The Ph.D. is a traditional academic doctorate for those who wish to pursue more academic or research-oriented careers. It has long been regarded as both cumulative and foundational. It is not granted until after the most intense individual preparation; once given, it allows teachers, researchers, and other professionals to commence a “public practice” in the field.
IWP’s Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program is the Institute’s “gold standard” and will demand meeting the highest requirements for admission, development, matriculation, and graduation, through a series of courses, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation.
This program is offered both in person and online.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students will be able masterfully to:
- Integrate the various instruments of statecraft into national security and strategy.
- Appreciate the principles of the American founding and the Western moral tradition as applied to national security and strategy.
- Understand the challenges facing national leaders under the ideological currents of the modern era.
- Demonstrate expertise in any two areas of concentration as enhancements to the study of statecraft and strategy: major instruments of statecraft (diplomacy; economics; public diplomacy and strategic influence; intelligence; military), a selected region of the world, or a customized topic relevant to the field.
Requirements
Students in the 72-credit track (those who have not already completed a relevant master’s degree) will adhere to the standards of the IWP Master of Arts in Statecraft and Strategy program requirements consisting of 52 credits. Students pursuing this five-year track will also be conferred the Master of Arts in Statecraft and Strategy degree upon successful completion of the program.
Students admitted to the program who already possess an IWP M.A. degree will start in the 20-credit track of strictly doctoral-level courses, comprehensive exams, and the writing and defense of a dissertation, which is a 3-year track.
Students entering this program who possess a master’s degree from another institution may transfer a maximum of 16 credit hours towards the IWP degree (leaving 56 credits to complete), on a case-by-case basis upon review of transcripts.
Upon completion of M.A. requirements, the following doctoral courses totaling 20 credits will be required:
- IWP/O 6900: Principles of Strategy (2 credits)
- IWP/O 801: Grand Strategy and Full-Spectrum Statecraft (4 credits)
- IWP/O 802: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (4 credits)
- IWP/O 803: Advanced Research and Writing Seminar for Statecraft and National Security (4 credits)
- IWP/O 804: Dissertation Writing and Advising I (2 credits)
- IWP/O 805: Dissertation Writing and Advising II (2 credits)
- IWP/O 806: Dissertation Writing and Advising III (2 credits)
Any electives taken are optional and would be in addition to these requirements.
To earn this Ph.D. degree, the student will:
- Successfully complete the required doctoral-level courses.
- Pass final doctoral-level comprehensive exams.
- Complete and defend a formal doctoral dissertation. Students will work closely with their faculty advisors in completion of the dissertation. Students will assemble a three-person committee from among the faculty who will read and approve their written product. One faculty member will serve as the committee chair for administrative purposes only. Committees must unanimously approve and sign doctoral written product.
Completion Time
- Estimated Completion Time for 72-Credit Track: 5 Years
- Estimated Completion Time for 20-Credit Track (for students already with IWP MA): 3 Years
Applicants should realize that the IWP Ph.D. involves longer work than most degrees. Five years is an estimate based on full-time student status and depends upon preparation, master’s degree status, and the pace at which students complete the requirements. This is in part because a Doctor of Philosophy graduate is expected to have mastered the literature in the chosen field and broadened intellectually, in the sense in which the West has always honored “liberal education.” Studies are pursued in great depth, and our degree holder is expected to have become a highly proficient researcher across various English-language sources.
Final examinations will follow all course work. There may be a gap of several months of preparation for comprehensive exams. The comprehensive exams will be extensive in their oral and written formats, to include concentrations selected by the student. Finally, an IWP Ph.D. recipient may not be intent upon teaching, but will have that capacity as an expert in their field of study.