Ph.D. programme in International Affairs and Political Economy (DIA) - Programme Guide
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Ph.D. programme in International Affairs and Political
Economy (DIA)
Programme Guide
June 2015Content 1. Goals of the DIA 2. Curriculum 2.1.Courses 2.2.Course descriptions 2.3.Crediting 2.4.Research proposal 2.5. Pre-defence 2.6.Defence 2.7.Dissertation 2.8.Deadlines 3. DIA faculty 4. DIA Programme Commission 4.1. Members 4.2 Tasks 5. DIA Dissertation Committee 5.1. Members 5.2. Tasks 6. Admission 6.1. General Admission requirements 6.2. Specific admission requirements for the DIA 6.3. Supplementary work 6.4. Changing programmes
1. Goals of the DIA Our Ph.D. programme in International Affairs and Political Economy (DIA) offers you a research-based education in - political science, - economics with a focus on economic policy, - public management or - public international and European law Your doctoral thesis is at the focal point of the programme. The thesis can be policy orientated, theoretical or of an interdisciplinary nature. Academic degree Dr. rer. publ. HSG 2. Curriculum 2.1 Courses Coursework stage A. Philosophical Foundations of Social Science Analysis fall, English, 6 ECTS B. Method Seminar fall, English, 6 ECTS C. Literature Seminar spring, English/German, 6 ECTS D. Field Seminar spring, English or German, 6 ECTS Total 24 ECTS Thesis stage E. Essay Seminar spring, English, 6 ECTS F. Dissertation Seminar spring, English, 6 ECTS Total 12 ECTS 2.2 Course descriptions A: The course "Philosophical Foundations of Social Science Analysis”, which is to be completed by all Ph.D. students, addresses the epistemological basis of Economics, Social Sciences and Law. B: The “Method Seminar” develops a sense of the methodological challenges posed in the study of Economics, Social Sciences and Law. C: Ph.D. students attend a "Literature Seminar” focused on a particular subject, which depends on the topic of the doctoral thesis. This ensures that you possess extensive specialised knowledge in your main discipline or in the subject matter of your doctoral thesis. D: The Ph.D. students attend a “Field Seminar”, which also varies depending on the topic of the doctoral thesis. E: A publication-quality paper is prepared in an Essay Seminar. F: In the Dissertation Seminar you present one of your own papers or results.
E, F: The seminars in the research stage will not be graded. The Essay Seminar and the Dissertation Seminar can only be attended once the research proposal has been submitted, which must be no later than the start of the corresponding semester. The colloquium on the research proposal, on the other hand, does not have to have already been completed. 2.3 Crediting We only recognize work that is done while students are in residence or attending a pre-approved course offered by an equivalent programme at another university. Such requests require the written support of the dissertation advisor and are only granted for the «Literature Seminar» and the «Field Seminar» and not for courses of the research stage of the programme. Any waivers must be granted in advance by the programme commission of the DIA upon formal request from the student. Such requests must be submitted in the semester prior to the requested substitution, as the programme commission meets only once per semester. Please send your request with a motivation letter, a course description and a letter of support of your supervisor stating the reasons why it is in his or her interest to drop the Literature or the Field Seminar, to the DIA programme administration. 2.4 Research proposal In the research proposal doctoral students shall describe their thesis project and their methodological approach, as well as presenting initial research work they have already completed. After the thesis committee is appointed, the candidate delivers two copies of the research proposal to the PhD Office. The PhD Office then forwards copies to the supervisor and co-supervisor. In the colloquium on the research proposal, the Ph.D. students present their thesis project and explain the reasons for their methodological approach. The colloquium on the research proposal must be conducted within 8 weeks after the submission of the research proposal. The thesis committee agrees upon a time and place for the colloquium with the Ph.D. students. The colloquium is of at least thirty minutes’ duration and is not public. The thesis committee decides whether the research proposal will be accepted. At the first attempt, a research proposal that has not been accepted may be returned for revision or be rejected. At the second attempt, a research proposal that has not been accepted may only be rejected. 2.5 Pre-defence No pre-defense in accordance with Art. 45 PromO 07 shall be conducted in the Doctoral Program in International Affairs and Political Economy. 2.6 Defence During the defence of their thesis, doctoral students provide evidence of whether they satisfy the requirements imposed on a thesis. A defence may take place when the written assessments recommend that the thesis is accepted. Dissertations are defended before the thesis committee, who will award the grade. The defence of a thesis is of at least 60 minutes’ duration and public.
