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POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS POSTGRADUATE STUDY

Why do a research degree in political science at the ANU?

The School of Social Sciences in the Faculty of the Arts of the ANU has a very strong research reputation in political science. Over twenty postgraduate students are currently undertaking research degrees in political science in the School. The School offers Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Masters research programs.

Doctor of Philosophy - The PhD is a thesis-only program and may be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis. The duration of a full-time course of study is from 2 to 4 years (though scholarships are normally available for 3 years). Applicants for admission who seek to pursue a part-time course are invited to discuss their plans with the Convenor. Both full-time and part-time enrolment requires residence in Canberra. For admission as a PhD student, an applicant must normally hold at least an upper second-class honours degree or a master's degree in political science, though in some cases graduates with comparable achievement in cognate disciplines may be considered.

Master of Philosophy - The MPhil is a thesis only program and may be undertaken on a full-time or a part-time basis. The duration of a full-time course is from one to two years. During their first year of enrolment MPhil students may, on application, be considered for transfer to PhD enrolment. Applicants for admission who seek to pursue a part-time program are invited to discuss their plans with the Convenor. Both full-time and part-time enrolment requires residence in Canberra. For admission as an MPhil student, an applicant must normally possess an upper-second-class honours degree in political science or its equivalent.

Resources for research students

The School normally provides postgraduate research students with an office (often shared with one or two others), a computer as well as access to the ANU's excellent facilities. These include the Library and the Noel Butlin Archive of Business and Labour. The ANU also has funds to support fieldwork essential to postgraduate research students' studies. Canberra, the attractive city of 300,000, in which the ANU is located, is also home to the magnificent resources of the National Library of Australia which is a short bus ride from the campus. The Canberra, as Australia's capital, houses a series of other important national instututions. These include Australian Archives, all Federal Government Departments and the Commonwealth Parliament, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Studies, the National Museum of Australia, the Australian War Memorial (with an extensive research collection), the High Court of Australia, the Australian Institute of Criminology, the National Gallery of Australia and the headquarters of many national interest groups. A large number of embassies are located in Canberra.

Important Links

Current students studying Political Science and International Relations in the School of Social Sciences

Political Science Graduate Program - Graduate School

Areas of political science research interest in the School

Australian and general politics

elections and voting
federalism
foreign policy
gender studies
interest groups
political economy
political institutions
political parties

Country and area studies

Austria
Britain
Canada
Central Asia
Fiji
Germany
Japan
Middle East
Russia
South Pacific
United States of America

International politics

Australian foreign policy
gender in international relations
global environmental politics
globalisation
globalisation and the politics of identity
international relations theory
regional security
strategic studies

Mass politics

class analysis
environmental politics
feminism
new social movements
non government organisations
social democracy

Political theory

classical liberalism
critical theory
gender studies
history of political thought
Marxism
philosophy of social science
political philosophy
politics and literature

Public administration and public policy

federalism
health policy
women and public policy
welfare state
non-government organisations
comparative executive government
political psychology