Postgraduate Prospectus

Politics | www.essex.ac.uk/government
develop theories, conduct research, and
explore the empirical implications of
theoretical models using the most
appropriate empirical methods. From
the very beginning, we invite you to work
on your own research, which prepares
you for further study at PhD level.
Graduate Diploma in Politics
Our Graduate Diploma provides a bridge
between undergraduate and postgraduate
study, as we aim it at those who have
completed three years of higher education
but need further academic study before
beginning their Masters. Our modules
develop your knowledge of the major
theoretical and conceptual foundations of
political science, and of quantitative
methods of studying politics. With our
International Academy, we also offer a
full-time, nine-month Graduate Diploma in
Politics with English for Academic Purposes.
Research study
We provide an outstanding environment
for research study. In recent years, many of
our students have won Political Association
prizes for best PhD thesis in political
science in the UK. In 2010-11, our recently
finished PhD student, Dr Nils Metternich,
was awarded the 2010 Stuart A Bremer
Award for the best graduate student paper,
while Dr Akin Unver was awarded the
prestigious Middle East Studies Association
(MESA) 2010 Malcolm H Kerr Dissertation
Award in social sciences for his thesis.
Research degrees
We offer two routes to a PhD: our Doctoral
Programme and our straight PhD.
All our PhD students are allocated a
supervisor who is an internationally
recognised specialist in their field. As
well as this crucial support, we run a
compulsory high quality professional
development seminar for all our first-year
students and encourage you to participate
in graduate-level modules to compliment
your research, where appropriate. You are
also encouraged to attend our Essex
Summer School and other University-led
development courses.
Our PhDs are three years long, plus a
completion year for the write-up of your
thesis. We expect you to complete your
thesis within four years of starting.
To support you with your research, and
as a requirement of PhD study within
our Department, you will be expected to
present at least one paper to our PhD
Colloquium. Our PhD Colloquium is a
student-led forum that provides you with
the opportunity to receive feedback on
your work and engage in stimulating and
thought-provoking discussions within
a friendly environment of your peers
and academics.
We also employ some of our PhD students
to be graduate teaching assistants on a
part-time basis. You will usually teach
undergraduate modules and, by doing so,
gain valuable experience in communicating
political ideas in the learning environment.
We also offer a number of studentships
and scholarships, and reserve 75 per cent
of our scholarship budget for PhD students.
This includes ESRC studentships and
University of Essex Scholarships. All are
highly competitive so we strongly advise
that you contact us in advance, so we can
link you with your supervisor at the earliest
opportunity to give you time to work on
your scholarship application.
Research areas
Research supervision is available in the
following fields:
n Government
n Ideology and discourse analysis
n International relations
n Political behaviour
n Politics
Nazli Sila Cesur, Turkey
– MA Political Theory ’08,
PhD Political Theory
I wanted undertake my
postgraduate study at Essex
as I knew the Department of
Government was one of the
best in the UK. I was really
pleased with my MA Political Theory,
so decided to stay here for my PhD.
I am really enjoying being a research
student at the University. By that, I mean
I have been given the opportunity to
choose my own topic for my PhD and
am able to lead my own research; I’ve
found the experience of taking a huge
responsibility for my own self and my
success very exciting. I also like
attending the research seminars offered
by my Department, as I find it a great
way to meet others and exchange ideas.
The Colchester Campus is quite
compact, which I think is advantageous
for students as you have everything you
need like a post office, library and banks
on site, and can easily meet up with
your friends. The University is also close
to London, which makes day trips to the
capital possible.
After completing my PhD, I would like
to have a career in academia and am
particularly keen to stay in the UK.
Having studied at the UK’s top
department for politics will
certainly help my future plans.
Student
profile
182 | Postgraduate Prospectus 2012