Changing PhD Concentration / Public Policy?

[emwa]

Do any/most/all PhD programs allow you to change concentration/major (i.e. Comparative Politics, IR, etc.) once enrolled? I know they expect your research interests to probably change but what about the major to which you applied?

Also, is there any risk job market-wise in choosing Public Policy as a major at the schools that offer it knowing that it is not one of the recognized subfields and not really invested in at some universities? Like after you graduate, would you be considered equal to say a comparative politics grad in terms of versatility on the job market? 

Any other insight strategically on the differences between subfields? 

[uncle_socks]

8 hours ago, emwa said:

Do any/most/all PhD programs allow you to change concentration/major (i.e. Comparative Politics, IR, etc.) once enrolled? I know they expect your research interests to probably change but what about the major to which you applied? 

Yes, 100% not a problem at most PhD programs. 

8 hours ago, emwa said:

Also, is there any risk job market-wise in choosing Public Policy as a major at the schools that offer it knowing that it is not one of the recognized subfields and not really invested in at some universities? Like after you graduate, would you be considered equal to say a comparative politics grad in terms of versatility on the job market? 

It really just depends on your research agenda and job market paper. Most jobs have specific subfield requirements, so obviously if you're doing comparative "public policy" then you're ok to apply to a comparative job and some IR. But ofc if you're doing narrow American public policy then you can't apply for a comparative job. No one really cares what your "major" is. They just care about what kind of work you're doing. 

8 hours ago, emwa said:

Any other insight strategically on the differences between subfields? 

Yeah again main subfield doesn't really matter. Take classes that are interesting to you and do work that is interesting and don't worry about subfield. Unless your primary is theory, then worry about subfields. 

Also if you're serious about public policy, consider straight up public policy PhD programs as well (usually within the same school that houses the MPA/MPP). They might be better for actually getting a job as a public policy professor. 

[Dwar]

17 hours ago, emwa said:

Also, is there any risk job market-wise in choosing Public Policy as a major at the schools that offer it knowing that it is not one of the recognized subfields and not really invested in at some universities? Like after you graduate, would you be considered equal to say a comparative politics grad in terms of versatility on the job market? 

 

If you did major in public policy would you still want to work in academia? A political science PhD program, of any major, primarily teaches students how to be professors, while many can and do transition that learning to a career in the government or private sector as researchers or stuff like that, it isn't the goal of the program. 

If you don't think you'd want to pursue a career in academia then i would urge you to check out a public policy specific PhD program. those programs are in the public policy schools at various universities. They mostly teach students to work in the field, with the career training and alumni network that goes along with that. The downside to those programs is that the vast majority of them do require applicants to already have an MA degree, and many are geared toward mid-career professionals looking to advance their careers. 

[emwar]

Thanks to you both for the insight! I strongly considered doing a Public Policy PhD, but was advised by several people that the job market for explicitly Public Policy professors is even slimmer than that of Political Science. So logically you could cover a lot of the same topics within the field of Political Science as a professor and then focus more on policy analysis as a topic in teaching later in your career.

But should I be careful how I state this research interest granted schools' obsession over "fit"? I don't want them to think I'm not a good fit just because I like public policy and there are specifically public policy doctoral programs. And any advice on where to draw the line/distinction that I definitely still belong in a Political Science program? 

To clarify, yes I most definitely am doing this to become a professor and that's the ultimate goal. I would only go into industry/government if this "horrible, impossible job market" I keep being warned about forces me to dip out of academia for a few years for the sake of being employed/putting food on the table. Is that a reasonable plan? 

[Dwar]

17 minutes ago, emwar said:

But should I be careful how I state this research interest granted schools' obsession over "fit"? I don't want them to think I'm not a good fit just because I like public policy and there are specifically public policy doctoral programs. And any advice on where to draw the line/distinction that I definitely still belong in a Political Science program? 

 

I would suggest you not really mention public policy during the fit paragraph, instead focus on the individual professors that you want to work with, their research, and how it pertains to your own desired research area. Try not to make to much of a big deal over the sub-field, more on the topic or sub-sub field you are researching.

For example, i am interested in IR, then within that Security Studies, then within that Asymmetric insurgencies/terrorism. In my fit section i wrote about how the professors and their research pertained to terrorism or asymmetric insurgencies, and my specific question within that sub-field. I honestly think i only mentioned IR once or twice within the entire SOP. Sure it is important during grad schools, but for the fit section they really want to know which professors and research you are interested in, and how it works with your own desired research.