War/Security Studies PHD

[Stapler88]

Hi everyone, 

 

I'm new to the board.  I am looking into starting a graduate program with the goal of going into academia (so eventually a PhD).  I am an attorney and have been practicing law for almost 4 years now so I already have a JD (I heard that most places will treat this as an MA for PhD application purposes).  I am looking to study War/Security Studies with a particular focus on insurgency/counterinsurgency/terrorism.  What are the top programs for this?  

 

Thanks!  

[cooperstreet]

Are you looking to go straight for a MA or a PhD?

 

Most programs won't care that you have a JD, unless its applicable to your research interests.

 

Yale always comes up when people discuss good programs for conflict, but I'm not sure if that is what you are interested in. What are your intended methods?

[packrat]

Political violence/insurgency: Yale, Stanford, Princeton is growing...

 

Anything else in security: Columbia, MIT, UCLA

 

 

I didn't "rank" these -- MIT, for example, would be a great fit if you are into the more traditional/historical perspective, but Stanford is a better fit if you are into advanced quant techniques. MIT is more policy relevant than Stanford for the most part.

 

When people talk about security studies, I'd say those are the programs that come up most frequently. Yale and Stanford are probably traditionally strongest for conflict studies and their grads seem to place well in those fields.

[Stapler88]

Are you looking to go straight for a MA or a PhD?

 

Most programs won't care that you have a JD, unless its applicable to your research interests.

 

Yale always comes up when people discuss good programs for conflict, but I'm not sure if that is what you are interested in. What are your intended methods?

 

I'd like to go straight into a PhD.  My goal is to go into academia and have the option of doing public policy work later.  

Edited March 11, 2014 by Stapler88

[jarovization]

Most programs won't care that you have a JD, unless its applicable to your research interests.

 

I disagree with this. I think it will be a strong point on your application.

 

Your intended methods is a good question. Who does current work in this field that you think is interesting? Wherever they are is a good place to start your search.

[Stapler88]

Thanks guys.  

[Stapler88]

So apart from doing well on the GRE, what can I do to make myself competitive for the top programs?  I published while in law school on war (though it was in the field of international law) so I'm not sure if that will help.  

[cupofnimbus]

So apart from doing well on the GRE, what can I do to make myself competitive for the top programs?  I published while in law school on war (though it was in the field of international law) so I'm not sure if that will help.  

 

Publications help a lot. I assume that with your background in international law, you'll be doing something similar with a PhD? 

 

Aside from the GRE scores, write a banging SOP and provide a good writing sample and let it be what it'll be.

[Stapler88]

Publications help a lot. I assume that with your background in international law, you'll be doing something similar with a PhD? 

 

Aside from the GRE scores, write a banging SOP and provide a good writing sample and let it be what it'll be.

 

Thanks!  

[jarovization]

So apart from doing well on the GRE, what can I do to make myself competitive for the top programs?  I published while in law school on war (though it was in the field of international law) so I'm not sure if that will help.  

 

Yes, this will totally help. Play it up. It will make you a unique candidate in the IR pool, for sure, and worth a second look at most good schools.

 

You need to get a handle on what specific political science papers/books in this field interest you. Your responses here are really vague, but if you are a lawyer and have published, you know how to be specific and argue well, which is a great skill in political science PhD programs also. Are you familiar with published political science work on international law? Maybe reading some of those pieces will be a familiar bridge for you between what you know and what political science does with the same information.

[Stapler88]

Yes, this will totally help. Play it up. It will make you a unique candidate in the IR pool, for sure, and worth a second look at most good schools.

 

You need to get a handle on what specific political science papers/books in this field interest you. Your responses here are really vague, but if you are a lawyer and have published, you know how to be specific and argue well, which is a great skill in political science PhD programs also. Are you familiar with published political science work on international law? Maybe reading some of those pieces will be a familiar bridge for you between what you know and what political science does with the same information.

 

Thanks for the response.  I'm actually not interested in going into international law but rather studying the strategic aspects of asymmetrical warfare (e.g. policies that work and don't work).  I'm also interested in doing some quantitative analysis in this field (and in others with respect to state building/centrifugal/centripetal forces).  I took grad classes in all of these areas while I was in undergrad.  I'm currently reading whatever I can get my hands on as to this field, looking at my old papers and readings, etc.  All while balancing a gre prep and working makes me think that I may have to wait to apply for the September 2016 cycle….