Most suitable programme - Infantry officer

[Gurkha]

I am a serving infantry officer with about 26 years in the 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 ?

[beefmaster]

Have a look at the UK you can do a PhD in three years.

[Gurkha]

I prefer the US as I feel that one gets a better and broader perspective in the US. Funding too is more difficult in the UK.

[MYRNIST]

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 ?

I don't know the structure of Indian academia, but at the vast majority of American universities it is simply not possible to get a (reputable) PHD in 2-3 years.

When you say RAND is much shorter, are you factoring in how long it will take to do your dissertation? Because that is the single largest time investment of a graduate program, and the most variable. It is very common to get through your core classes in a few years, and then spend just as much time over again (or longer) grappling with the dissertation. This can be even more prolonged if you are making a shift from the "real world" into the peculiar mix of heavy research+backroom politics that is the American Ivory Tower (which will presumably be new territory, and could take a period of adjustment).

The fact that the CHYMPS schools you mentioned, and indeed virtually all International Relations PHD programs in the US, typically have a 5+ year commitment, should give you an idea that that is the norm. And RAND is a rare exception.

So you may need to develop some flexibility in your plans: either by looking into non-US PHDs (which are often shorter), or setting aside more time for graduate study (if possible).

The RAND also offers a PhD programme in the International security / relations. How good is the programme ? Given the the large number and high credibility of RAND reports how is it that it is never mentioned in college rankings and nobody in this thread appears to be consider it as an option ?

Taken from the other thread you posted, but relevant:

The reason RAND is a 3 year program is that it's not an academic-focused program. What do I mean?

Typically, PHD programs in the US are geared towards producing alumni capable of conducting research and teaching at the university level, i.e. professional academics.

RAND has a decidedly more professional / practitioner focus. It is designed to produce people who can do a variety of jobs requiring policy analysis: consultant, think tank researcher, etc. But it is not really geared towards academia, at least not as much as traditional PHD programs. So, I would characterize it as less "academically rigorous", for lack of a better term; you're not going to see many alumni in university teaching and research positions.

This might be a problem, because...

I wish to do a PhD for two reasons : to qualify for a post in the soon-to-be-opened Indian National Defence University

...you mentioned getting a teaching job as one of the main goals of your PHD. I have no idea about how university hiring, tenure-track, etc. works in India, so I will refrain from commenting on whether a traditional "long" PHD is necessary to teach at an Indian university (it definitely is in America). Just bringing it to your attention.

Edited May 31, 2012 by MYRNIST

[Gurkha]

Thank you for a comprehensive and cogent feedback on the PhD. I think the RAND description enhances my inclination for it as it would be more suitable to my career as well as high recognition in my country. I would be grateful if you could similarly throw some light on two year and one year programmes meant for mid career professionals essentially in terms of suitability as a candidate and funding.

[Sigaba]

@Gurkha--

You might find additional answers to your questions at the Small Wars Council.

HTH.

[Gurkha]

Thank you. The info was about Canadian schools though.How good are they ?

[MYRNIST]

I would be grateful if you could similarly throw some light on two year and one year programmes meant for mid career professionals essentially in terms of suitability as a candidate and funding.

Most good MPP schools (Georgetown, GW, HKS, WWS, SAIS) all have 1-2 year masters degrees for mid-career professionals. But, you already have a masters, so I'm not sure how much good it would do you, whereas a PHD would be a step up. And as far as the PHD goes, I'll reiterate:

In the US, program duration less than 3 years, academically reputable. Pick 2 out of 3.