Most "desirable" Political Science focus on postgrad?

I'm aware the question is a bit abstract, but for anyone going into Political Science postgraduate study in the UK with the intention to go on to do a PhD, is there any sub-discipline which is considered particularly desirable? I'm mainly thinking of funding opportunities, how many universities that focus on it, teaching opportunities, etc.

More specifically, my question concerns whether Public Policy or International Relations would be the better for climbing the academic ladder. As I said, I know the question is abstract, but if either of them suffers an extreme dearth of funding and interest it would be good to know.

Reply 1

Tcannon

I don't have a scientific answer to this good question. Based on uni courses offered on undergrad and PG level, I would suggest IR gets more coverage. It looks that each ambitious Politics department needs a strong IR unit. IR journals are also more high profile. More IR courses than PP. Whereas IR is firmly embedded as part of PolScie department, PP is mostly politics but sometimes Social Work, econ or health. Also IR tends to set the high brow agenda in academic journals and public discussions - see BBC panel experts. PP can be more technical and execution based at some unis. But IR tends to open up to scholars from various disciplines: econ, polscie, history and law.

In the US, the boundaries tend to be more fluid with professional MSc PP departments with IR tracks.

My prof jokingly explained the difference between IR and PP. "PP is the slower brother of a smart IR."

Reply 2

Shelsey

I can't agree with what Tcannon has said. IR and Political Science are both respected fields. Of course IR scholars get more media attention - Syria is more newsworthy than electoral systems! But there are loads of highly respected political science journals and political scientists are often called upon by governments and legislatures to offer advice. There are several very strong university departments that focus on political science - LSE and UCL to name just two.

It is true that political science can get a bit technical, particularly in the comparative field, but that is not true of the work of all or even most political scientists. Plus large cross-national studies based on advanced statistical methods are important aids to the work of single-country experts.

Coming back to the original question you should be thinking about doing a PhD in a field that you are particularly interested in. Both IR and public policy are widely taught by universities to I wouldn't think that one or other would leave you particularly better placed for getting a job...

Reply 3

polscistudent88

Original post by EffigyWellington

Taking for granted equal passion for the subfields... Both IR and PP have good job prospects. Interestingly, they both offer wide opportunities also outside academia (for instance, in think tanks). And IR is now an established subfield of political science, so it offers very good prospects... And there are even departments with basically exclusive focus on IR (Aberystwyth and St Andrews). But, tbh, I have noticed increasing interest in PP, and many departments have started offering MPPs (somehow a polsci version of MBAs) or PhDs focused on PP. If the trend goes on, then PP might be very interesting for employment in universities... But it is somehow betting on the future success of the subfield.

Are you considering Masters+PhD or just PhD? In the case of a PhD... A PhD with a thesis on either IR or PP or instead a PhD in Political Science vs PhD in Public Policy? Because in this case my view might be a bit different...

Most "desirable" Political Science focus on postgrad?

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