2.7 Dissertation The thesis may be submitted in the form of a self-contained book (monograph) or individual essays (cumulative thesis). The supervisor and the doctoral student shall choose the form jointly. Please refer to the guidelines for cumulative dissertations in the DIA. At the first submission, a thesis that has not been accepted may be returned for revision or be rejected. At the second submission, a thesis that has not been accepted may only be rejected. 2.8 Deadlines Students shall complete all the courses within four semesters from the commencement of their doctoral studies. The research stage lasts six semesters. The research proposal must be submitted within the first four semesters. The thesis must be submitted within six semesters after acceptance of the research proposal. Students shall complete the thesis-related seminars prior to the submission of their thesis. Ph.D. students who must complete supplementary work may extend the deadline for submission of the research proposal by one semester. The deadline for submission of the doctoral thesis remains unchanged at three years after completion of the coursework. In the case of good reasons, the programme commission may extend such deadlines by one semester or one year. A deadline extension by more than one year, particularly in cases of illness, accident or pregnancy, shall be within the Dean of Studies’ competence. The thesis must be submitted four months before the submission of the appraisals. Upon request to the supervisor and co-supervisor, this time can be reduced to two months. Graduation in fall Deadline Thesis: beginning of January Deadline Appraisals: beginning of May Graduation in spring Deadline thesis: beginning of June Deadline Appraisals: beginning of October You can find more information about the deadlines on the Studentweb (“Ph.D.” and “deadlines”). 3. DIA Faculty Professors from the four disciplines of Economics, Political Science, Public Management and Public International and European Law are part of the DIA faculty. Professors of the University of St.Gallen and other universities are engaged as lecturers or as supervisors for thesis projects. 4. Programme Commission 4.1 Members The Programme Commission consists of three professors, one representative of the junior faculty and a doctoral student. A professor of Economics and a professor of Political Science should always be part of the Programme Commission. - Patrick Emmenegger (Political Science / chairman) - Simon Evenett (Economics) - Rolf Wüstenhagen (Management of Renewable Energies)
- Christine Benesch (representative of the junior faculty) - Sebastian Plappert (student representative) 4.2 Tasks The Programme Commission is in charge of the programme. In particular the commission: a) is responsible for the substance and organisation of the programme; b) advises the Dean of Studies in respect of admission; c) decides on admission in special cases; d) stipulate any additional course work applicants may have to do; e) recognises course work completed at other universities; f) appoints the thesis committees for individual doctoral students; g) approves the overall grade for individual doctorates; i) promotes the integration of the programme into the international research community; j) organises quality assurance and development for the programme. 5. DIA Dissertation Committee 5.1 Members The Dissertation Committee consists of: - a supervisor - a co-supervisor (to be appointed by the time of the submission of the research proposal) - a third member, which is identified during the research stage and approved by the programme commission. The co-supervisor or the third member of the thesis committee must be an external academic. The supervisor or co-supervisor must belong to one of the 4 DIA core disciplines. Supervisor The following faculty may serve as supervisors or co-supervisors for a thesis: a) (full) professors of the University of St.Gallen; b) associate professors or habilitated assistant professors of the University of St.Gallen; c) habilitated lecturers of the University of St.Gallen; d) habilitated lecturers from another university provided they are full-time employees of the University of St.Gallen; e) professors emeriti in accordance with letters a) to c) until the end of the semester in which they have reached the age of 67. Supervisors shall be appointed as from the time at which the student officially commences his/her doctoral studies, i.e. rematriculates. Supervisors in accordance with letters b) and c) shall at the time of the official commencement of the student's doctoral studies either be regular employees of the University of St.Gallen or have held a lectureship at the University of St.Gallen in the previous two years. For the appointment, the official start of the Ph.D. course is decisive. Co-supervisor Co-supervisors shall be designated by the programme commission. Above and beyond the categories listed before, it may appoint as co-supervisors: a) visiting professors in residence; b) honorary professors; c) professors of other universities who are entitled to supervise doctoral theses at their home universities; d) in justified cases, non-habilitated assistant professors and permanent lecturers and lecturers of the University of St.Gallen; in such cases, the lecturers concerned shall hold a doctor's degree and have been teaching at university level for several years.
