Need advice - Switching to Master's in Political Science from a Business background

[KDT09]

Hi GradCafe,

My name's Thien. Political Science has been a long time research interest of mine, and I would like to pursue it for higher education. However, given I do not have a strong background in this area, I would love to receive your advice based on my experience and research interest.

• I graduated from a 3-year Bachelor of Business program in Western Sydney University (Australia), with a GPA of 5.833/7, or around 3.3/4.0 on US scale. I am currently a Research Manager at an international market research company, with around 3 years of professional experience. I have basic knowledge & experience working with statistics & quantitative analysis.
• In terms of research interest, I am interested in literature about political behavior, especially community psychology and nationalism. I am currently working with a Duke professor on a research paper about voting behavior in authoritarian country context, with plans of getting it published in a peer-reviewed journal by next year. The research is based on empirical data collected from a randomized controlled field experiment. 
• I can speak fluent English, Vietnamese and a bit of French (DELF B1 level).

I would like your advice regarding which institutions/countries (American/Australia or Europe) would be stronger in this research domain, and what are the chances that someone with little academic background in PoliSci can successfully switch to a master's degree (preferably in research track) in this field, and what should I focus in my application (LoR, writing sample, SOP, GRE score, etc.) to better my chances.

I appreciate all your help and thanks in advance!

[XTeaever]

Hey man, 

I share a similar background with you. I did my undergrad in a US business school and am now in a Master in IR program. I would say you should aim for a master program first to show your seriousness to your field. Also, since you did your undergrad in Australia, you are at a disadvantage comparing with those applying from the states. Getting a US master could compensate for that. 

[KDT09]

Hi Etea24,

Thanks for sharing. I actually am looking to pursue a US/European Master's degree in PoliSci first, since pursuing a PhD while not having any prior background indeed sounds way too ambitious.

Can I ask for more details about your transition to the current IR program? Like how did you manage to apply successfully with your transcript, considering business school would likely not provide enough required credits for an MA in IR? Thanks a lot in advance!!

[rohandavid]

A business degree, like any other, will expose students to topics of business operations, management, and legislation. Political science degree is a useful supplement to business studies since it allows students to investigate how governments influence corporate operations through legislation. A double degree in these disciplines can be an excellent approach to prepare for a job working for a multinational corporation or in the field of business rules.

[XTeaever]

On 9/25/2021 at 6:10 AM, KDT09 said:

Hi Etea24,

Thanks for sharing. I actually am looking to pursue a US/European Master's degree in PoliSci first, since pursuing a PhD while not having any prior background indeed sounds way too ambitious.

Can I ask for more details about your transition to the current IR program? Like how did you manage to apply successfully with your transcript, considering business school would likely not provide enough required credits for an MA in IR? Thanks a lot in advance!!

Hey man, sorry for the late reply. I would say getting your GRE score high up is the biggest factor, aside from your recommendation letter, to a Master application in my case. There must be legitimate reason for your transition to poli-sci, reflected in either your SOP or your recommendation letters as well. 

[KDT09]

On 10/18/2021 at 7:23 AM, ETea24 said:

Hey man, sorry for the late reply. I would say getting your GRE score high up is the biggest factor, aside from your recommendation letter, to a Master application in my case. There must be legitimate reason for your transition to poli-sci, reflected in either your SOP or your recommendation letters as well. 

Much thanks Etea24! Will definitely work on my GRE as a way to compensate for GPA as well. 

 

 

[Theory007]

On 9/11/2021 at 3:10 AM, KDT09 said:

Hi GradCafe,

My name's Thien. Political Science has been a long time research interest of mine, and I would like to pursue it for higher education. However, given I do not have a strong background in this area, I would love to receive your advice based on my experience and research interest.

• I graduated from a 3-year Bachelor of Business program in Western Sydney University (Australia), with a GPA of 5.833/7, or around 3.3/4.0 on US scale. I am currently a Research Manager at an international market research company, with around 3 years of professional experience. I have basic knowledge & experience working with statistics & quantitative analysis.
• In terms of research interest, I am interested in literature about political behavior, especially community psychology and nationalism. I am currently working with a Duke professor on a research paper about voting behavior in authoritarian country context, with plans of getting it published in a peer-reviewed journal by next year. The research is based on empirical data collected from a randomized controlled field experiment. 
• I can speak fluent English, Vietnamese and a bit of French (DELF B1 level).

I would like your advice regarding which institutions/countries (American/Australia or Europe) would be stronger in this research domain, and what are the chances that someone with little academic background in PoliSci can successfully switch to a master's degree (preferably in research track) in this field, and what should I focus in my application (LoR, writing sample, SOP, GRE score, etc.) to better my chances.

I appreciate all your help and thanks in advance!

Hi!

You have one really great thing going for you - your work with that Duke professor is extremely valuable. It helps you narrow down your research interests, which is essential for your SoP and writing sample. If you get a recommendation out of it then that is even better and should you guys end up co-publish that paper then you'll be in seriously great shape and be, I think, a contender for the best phd programs in the US. If I was you I would pull then professor aside and ask him/her to ask if they think you may be suited for a phd program in political science. Undoubtedly they will be able to answer that and at some point you might float the idea of you joining Duke and becoming their student. See what they say.

EVERY other aspect of your application would have to be excellent; SoP, writing sample, and very importantly your GREs. I would really set some time aside to work on the GREs - if you can get a great score soon that is great. If not I would for sure wait until next year and then apply. And forget MA programs if you're coming to the US - if you do it right you will get into a great phd program. I am not saying it is easy (at all) but I think you will be able to do it if you get 90th+ percentile in both sections on the GRE and write an excellent SoP at least.

Hope that helps.

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