Postgraduate
PhD and Masters Programmes
The Department always had a number of doctoral students working on an individual basis with little or no methodological training, and many excellent theses emerged from their work. In a major initiative in 1995 Political Science introduced a new PhD programme, under which graduate students would undergo intensive coursework, with a particular emphasis on training in research design and methods, which would be followed by a completion of a thesis. After an initial lead-in period, the programme has produced a steady flow of PhDs. The Department's intellectual vibrancy has been greatly enhanced by the presence of, at any given time, around 20–25 PhD students, who contribute to the research and teaching work of the department and present their research findings at weekly departmental seminars and international conferences.
In a further strengthening of its postgraduate training, the Department introduced a Masters in Comparative European Politics in 2008. This was replaced by a Masters in Politics and Public Policy. In 2010 a Masters in International Politics was introduced. The department's masters programmes have been very successful in attracting high-quality students from all over the globe.