Best Bang for Your Buck?

[SleepDeprivedStudent]

So I have started to look at grad schools and I have started to realize how expensive many graduate programs are. I was hoping to find out which grad school(s) you thought were the best grad schools for Political Theory that don't cost an arm and a leg. 

[Chausson]

1 hour ago, SleepDeprivedStudent said:

So I have started to look at grad schools and I have started to realize how expensive many graduate programs are. I was hoping to find out which grad school(s) you thought were the best grad schools for Political Theory that don't cost an arm and a leg. 

Your post is rather vague, but hey I'm a political theorist, too, and we read authors with vague prose all the time, so let me see if I can cover all the possibilities (also...procrastinating on my papers...). It would help us help you if you could specify your interests and the level of program to which you are applying.

For Master's:

Not that many PhD programs offer master's degrees in political science (or theory). Of those that offer them, most don't offer funding. UChicago has MAPSS, but most people do not get full tuition (also, I would not expect a stipend). Since you are applying for political theory, you could consider some philosophy master's which provide funding (this is a useful list, props to Professor Pynn at Northern Illinois: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w8wqvzgon4i2oxy/Philosophy MA Funding.pdf?dl=0 ). You could also consider some political theory programs in Europe, if you have a good second language.

For PhD: 

If you mean tuition: most good PhD programs in the US will fund their acceptances, i.e. they will cover tuition and give you a stipend. If they can't fund you, they probably won't accept you. Canada, UK and Europe are different, and will depend on whether or not you are a citizen of the country or of a Eurozone country (though I have no idea how this will play out for UK). For US to UK/Europe, I would suspect that funding will depend on your advisor (since PhD programs generally require contact before admissions), but this funding seems unlikely in political theory. US to Canada might get you some funding, but I'm pretty sure that a number of program, e.g. Toronto, prefer that you have a Master's (I could be wrong about this). I don't know about Australia, but I would assume that they're similar to UK/EU.

If you mean stipend packages: Again, most places will fund acceptances, but not all funding will be equal, especially once you factor in cost of living. Places like Berkeley might have higher packages, but you'll probably burn through the funds faster. I have been told that you can try to use packages from other schools as leverage to increase your funding, but I don't know how much that applies. I also do not know whether funding would be uniform even within the same program, especially since different students may require different levels of funding (e.g. a comparativist might need travel support). I would apply to schools first, and then see what you get. 

If you mean funding after the first 4-5 years: That's a harder question. I would first worry about getting into various schools first, and then asking the graduate students who are there. A number of good schools will offer some form of fellowship support, possibly by application, but it will vary. I think that this is quite difficult to tell from the standpoint of people applying to programs.

I may be wrong on the funding, perhaps there is some magical source where people disclose funding amounts, but I am not aware of it.

 

Then we get to the best grad schools for political theory part: 

Supposing that one has funding for 5 years (which tends to be standard package, and really, doing an unfunded PhD in political is not such a wise choice, unless you are independently very wealthy), I would not pick schools to apply to based on funding for political theory. Approach, theme, and time period definitely matter more. Political theory tends to divide itself into schools of thought. I would not, for instance, apply to Princeton if I were a Straussian. Of course, your interests can change, but it would be ridiculous to go somewhere (even supposing it had the best funding package) which you know that you will MUST change to have an advisor (not to mention, that I would be surprised if they admitted you). So really, without any information on your interests in political theory, I can't help you that much.

Edited December 8, 2016 by Chausson

[resDQ]

1 hour ago, SleepDeprivedStudent said:

So I have started to look at grad schools and I have started to realize how expensive many graduate programs are. I was hoping to find out which grad school(s) you thought were the best grad schools for Political Theory that don't cost an arm and a leg. 

 

If you mean the applications themselves, your credit card is your best friend. 

[Yanaka]

I find your title very. very. confusing. 

[PizzaCat93]

Do NOT, do not, DO NOT pay for a political theory program. Please. 

Edited December 11, 2016 by PizzaCat93