Curriculum & Requirements

Ph.D. students in Security Studies must complete eight graduate courses and a non-credit course in research ethics (usually POL 599). We encourage students to take courses beyond these eight in areas important for their dissertation and for their future career—for example, in quantitative methods, regional studies, serious language study, or in a particular scientific or technical area. While in residence, students in the Cluster must actively participate in the Security Studies graduate research seminar, and they can opt to actively participate in other graduate student seminars with permission of the instructor, e.g. in International Relations in the Politics Department. For the latter, students must register for the course in Stellic so it appears on their transcript. Students are expected to formally present a dissertation prospectus in one or both seminars no later than the end of the fifth semester of study.

 All students are required to take SPI 550, the Gateway Course in Security Studies. This course provides an introduction to the cluster, as well as an integrated doctoral-level introduction to the core problems that define the field and the key concepts and theories that have been used to analyze them. It also provides an introduction to advances in science and technology that continue to transform the security environment.

In addition to SPI 550, students must take 2 classes from this list: 

• POL 550 International Organizations
• POL 551 International Politics 
• POL 554 International Security Studies 
• SPI 548 Weapons of Mass Destruction and International Security 
• SPI 549 National Security Policy 
• SPI 555c International Strategy

Students must complete two methods classes, at least one of which must be at the Ph.D. level, and at least one of which must be on quantitative methods at the master’s level or above. Students will be advised on which sequence of methods courses are most appropriate, given their interests and likely thesis research. 

Suggested possible courses to fulfill this requirement include:

• SPI 508a/SPI 508b Econometrics and Public Policy (Applied) 
• SPI 508c Econometrics and Public Policy (Advanced) 
• Politics 506/ SPI 595 Qualitative Methods (or approved substitute)
• Politics 571 Empirical Research Methods for Political Science
• Sociology 500 Applied Social Statistics

Ph.D.-level methods courses from other departments may also be appropriate for students in this Cluster and can, with faculty permission, be used to fulfill this requirement.

Students will need to demonstrate mastery in the politics and security environment of at least one major region of the world. Students can fulfill the regional requirement by taking two seminars explicitly designed to understand a specific region of the world; taking one such seminar and writing a paper in a topical seminar on a specific region; or taking one such seminar and taking a general exam on a specific region. The student’s faculty advisor must approve the choice of regional focus. Ideally, a student who will need foreign language competence for conducting dissertation research will have achieved proficiency before enrolling in the PhD program. Foreign language courses may be taken but will not count toward the eight-course requirement.

Students must take at least one class that gives them significant technical knowledge about some aspects of international or national security. Classes focusing on scientific and technical aspects of weapons systems and proliferation or military planning and defense policy will fulfill this requirement, as may certain technical courses in other departments (faculty approval required). 

The following SPIA courses fulfill the technical expertise requirement: SPI 548, Weapons of Mass Destruction and International Security; SPI 586d/COS 586, Technology Policy and Law; and SPI 586c, Science for Policy and Policy for Science.

Students can choose from other SPIA seminars to fulfill their eight-course requirement OR from doctoral- level courses in other cognate departments (e.g. History, Politics, Economics, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering). For classes designed primarily for the MPA program at SPIA, students should gain the permission of the Cluster Coordinator and should expect additional assignments (e.g. additional readings, longer and more substantial research papers and, where appropriate, separate meetings with the professor).

All students are required to take two General Exams: 1) a Security Studies exam designed by members of the core and affiliated faculty of the Cluster; and 2) Either a written examination in international relations (given by the Politics department) OR a specialized security general exam, designed by faculty working on political and regional and/or scientific/technical issues that are relevant to the student’s course of study. If a student does not score at least a B+ on one of the two written generals, an additional examination, either oral or written at faculty discretion, will be required.

The prospectus is usually a 20-30 page document that provides a substantial outline of the student’s planned research. This typically includes three main projects or chapters. The prospectus should describe key questions the student hopes to study, the reasons they are important, planned research methods, and justification for how their topics fit into the existing literature. The first project or chapter should be explained in the most detail (as this is expected to be underway already), with the second two projects or chapters generally conceptualized. A proposed schedule is recommended to allow faculty advisors to weigh in on the scope of what is possible to accomplish within the 5-year degree timeline. The prospectus is a proposal and guide, not a contract. It is understood that a student’s research plans may evolve over time as they proceed further into their research. Students must obtain approval for their dissertation prospectus before the end of their sixth semester.