Most suitable programme -Serving Infantry officer

[Gurkha]

I am a serving infantry officer with about 26 years Indian Army. I am desirous of pursuing a PhD or a Masters in international relations / security studies. I wish to do a PhD for two reasons : to qualify for a post in the soon-to-be-opened Indian National Defence University as well as for career progression. On the practical side I have lots of experience in counterinsurgency, UN operations etc as well as operational planning. I have also completed my M Phil from an Indian university in strategic studies. My constraints are that I can only get two years of sabbatical possibly extended by one year to complete the course and that I would need near complete funding for tution and living, as I have a family to support. I would love to go to one of the CHYMPS / Georgetown/JHU but their PhDs appear to be very long : 5 -6 years. I would prefer a shorter programme like what RAND offers. Any thoughts ? Also do you think I would be a desirable candidate with my profile ? Is it possible to spend a couple of years resident in a PhD programme and complete the rest of the work from India ?

Edited May 29, 2012 by Gurkha

[flyers29]

Well, keep in mind that 5-6 years includes the time it takes to write your dissertation, which you don't necessarily need to be present at the university for. You can usually finish coursework and comprehensive exams in 2-3 years, and they may even grant you some credit for your previous graduate work. Probably best to get in contact with some of the programs you're interested in and see if they could give a rough timeline given your background.