Letter from Dr. Dlynn Armstrong-Williams: Part Two
Editor’s note: This is part two of a letter prepared for students in Dr. Armstrong Willams’s capstone IR Theory class (delivered virtually after the closing of campus in the spring 2020 semester). Traditionally the final weeks of this course are used to discuss future plans including graduate school, study abroad, and career opportunities.
Graduate Education & Transition Experiences
If you are interested in having your higher education paid for, you might want to consider traditional Masters and PhD programs in Political Science which focus on International Relations and Comparative Politics. You should then look for state schools on the following list: https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/20/top-fifty-schools-international-relations-foreign-policy/
Just be careful to not bias yourself to programs within the beltway. Most large state institutions have great programs with a great deal of financial support. If you have successfully completed our program and you have a strong GPA you should consider furthering your education.
In addition to these schools, there are other excellent programs. One which can really assist students, particularly with an interest in comparative politics is the University of Pittsburgh. They have a unique scholarship that you can combine language study with a IR course of study https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/main/flas-fellowships-faq This fellowship pays up to $15000 a year plus free tuition.
As you are going into looking at programs at state schools make sure to:
- Remember the scholars that have most impacted your study, those authors that you connected with and where they teach
- Go and visit the institution and visit that scholar. If they are jerks and you never get to meet them, you most likely will not enjoy studying under their tutelage.
- Almost every state institution, especially those who also have PhD programs, will provide funding. Do not limit yourself to some magical top ten list.
- Consider scholarships that are offered: https://ung.edu/nationally-competitive-scholarships/scholarship-opportunities.php
- Consider the MAIA at UNG as well https://ung.edu/political-science-international-affairs/maia/index.php