Ph.D. Program
(A Master's Degree is required to apply to the Ph.D. Program)
This is a rigorous, interdisciplinary program intended to prepare its students for careers in research, teaching, and security and international affairs through a broad exploration of social science and historical methodologies as well as topics relating to security issues. Many students will already have a Master's of Arts in Security Studies from Kansas State University, but this is not required. Students with other relevant master's degrees may apply to the Ph.D. program directly.
Students entering with a master's degree in history, political science, or a closely related field can expect to complete their coursework in 3-4 semesters of full-time study.
The Ph.D. Program receives a very large number of applications and admits only a fraction of applicants. Our program has the capacity to admit only those whose research interests closely align with those of our full-time faculty members. When applying, please include your plans for working with a particular faculty member and discuss your prior correspondence with this faculty member in your Statement of Objectives.
Security Studies faculty profiles and email addresses.
Unfortunately, there are no funding opportunities offered to Ph.D. students through the Security Studies program. As such, all Ph.D. applicants must anticipate self-funding their entire education. We realize this places an undue hardship on certain applicants; as such, we encourage these applicants to seek out programs at other universities which are better able to support their students.
Much of the information below, as well as some practical advice, is summarized in a brief guide:
Key Stages in the Ph.D. Program
Landmarks during coursework:
Ph.D. Coursework
Ph.D. Supervisory Committee
Foreign Language Requirement
Capstone Course: HIST/POLSC 985 or HIST 986
Exam for admission to candidacy (“Preliminary Examination”)
Ph.D. Coursework
The Ph.D. degree will require 90 hours of course work:
- Up to 30 hours from a previous master’s degree may be counted towards these 90 hours. The Ph.D. committee will judge the suitability and applicability of the previous credits.
- An additional 30 hours of those 90 will be research hours towards the dissertation, so they do not involve classroom-based work.
- The remaining coursework (30 hours or more to reach the total of 90 hours) will include 15 hours of required core courses. The required core courses consist of:
- The Historical Research Sequence.
This sequence consists of two courses of three hours each. The first (HIST 911) will study various approaches to the history of security, international relations, and military affairs. The second will be a methodology course in the theory and concrete practice of historical research in Security Studies (HIST 912). HIST 911 will generally be offered in the fall of odd-numbered years; HIST 912 in the spring of even-numbered years.
- The Political Research Sequence.
This sequence also consists of two courses. The first, Research Design and Qualitative Methods (POLSC 900), focuses on the construction of social science research and the various research design issues students must understand to construct qualitative social science studies. The second course, Quantitative Methods (POLSC 901), will introduce students to the statistical tools used by political scientists studying international security issues. POLSC 900 will generally be offered in the fall of even-numbered years, and POLSC 901 in the spring of odd-numbered years.
- The Capstone Course.
The final required core course must be taken after completing the history and political science two-course research sequences. Each student must complete a directed readings course (HIST/POLSC 985 or HIST 986), aka "Capstone" course, with the chair of the student's Ph.D. supervisory committee. The course is intended to allow the student to hone his or her dissertation topic in one-on-one consultation with the Ph.D. chair.
Elective courses comprise the other fifteen (or more) hours of coursework and are chosen in consultation with the Ph.D. committee. These electives may be drawn from history, political science, or other disciplines. Courses outside history and political science, or below 700-level, require prior approval of the student's supervisory committee.
The intent of the Ph.D. coursework is to prepare students for writing the dissertation. Upon completion of the Ph.D. coursework students will have the research skills necessary to complete a dissertation-length scholarly study on a well-defined topic developed in consultation with their Ph.D. Chair.
Ph.D. Committee
Within their first two semesters in the program, students will choose a supervisory committee, aka "Ph.D. committee", consisting of at least four members of the KSU Security Studies faculty, including at least one member from History and at least one member from Political Science. The student’s major professor chairs the committee. As in any graduate program, adjunct professors are eligible to serve on committees. This committee will work with the student to craft an appropriate and feasible dissertation topic and advise the student on suitable coursework and preparation. Students will report to their committee at regular intervals. The Ph.D. committee may require the student to master specific research skills appropriate for the dissertation, including foreign languages or quantitative methods.
Foreign Language Requirement
The foreign language requirement(s) will be set by the student's Ph.D. committee. Because the nature of the dissertation topic will determine the number of foreign languages in which expertise must be possessed, as well as the degree of competency required in those languages, it is not possible to set absolute minimum foreign language requirements for completion of the Ph.D. degree. A student’s decision on areas of study should take into account language proficiency likely to be demanded by the Ph.D. committee.
Capstone Course: HIST/POLSC 985 or HIST 986
Each student must complete a directed readings course (HIST/POLSC 985 or HIST 986), aka “Capstone” course, with the chair of the student's Ph.D. committee. The course is intended to allow the student to hone his or her dissertation topic in one-on-one consultation with the Ph.D. chair and therefore must be taken after completing the history and political science two-course research sequences.
There are also deliverables required upon completion of this course that equip the student to proceed quickly to candidacy:
- A prospectus of the student’s dissertation.
- Two addenda to the prospectus that link the student’s dissertation research to central themes and questions in how Political Science and History write about Security Studies.
Both these materials will be assessed by the student’s Ph.D. committee in the examination process that allows students to proceed to candidacy. More detail on their content is provided below.
Exam for Admission to Candidacy ("Preliminary Examination")
When a student has completed all coursework and drafted the prospectus and addenda, she or he is ready to sit for the Exam for admission to candidacy. The Graduate School calls this the “Preliminary Examination.”
Note these deadlines:
- The Graduate School requires the student to submit the form “Request for Preliminary Examination Ballot” at least one month in advance of the meeting date.
- The Security Studies program requires that the student circulate to all members of the Ph.D. committee the prospectus and addenda at least one month in advance of the meeting date.
To be admitted for candidacy, the Ph.D. committee must give the student a grade of “Pass” on the prospectus, the Political Science addendum, and the History addendum. These grades are developed in an assessment of both the written materials and the oral component done in the meeting with the Ph.D. committee.
A detailed description of how the admission of candidacy works, what materials are required, and how one’s performance is assessed on a separate webpage: Exam for Admission to Candidacy.
The Dissertation
Writing the dissertation
The student will research and write the dissertation, consulting with the Ph.D. Committee as often as necessary. The dissertation should be a substantial and original contribution to knowledge and scholarship.
Research hours
Each student must enroll in research course sections consistent with their program “campus”. Students who are taking the program online must enroll in “Distance” course sections.
Dissertation defense
After completing the dissertation, the student will defend it orally before the Ph.D. Committee. The Graduate School requires submission of a form entitled “Approval to Schedule Final Examination” to begin the process of scheduling the dissertation defense.
Submission of dissertation
Upon successful completion of the oral defense, the student will make any additional revisions to the dissertation required by the Ph.D. Committee and submit the final version of the dissertation to the Graduate School at KSU.