GuideforPh.DstudentsinSecurityStudies(August2014)

Formsandimportantinformationareavailableat

Whenyoustarttheprogram:

Getintouchwithyourmajorprofessor.AtadmissiontothePh.Dprogram,youwere

assignedtoamemberofthefacultywhoservesasyourcommitteechair(yourmajorprofessor).Whenyoubegintheprogram,youshouldsetupaface-­‐to-­‐facemeetingwiththatprofessortotalkaboutyourbackground,researchandcareerinterests,andpotentialdissertationtopics.Youshouldkeepyourmajorprofessorinformedofyourprogressthroughtheprogramandanyproblemsthatarise.

Youcanchangemajorprofessorifitmakessenseforyourresearchprogram.Itdoes

happenthatstudents’researchinterestschangeovertheirtimeintheprogram,andyoumayfindthatyou’rebetterservedwithanewmajorprofessor.UnlikeattheMAlevel,Ph.Dmajorprofessorsmustbespecificallycertifiedtosuperviseadoctoraldissertation.Usually,individualprofessors,theSecurityStudiesoffice,andtheGraduateSchoolcantellyouifaparticularprofessoriscertifiedtochairPh.Dcommittees.

Keepinmind:noprofessorisobligatedtotakeonanyparticularstudent.Makesure

thatyou’rechangingmajorprofessorsforagoodreasonandthatthenewmajor

professorhasagreedtotakeyouon.

Duringyourfirstsemester:

Makeitapointtonetworkwithyourfellowgraduatestudentsandtakeadvantageofprofessionalizationopportunitiesthatarise.TheGraduateSchool,theCareerServicesoffice,andvariousacademicprogramssponsorspeakersandopportunitiestoprepareyouforcompletingyourdissertationandfindingajobonceyou’redone.

Youneedtotakeresponsibilityforyourownprofessionaldevelopment.Seekoutopportunitiesandbeginthinkingearlyaboutlifeaftergraduateschool.Beproactiveaboutcareerpreparation,aboutbuildingcredentialsthrougheducation,training,publications,andprofessionalcontacts.

Talktotheprofessorsinyourclassesaswellasotherprofessorswithrelevantinterests.Youshouldbethinkingearlyonaboutwhichprofessorswouldbehelpfultoworkwithonyourdissertation.

Startthinkingaboutadissertationtopic.AsaPh.Dstudent,youshouldhavesome

ideaaboutthesortsofresearchthatinterestyou.Indoingyourcoursework,lookfor

waystomakeyourcoursescomplementyourdissertationbybuildingexpertiseandsurveyingliteratureforpotentialtopics.

NowisnottooearlytobepreparingforeventualPh.Dexams.Maintaincarefulandsystematicrecordsofthematerialsyoucoverinyourcourseworkinordertohelpyouprepareforyourexams.

Duringyoursecondsemester:

CompleteandsubmityourprogramofstudytotheGraduateSchool.TheGraduateSchoolrequiresacompletedprogramofstudybytheendofyoursecondsemester.Theprogramofstudyisaformlistingthecoursesyouplantotake,andspecifiesthecommitteeofprofessorswhowilloverseeyourdissertation.

Itisquitecommonforyourinitialprogramofstudytohavealistofcoursesthatdoesnotpreciselymatchwhatyoueventuallytake;changingtheprogramofstudyatalaterdateisrelativelysimple.

Ph.Dcommittee

Partoftheprogramofstudyisyoursupervisorycommittee.TheGraduateSchoolrequiresatleastthreemembersonthecommitteeinadditiontoyourchair.Fouristheminimum;moreispermissiblebutyouneedtomakesureyouhaveagoodreason.TheSecurityStudiesprogramrequiresatleastonememberfromhistory,andatleastonefrompoliticalscience—yourcommitteechair/majorprofessorcountsforfulfillingthatrequirement.

ItispossibletohavefacultyfromoutsideKSUonthePh.Dcommitteeiftheycontributeparticularexpertise.Consultwithyourcommitteechairearlytocompletethenecessarypaperworktoaddanoutsidemember.It’scertainlyworththeeffortfortherightperson,butitcantakesometimeforgradschoolapproval.Consultwithyourmajorprofessorifyouthinkthere’sanexpertonsomeaspectofyourdissertationwhowouldworkwellonyourcommittee.Makesureyouhaveagoodreason:serviceasacommitteememberisnotcompensated.

