Our MA/PhD programmes

Our Study Programmes

The Graduate Institute’s International Relations/Political Science Department offers graduate students two degrees: a two-year MA in International Relations/Political Science and a four-year PhD in International Relations/Political Science. Our master’s programme prepares students for careers in academia and beyond where understanding and working with IRPS research is central. Our PhD programme prepares students for careers in academia and beyond where the ability to conduct IRPS research independently is required. Students who enter at the master's level can complete both a master’s and PhD degree within five years, through the fast-track master’s/doctoral programme.
Currently, 97 students are enrolled in the International Relations/Political Science department.

International Relations and Political Science at the Graduate Institute, Geneva

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Programme Description

The master’s programme prepares students for doctoral studies, research activities, and public or private careers dealing with different aspects in the field of international relations and political science that require strong analytical and critical skills. The programme equips students with the analytical tools and a substantive background required to work actively with research in a wide range of areas. It comprises core courses providing a firm grounding in the discipline and electives that allow students specialize. The Master Programme opens on a fast track to the PhD programme.

The master's programme is made up of a standard sequence of core courses and electives. Teaching takes place in small classes, where students are encouraged to foster a sense of inquiry, critique and argument. Students have extensive access to political science faculty, both regular professors in the department and visiting professors. This, as well as the analytical strengths of the curriculum, the proximity to various international governmental and nongovernmental organisations in Geneva, and the broad geographical and cultural range of students in the programme, make for a firm grounding in the field.

Admissions are decided on the basis of the quality of the overall application file with priority given to academic achievement, recommendations and the motivation letter. There are no minimum requirements for grade point average, but the selection process is highly competitive. Each year, approximately 30-35 students are admitted to the master programme. The Graduate Institute offers some financial support through a competitive process. You can find more information here.

The Fast Track Master's/Doctoral Programme

The fast-track master’s/doctoral programme allows students to complete a PhD within five years (10 semesters). If admitted, students study for one year in the Master program and then enter the PhD directly instead of completing the second year of the Master. Fast-track candidates must obtain the credits required for a Master degree except those pertaining to the dissertation (90 ECTS) before the end of their third semester at the institute. The PhD requirements, including the compulsory courses of the first year, come in addition to this. In clear, the fast-track program is a demanding and study intensive way of entering the PhD. Students wishing to apply for it submit an application at the beginning of their second term in the Master program. See here for further information.

Programme Description

The PhD programme is designed to prepare students for a career involving the conduct of independent research in International Relations and Political Science. Students admitted to the programme must have a solid master's level grounding in International Relations, Political Science or cognate disciplines.

The first year of the PhD programme is divided between advanced core courses and specialized electives. The third semester is dedicated to developing a dissertation prospectus that will be the basis of the student’s research for the next few years. The coursework and dissertation prospectus, combined with specialised doctoral seminars, participation in colloquia and doctoral retreats, where students get individualised feedback from all the professors, and close work with an adviser, gives students the range of skills needed to develop and carry out independent research projects. They show this in their PhD dissertations that can take the form of a monograph or a collection of 3 articles.

Students work closely with their advisors, other faculty and peers. They have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the interdisciplinary research environment of the IHEID and with the wide array of research centres based at the Graduate Institute. Students are also given the opportunity to take part in international research networks and present their research at national and major international meetings.

Each year, approximately 6 students are admitted to the PhD programme. Admission is highly competitive. Some of our students apply through the fast-track master or stay on after their Master at the Institute. Most are applicants from outside the IHEID. The Graduate Institute offers competitively awarded funding for PhD students through scholarships and teaching assistant positions. Find more information here. In addition, a number of our students work as research assistants for research projects run at the institute (such positions are announced here) or have been successful in obtaining individual funding for their studies through external grants, such as the Swiss government’s Doc.CH grants.”