Indiana, Bloomington

[thestarter]

Hey guys,

Actually I'm new to the forum. Seeing that there are very useful comments on a number of issues so far, I just wanted to ask if anyone (esp American students) can comment on Indiana Bloomington Pol. Science Dept. (Its reputation and strength in general, the environment, anything that you know actually. Since I'm in IR track, comments on that field would be greatly appreciated)

Btw, anyone accepted on the forum and considering to be there next fall?

[polisciphd]

I applied to IU but was not accepted. I can tell you that they have a very strong program, usually ranked between 20 and 25 in most polls. They do have some good IR faculty, but I have been told that their strength is in comparative, esp. if you are doing Asia-related stuff. The campus is beautiful, one of the nicest I have seen.

[thestarter]

Thanks tidefan. Yea I hear a lot about the campus. Still I wonder if it really makes up for the smallness of the city.

I'm also concerned about the coursework. Students are required to take 90 hours of credit/30 courses for 3 years. Other universities that I was interested in had mostly 2 years long coursework which was also not as heavy as Bloomington. Has anyone heard any other program requiring 30 courses to complete the degree?

[Niels]

I just came back from visiting the campus. Their program is really solid, at least in theory (they call it political philosophy). If anyone has questions/cares, I can write more about my impressions.

[thestarter]

Hey Niels,

I am seriously considering Bloomington and any impression would help a lot

Could you get any idea about IR field?

It concerns me that grads are required to take 90 hours credit (30 courses) for 3 years. It seems a lot. Could you talk to any grad students and ask about their experiences and what they think about the coursework?

I also heard that the program leans toward quantitative methods. Do you have any idea about that?

These are specifically what I have in mind, but as I said anything that you observed and share here with us would help a lot.

Thanks

[Niels]

The Program:

It concerns me that grads are required to take 90 hours credit (30 courses) for 3 years. It seems a lot. Could you talk to any grad students and ask about their experiences and what they think about the coursework?

This is a little misleading. According to their Graduate Guidebook, available on their website: " The rules of the Indiana University Graduate School require the doctoral student to have completed 90 hours of graduate credit. Typically, two-thirds of the 90 hours are taken in formal course work and one-third in thesis credit. "

Most of the students I talked to had very few or no classes in their third year. They were studying for the exams or doing independent work for credit.

The guidebook also has the options for the quantitative requirement. My understanding is that basic stats courses are required for all except theory students, who can do qualitative methods. I'm not sure though, I'd check the fine print.

I find the program to be solidly well-designed. Here's their (ambitious) outline (most students don't finish in under 5 years. That is the absolute fastest):

First Year

[Niels]

wow, typos are embarrassing. "their may be..." Ha HA!

[thestarter]

What about current grad students? Could you have long talks with them? Are they satisfied about the program in general? Or any specific impression you got from your contact with them?

[Niels]

What about current grad students? Could you have long talks with them? Are they satisfied about the program in general? Or any specific impression you got from your contact with them?

They all seem pretty satisfied. Of course, there's all sorts mild debates/issues within the subfields (TAing for specific profs, what courses are being made available, ec.). However, no one has seemed disgruntled. The stipends are decent, the community is tight, and the department has great resources for the graduate students (that is, offices, a nice lounge, $ for conferences, etc).