IR PhD at HEI Geneva --> UN?

[sixfoxtrot]

Hi everyone, 

 

I'm returning to this forum after a long hiatus - TGC helped me through my MA application cycle many moons ago, great to see that it's still here!

 

Does anyone have any experience with HEI Geneva, particularly the PhD program? How feasible would it be for an HEI ABD student/graduate to transition into the UN?

 

I have an MA in IR and 6 years of work experience (1.5 NGO, 4.5 private sector) in DC. The NGO work was primarily conflict-related, following which I moved over to the private sector (sanctions and threat finance) before joining a security consultancy. I love my company, but I'm stuck in a rut, and I really want to get into humanitarian crisis management - there's some tangential relation at the moment, but not enough. Most importantly, I miss thinking and writing thoughtful things. I've also maxed out DC, if you will. My ultimate goal would be UNHCR/OCHA/ICRC/MSF - I have an application pending, actually, and if it works out I'll be the happiest person alive, but I'm told that the UN is under an external hiring freeze at the moment, so I'm not holding my breath.

 

In this vein, I'm looking at a handful of programs, including a quick and dirty "executive"-style crisis management MA in France and the HEI PhD. Stats are as follows: 3.92 UGPA in poli sci, 4.0 GGPA in IR, two NGO publications, some fieldwork with refugees in a place no one goes to, some work with (but not for) the UN, a couple UN speeches/presentations, some mediation/diplomatic CR work, and a whole lot of gusto. Two UN languages at the native level, fluent in French. Stats, quant & qual methods, all the bells and whistles. RAed for my quant professor, hope to get really solid recs. I didn't do a formal Master's thesis, only a capstone research paper - that's my only concern (it was 74 pages, though, so maybe it counts?). 

I love how flexible the program is, there's plenty of faculty I'd love to work with, and the Geneva location can't be beat. I'm hoping to merge thinking and practice (these days I have a lot of automated practice, not a whole lot of thinking), so I'd try to get into the UN and complete my dissertation while there, based on actual practice. Is HEI geared largely toward research and teaching? Is this plan even feasible? Am I going to end up overeducated and unemployable? So many questions.

 

Would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks! 

Edited February 11, 2015 by sixfoxtrot

[Juju Covello]

Hi Sixfoxtrot. I just finished my MA at IHEID. There are quite a few considerations here. In general at IHEID, PhD programs are very research focused. That being said, most of the IR students take on practical as well as academic research. The IR department, in particular, encourages applied research. Considering your interests, I would check out the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding and contact some students working there to learn more about their experiences. I have a number of friends working at this Centre, but they approach the subject from an anthropological perspective. As you noted, the location of Geneva can't be beat if you want to work with the UN. However, since you do seem to be more career, rather than academically-focused, I would really think about whether a PhD is necessary. I would also recommend contacting Dr. Elisabeth Prügl. She is Deputy Director of the Institute, and head of IR/Political science. Her focus is on gender, but she knows the ins-and-outs. I would look up other professors and PhD students with similar interests and contact them directly as well.

 

Hope that helps a bit.

[sixfoxtrot]

Juju, thanks very much! That definitely helps. The research focus is precisely what draws me to a PhD specifically at IHEID - I have a practical/professional MA, but my interests lie in going back to (applied) research and merging the two for a research-focused career. For the type of research I want to do, there'd be no better place than Geneva, and no school with better fit for me. 

 

Regarding contacting scholars - I was hoping to do that, but on the website it says not to... ? Is there a policy for/against it? I don't want to waste anyone's time or come across as being unable to follow instructions. 

 

Sorry if this is too forward, but what are your post-IHEID plans? I notice your profile says "French/Comp Lit" - are you going in a different direction?