 

Any advice on what I should be doing would be greatly appreciated! My fairly nontraditional background makes it hard for me to judge my competitiveness and what I should do to improve that, it would be great to get some advice from those who may know a little more than myself. Thanks in advance!

It's probably going to be fairly difficult for you to get into a top-30 graduate program in IR with (1) the pedigree of your previous institutions and (2) your grades (in particular, your undergrad GPA is very low, but your grad GPA isn't great either). I would recommend doing an MA in IR/Security Studies to make you competitive, but I'm not sure which schools would accept you into their program, given that you already have an MA in IR. As far as I know, it's usually not possible to do a second graduate degree at the same level in the same (or nearly same) discipline as a previous graduate degree. Do you have any former profs that you're close with who can attest to your quality as a student? That would help a lot, as would any real research experience within the social sciences. Very high GRE scores could somewhat offset the low GPA, but you would need in the high 160s on both sections.

I'm sure that you could get into a PhD program somewhere, but I think that you might have to looks outside of the top-30 (and realistically, outside of the top-50). You may also have to fund your own degree, because getting funding will be difficult with your GPA (this will also depend on your GRE scores). Why do you want a PhD in the first place? Are you planning to go into academia, or to build research skills to work in industry/for the government? To be honest, I don't think that academia is a likely option at this point, unless you find a way to overcome these substantial deficiencies in your profile. However, if you just want to learn or build research skills, I'm sure that this is a possibility--just not in a top-30 program. If you choose to do a PhD, make sure that you're making a smart financial investment though. I would personally never advise to fund your own PhD, unless you're independently wealthy.

Sorry that I couldn't be more optimistic, but that's the best advice that I can give based on what I know. Take it with a grain of salt, and I'm sure that others will have something else to say.

[amyvt98]

I live in the DC area, too, and have a somewhat nontraditional background (I'm an older student switching careers). There are quite a few programs in our area that might find your military background interesting. Several of the schools I considered have students who come from the military, and it's my perception that they had positive experiences with these students. The first poster is correct that your undergrad GPA is not going to help you, but there are some good schools in the DC area that fall outside of the top 30-50 that are worth considering.