Public Policy PhD's statement of purpose and other stuff..........

[Schwarzgerat]

Alright, here goes my first post on this forum...........

I know the general rules of Political Science doctoral program admissions, such as the rule about not mentioning career goals outside of academia (ever ever ever/or have I simply made too many trips to the PSJR cesspit??). Anyway, what are the general guidelines for a policy PhD's statement of purpose and their other guidelines for admission? I'm on the front end of a grad school process meaning I may or may not be in a Masters program next Fall depending on offers of financial assistance but I intend to be there ASAP.

I feel as though 2 years is a very short period of time and so I want to figure out my goal for post-masters with some haste. Figuring out what exactly a policy PhD's demands are for its admissions is a good start. This will help me set my priorities for the next two or three years.

I'm not DEAD SET on a Policy PhD yet. I still want to explore my options but I think I'm getting pretty close. This question is simply one of a list of lesser questions I feel like I need to get answered and I will be posting more on this forum.

[aecp]

I'm considering a Political Science PhD and sometimes wonder if a Publc Policy PhD is more appropriate given my desire to work on applied issues with direct policy impact.

I'm curious what prompts you to consider a Public Policy Phd as opposed to say a Political Science/Government or Economics PhD.

Yes, I too know about the rule not to mention non-academy related goals... I think this "rule" is somewhat unfair...

[Schwarzgerat]

Oh it's definitely unfair but a sad fact of the polisci profession. My interests reside with security studies and economists (there are some who do defense and security type stuff) don't really tackle the questions I want to answer. I'm not completely closed off to the idea of a Polisci PhD but it would have to be at one of the departments with an abundance of security studies specialists such as George Washington, Georgetown, or possibly Columbia.

There are plenty of people doing work I'm interested inside polisci academia but alas, when I look at faculty and what grad students are doing (something you should consider because it tells you what kind of things faculty will supervise) my interests just seem better suited by some of the Policy programs out there.

Also, I should mention that while I'm not completely finished with the idea of entering academia, having a cynical academic father (who tells me all kinds of horror stories about the profession) and having lived my entire life near universities has made me somewhat averse to the idea. I think I would be most happy at a think tank (the RAND maybe?). Mind if I ask what kind of policy you want to do?

[saltlakecity2012]

Oh it's definitely unfair but a sad fact of the polisci profession. My interests reside with security studies and economists (there are some who do defense and security type stuff) don't really tackle the questions I want to answer. I'm not completely closed off to the idea of a Polisci PhD but it would have to be at one of the departments with an abundance of security studies specialists such as George Washington, Georgetown, or possibly Columbia.

There are plenty of people doing work I'm interested inside polisci academia but alas, when I look at faculty and what grad students are doing (something you should consider because it tells you what kind of things faculty will supervise) my interests just seem better suited by some of the Policy programs out there.

Also, I should mention that while I'm not completely finished with the idea of entering academia, having a cynical academic father (who tells me all kinds of horror stories about the profession) and having lived my entire life near universities has made me somewhat averse to the idea. I think I would be most happy at a think tank (the RAND maybe?). Mind if I ask what kind of policy you want to do?

First off, getting a poli sci phd if you want to go into non-academic career paths is not so unreasonable. I didn't say anything about teaching in my SOP - I said that I wanted to help inform the development of a particular type of institution. That is doable both from the academic setting and the non-academic setting. There is also a lot of overlap between security studies academia and security studies outside of academia - most serious security studies scholars spend time working with government agencies, think tanks, or NGOs, or advising them.

Secondly, my parents are both professors in the social sciences, and they also have the associated bitterness towards academia. Yes, it's true, academics face many challenges, there are lots of internal politics, and you will find that sometimes it is not a very meritocratic profession. But that is true anywhere. I would say one of the worst things about academia is that you are likely to have more than a few colleagues that qualify as A-grade assholes. Again - this is true anywhere.

If you want to do serious research, which it sounds like you do since your other option is think tanks, I would suggest the poli sci phd. RAND is awesome, and a great place to work (I hear), and there are lots of other think tanks of that variety. This has been said a few times on other threads, but if you're serious about wanting to do research with direct applications, I would get the poli sci phd but do it at a place where you can network very heavily (i.e., a place with a good policy school and professors in your department with connections).

I'm biased because I don't know much about public policy doctoral programs, but if you like doing political science and can find a program with people you want to work with who have done interesting things that you might like to do, go for it.

[aecp]

Oh it's definitely unfair but a sad fact of the polisci profession. My interests reside with security studies and economists (there are some who do defense and security type stuff) don't really tackle the questions I want to answer. I'm not completely closed off to the idea of a Polisci PhD but it would have to be at one of the departments with an abundance of security studies specialists such as George Washington, Georgetown, or possibly Columbia.

There are plenty of people doing work I'm interested inside polisci academia but alas, when I look at faculty and what grad students are doing (something you should consider because it tells you what kind of things faculty will supervise) my interests just seem better suited by some of the Policy programs out there.

Also, I should mention that while I'm not completely finished with the idea of entering academia, having a cynical academic father (who tells me all kinds of horror stories about the profession) and having lived my entire life near universities has made me somewhat averse to the idea. I think I would be most happy at a think tank (the RAND maybe?). Mind if I ask what kind of policy you want to do?

I'm interested in African developmental policy: policies that can lead to economic and political development of African states.

[Schwarzgerat]

I'm interested in African developmental policy: policies that can lead to economic and political development of African states.

Looks like we have some mutual interests (Africa). I will PM you with some ideas about where you can go but I don't feel like potentially identifying myself in the open on here. Anyway!

I agree with SaltLakeCity2012 that you should go where the faculty interest you and if someone likes polisci they should do polisci. Of course in your case (I've seen your posts elsewhere) it may be difficult to find faculty doing what you want to do since let's be honest, Africa doesn't get much attention when compared to South-East Asia or Latin America or other places. There are some places though that have more Africanists than others and more importantly Africanists doing things that might interest you.

As for SaltLakeCity2012, thanks for the comments. I will keep that in mind. Some additional research is in order on different departments though I already know that the departments which get most play with RAND hiring (for one example of a think tank) are the D.C. schools as a group as well as UCLA, Chicago, and Harvard. Will have to do more research..........