Doctor of Philosophy

Core Requirements

Requisite coursework consists of a minimum of 18 post-M.A. credit hours for those who earned their M.A. in our department, but 24 credit hours for those who earned an M.A. in another program. All Ph.D. students must maintain a GPA of 3.5.

Doctoral students must choose two fields of concentration and complete a minimum of 18-24 post-Master’s hours of course work including Pol Sc 580, 581, 582, 681; three pro-seminars (including one in each of the chosen fields of concentration); one research seminar in the primary field of concentration and one additional course in the secondary field of concentration; and two written comprehensive examinations (one in each of the chosen fields of concentration). All required course work must be completed with a grade of "B" or better, with the exception of 681, and 582 which is offered for Credit/No Credit only.

Also required are a written and oral presentation of a field research paper; a minimum of 18 hours of dissertation; a dissertation-proposal presentation; a written and oral defense of the final dissertation; and completion of the degree within five years following field paper requirements and advancement to candidacy.

Courses in research methodology may be waived in part at the request of a Committee on Studies (COS), if equivalent work was completed at the master’s level. Those who transfer internally from our M.A. program to our Ph.D. program will be exempt from repeating the comprehensive exam if they received a "Ph.D. pass" on that exam as a master's candidate.

The department discourages students from taking hybrid courses (undergraduate courses for which graduate credit is allowed); hybrid courses may only be taken with approval of the graduate advisor, in consultation with the COS when available.

Comprehensive Examinations

Students pursuing a doctoral degree at UNM will concentrate on two fields of study, and will take comprehensive, written exams in those two fields. Students must complete all field and methods course requirements described above before taking comprehensive exams. The terms and conditions of comprehensive exams specified for M.A. students also apply to students pursuing a Ph.D.

Comprehensive exams are also required of students entering the doctoral program from an outside master's program and from a different master's program at UNM. Students who transfer internally from our M.A. program to our Ph.D. program who have passed a comprehensive exam at the Ph.D. level must meet all field and methods requirements above before taking their second comprehensive exam.

Dissertation

Finally, upon completion of the comprehensive exams and the field paper requirements, the candidate may proceed to the dissertation phase. At this point, students reconstitute their Committee on Studies into their Dissertation Committee, including a fourth, outside member. It is the responsibility of the candidate’s Dissertation Committee to approve the student’s dissertation proposal and to supervise the student’s progress through completion of the project.

The candidate prepares a formal dissertation proposal of 10-20 pages, plus appendices, and orally defends the proposal before the Dissertation Committee, before proceeding with the dissertation. The dissertation proposal must be approved by a majority of the Committee and a copy of the approved dissertation proposal is to be placed in the student’s file.

If, in the opinion of a majority of the Committee, a student’s work on his or her dissertation proposal or dissertation does not show satisfactory progress, the student will be notified, in writing, that his or her degree candidacy may be terminated.

General Requirements of the Office of Graduate Studies for the Doctoral Degree

1. A minimum of 48 credit hours of post-baccalaureate work is required, exclusive of the six hours of required dissertation credit. At least 24 of those 48 credit hours must be earned at UNM, and at least 18 of the 24 hours must be earned subsequent to admission to the Ph.D. program.

2. At least 18 credit hours, exclusive of thesis and dissertation hours, must be earned in courses numbered 500 and above, and be completed at the University of New Mexico. All Ph.D. candidates must meet this requirement by at least completing the PS 580-582 series, PS 681, and the three required pro-seminars. (The exception to this rule would be in the event that the COS approves equivalent courses taken at another institution).

3. It is possible for a maximum of 30 semester hours, including as many as 6 hours for thesis work, to be transferred from an internal or external M.A. program. The transfer is subject to the concurrent approval of the Committee on Studies, the Political Science Graduate Committee, and the UNM Office of Graduate Studies.

4. Following completion of the master’s degree, the minimum residency requirement is redefined as the completion of two regular semesters of 9 credit hours each. The semesters need not be successive.

5. Once advanced to candidacy by the Dean of Graduate Studies, the doctoral candidate will have five years to complete all degree requirements. During the coursework stage, the department defines normal progress as 9 credit hours per semester. During the dissertation stage, normal progress is considered to be a chapter of written work for each semester, or its equivalent in terms of field work, library research, or data analysis.

Field Research Paper and Oral Defense

Ph.D. students will write a field research paper of publishable quality based on original research and orally defend that paper before the department faculty. By the end of the semester in which comprehensive exams are completed, Ph.D. students must assemble their Committee on Studies and submit for its approval a tentative proposal for the field research paper requirement.

The final paper and its defense must be completed by the end of the second semester after passing comprehensive exams. The field paper must be approved by the COS before proceeding to the oral defense.

The oral defense before the faculty requires that the student discuss the theory, methods, and findings of the research, as well as successfully place his/her research in the broader context of the discipline. This requirement ensures that students have experience with one substantial research effort before designing a dissertation project. Students must successfully complete the paper and oral defense requirements before formal advancement to Ph.D. candidacy.

Failure to produce and successfully defend a publishable quality field paper within the two semester period following comprehensive exams is grounds for dismissal from the program.

NOTE: Students may not register for dissertation credit hours prior to completion of the field paper and oral defense requirements, and their advancement to Ph.D. candidacy.