Ph.D. in Political Science Policies
The following regulations apply specifically to the Ph.D. in Political Science and must be read in conjunction with the General Ph.D. Program Policies. These requirements address the structure, coursework, and dissertation expectations unique to the discipline while upholding the standards set for all doctoral programs at Franklin.
Coursework
If coursework outside of Franklin is recommended by the Primary Supervisor, then the Doctoral Committee determines the number of ECTS to be granted for that coursework, and determines the category/categories into which such credits will be allocated. See Program Structure and Curriculum for coursework categories.
Depending on the academic background of the Candidate, the Doctoral Committee may ask the Candidate to fill any gaps by participating in up to 3 specific courses offered by Franklin.
Any additional required courses must be completed in the first two years of the Doctoral Program.
Additional coursework of this nature is considered mandatory for the Doctoral Program, but does not contribute to 12 ECTS program requirement, nor can such coursework replace any other program requirements.
Research Proposal:
The Research Proposal must include:
• a clear research question and objectives
• a brief review of relevant literature
• an outline of methodology, including data sources and analysis methods
• a timeline with major research milestones
• a discussion of the expected contributions and feasibility of the project
Approval by the doctoral committee is required to advance in the program.
Teaching Requirement:
Candidates must complete a teaching pedagogy course and gain supervised teaching experience.
Conference Presentation: At least one external academic conference presentation is required before the defense.
Dissertation Format: May be a monograph or a cumulative dissertation meeting the following conditions:
- at least three related articles
-
one article authored solely by the candidate
- another article where the candidate is lead author
- no more than one article co-authored with any committee member(s)
- a separate introduction and concluding discussion is provided to explain the scientific context and the linkage between the articles
- an appendix containing the candidate’s self-declaration of their specific contributions to any co-authored article(s)
- a separate submission to the Program Director, clarifying through self-declaration the data rights in relation to any co-authors
Timeline:
Year 1–2 focus on coursework and proposal; Year 3 on writing; Year 4 on completion and defense.