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.