PhD/MPhil Politics

Overview

The International Politics research programme at City has an open outlook with a strong interdisciplinary focus and a wide external network.

Our expert supervision across a range of topics including international relations, diplomacy, comparative politics, contemporary history, and international political economy. These topics will help you to design and produce your research programme.

You will be embedded within a stimulating and modern research community through participation in our Department’s research centres. These are the Centre for International Policy Studies, the City Political Economy Research Centre and the Centre for Modern History.

After producing a substantial body of unique political research, you will have further career opportunities both within academia and beyond.

Structure

Students on graduate research programmes are initially registered for an MPhil award. Promotion to registration to PhD is not automatic, but contingent on the satisfactory outcome of a review process. This is towards the end of the first year of registration for full-time candidates and towards the end of the second year for part-time candidates.

You will submit a substantial formally constructed upgrade or transfer document for assessment and present at the annual research colloquium.

Subject to demonstrating, both in writing and presentation, the intellectual and methodological ability and motivation to complete a PhD and providing a viable timetabled plan for timely completion of the research, you will be upgraded to PhD.

Your progress is periodically assessed during years two and three of research. This also ensures that you are receiving appropriate levels of supervision, training, and practical support.

The programme will conclude with submission of your research in the form of a PhD thesis and attendance at a viva voce examination. This will be in front of at least two examiners, at least one of whom will be external to City.