Thesupervisorycommitteeisextremelyimportant.Starttalkingtopotentialmembersinyourfirstsemester.Noprofessorisobligatedtoserveonanyparticularsupervisorycommittee,soprofessorsmayquitereasonablyexpectyoutotakeacoursewiththemtodemonstrateyourcommitmenttotheirparticularfieldofexpertise.Youshouldchoosemembersofthecommitteefortheparticularcontributionstheycanbringtoyourultimatesuccessintheprogram.

Atsomepointinthesecondsemester,meetwithyoursupervisorycommitteesothatallmemberscanreachaconsensusonyourgeneralplanandonyourspecificdissertationplan.

Thedissertationtopic

TheSecurityStudiesPh.Disaninterdisciplinaryprogram,buthasNOTspecifiedwhatthatmeansintermsoftheformsdissertationsmaytake.Youshouldmakesurethatallmembersofthecommitteeareinagreementonthegeneralshapeofyourdissertation.Itisanexcellentideaforyoutocirculatebyemailtoyourcommitteeyournotesonthemeetingandtheconclusionsthegroupreached.

Youshouldplanonkeepingyourcommitteeinformedofyourprogress.Whilea

face-­‐to-­‐facemeetingoftheentirecommitteeeverysemestermaynotbenecessary,a

detailedemailupdatetothecommitteeeverysemestershouldbetheminimum.

Progressingthroughtheprogramandcoursework

Useyourtimeefficiently.Taketherequiredcourses(Hist911and912;Polsc900

and901)assoonastheyareofferedsoyou’renotstuckwaitingforthem.Makeyoursummerscount—whilefewercoursesareofferedinthesummer,youcanalsotakelanguageclassesorworkindependentlyonyourresearch.

Directedreadingscourses(HIST985or986andPOLSC985)arrangedwithafacultymemberareapotentialoptionwhensummercourseofferingsarelimited(asis

oftenthecase).KeepinmindthattheGraduateHandbook(Chapter3.D.2)limitsyou

tosixcredits(twocourses)ofindividualizedcourses,andyouneedtosavethreecreditsforyourfinal985/986withyourmajorprofessor.

Ph.Dexams

Onceyouhavecompletedcoursework,youcanmovetoPh.Dexams.ThewrittenexamsareofferedinthefirstweekofAprilandthefirstweekofNovember.Inordertotakeexamsinaparticularsemester,

1)Atthebeginningofthesemester,notifytheprogramdirectorsthatyouintendtotakeexams.

2)Makesurethatyourcommitteeissetandprogramofstudyisfiled.

3)Makesureyouandyourmajorprofessorareinagreementonthescopeandnatureofyourspecialfieldexam.

4)Completea“RequestforPreliminaryExamBallot”andsubmitittotheGraduate

Schoolatleastamonthbeforeexams.

5)Arrangeformatofthespecialfieldexamwithyourmajorprofessor.Theexam

time/place,accesstomaterials,etc.issetbyyourmajorprofessor.Typically,studentsscheduletheirspecialfieldexamapproximatelyaweekafterthewrittenexams.

6)Scheduleoralexam.Youshouldallowuptotwohours,andthehistoryandpoliticalscienceseminarroomsareoftenavailable.Youshouldscheduletheoralexamfornosoonerthanaweekafterthespecialfieldexamsinordertogivefacultytimetoassessthem.

7)Takewrittenexams.Atpresent,thehistoryandpoliticalscienceexamsareeach

closed-­‐book,eight-­‐hourexams.

8)Takespecialfieldexam.

9)Ifyouhavepassedallthreewrittenexams(history,politicalscience,specialfield),

proceedtooralexam.

10)Onceyouhavepassed,havethemembersoftheexamcommitteesignyourballot.

DonotunderestimatethePh.Dexams.Youshouldtalktothemembersoftheexamcommitteeandstudentswhohavegonethroughtheprocess.

Prospectusdefense

Atsomepointsoonbeforeorafteryourexams,meetwithyourcommitteeforthemtoformallyapproveyourdissertationprospectusandsignyourballotapprovingyouradmissiontocandidacy.TheballotforyourPh.DexamsistheSAMEpieceofpaperastheballotforyourcommitteetosignforadmissiontocandidacy.