A historian looking into Political Science PhD

[idoitchicagostyle]

Dear all,

I am a historian who has been thinking about changing field to political science with a focus in international relations.

I received my BA from UCLA and MA from UChicago (both majoring in history) and my whole academic training has been quite overwhelmingly historical. I have never taken any classes in political science nor IR. One relevance might be that my master thesis was on pre-modern Sino-Korean relations (17th-19th Century). Now, I wish to do my doctoral works on PRC-North Korean relations.

Because I have no prior trainings in Political Science, I believe I stand little chance in gaining admission into top Political Science PhD programs.

Therefore, I am currently thinking about getting a second master's in Political Science in a top Korean university (such as Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University) to acquire some methodological and theoretical training.

I want to know from the fellow political scientists in this board if this sounds like a sensible move? Or if you have any good advice, I am happy to listen too.

Thank you very much!

[plus]

I would just do a RA for a well-published political scientist in one of those universities. I don’t think you necessarily need another MA.

[Sigaba]

Have you considered pursuing a doctorate in history with your outside field in political science, using statistics to satisfy one of your language requirements, and using one of your fields in history to focus on political science? Your coursework and your dissertation could center around ongoing efforts among some historians to bridge the gap between political science and history.