e) professors emeriti until the end of the semester in which they have reached the age of 67, with the time of the assumption of the co-supervisorship being the decisive date. Either the supervisor or the co-supervisor must be a full professor of the University of St.Gallen. The supervisor has the right to nominate a co-supervisor. Third member of the dissertation committee The third member of the DIA dissertation committee participates in the defence (in person or via Skype/videoconference) and submits a short statement. If the supervisor and the co-supervisor are members of the faculty of the University of St.Gallen, the third member is chosen from another academic institution. The third member of the dissertation committee is identified during the research stage and approved by the programme commission. The supervisor nominates a third member and sends the correspondent form to the DIA programme administration one semester prior to the defence. 5.2 Tasks The thesis committee is responsible for the following tasks: a) the overall supervision of an individual thesis, with the personal supervision of the doctoral student(s) being incumbent on the supervisor; b) the assessment of the research proposal and the organisation of the colloquium on the research proposal; c) the assessment of the thesis (only by supervisor or the co-supervisor) d) in the case of research proposals or thesis having to be revised, the stipulation of the changes to be made; e) proposal to the Programme Commission concerning the acceptance (with grades), return for revision, or rejection of the thesis. 6. Admission 6.1 General admission requirements Degree The basic requirement for an application to a Ph.D. degree course is a Master’s degree from the HSG or equivalent consecutive university degree consisting of at least 270 ECTS credits. The entire education (Bachelor's and Master's degree) have to be equivalent to that required by the University of St.Gallen. Admission with an MBA qualification is not possible. Grade averages You must be able to demonstrate a Swiss grade average of at least 5.00 (Germany/Austria 2.00; US GPA 3.5). Confirmation of eligibility for doctoral studies If you have not received your degree from the University of St.Gallen, you must provide clear evidence that you would be accepted to a Ph.D. programme at your home university, without any restrictions. Supervisor's letter of recommendation After our confirmation of your supervision eligibility, your supervisor has to submit the "form for supervisor's letter of recommendation". It is your responsibility to request this letter and submit it on time. It is not possible for the university administration to contact your professors. The supervisor's letter of recommendation is a prerequisite for admission to Ph.D. studies.
6.2 Specific admission requirements for the DIA Degree As a graduate of one of the following HSG Master programmes you can be admitted to the DIA Ph.D. programme without supplementary work: a) International Affairs and Governance (MIA) b) Economics (MEcon) c) Quantitative Finance and Economics (MiQE/F) d) Banking and Finance (MBF) You can also enrol in the DIA Ph.D. programme without having to meet any additional criteria if you hold a degree equivalent to the MIA, MEcon, MiQE/F or MBF degrees. If you hold a degree in an unrelated discipline, then you must complete supplementary work to the effect of 18-20 credits. Evidence of proficiency in English If you are not a native English speaker or have not completed your Master's in a degree course taught completely in English, you must provide evidence of satisfactory proficiency in English. The following examinations are recognized: a) English examination at proficiency level II of the University of St.Gallen b) Externally taken English examination at level C2 (e.g. Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English) c) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum score: 100 (internet-based) Letter of recommendation A letter of recommendation from a professor at the University of St.Gallen is required for admission to the DIA programme. Admission to the programme requires a written agreement of a professor from one of the departments of Political Science, Economics, Public International Law or Public Management to act as your supervisor. You can find a list of these professors on the DIA website. Other professors may serve as doctoral thesis supervisors with the agreement of the programme commission. Additional documents You may also submit the following documents: a) motivation letter b) research outline with remarks on your research issue c) references from professors at other universities The programme commission will decide on admission to the programme. 6.3 Supplementary work Applicants with a degree in similar or different subjects obtained from the University of St.Gallen or another university may be admitted to the doctoral programme. In such cases, admission may be subject to supplementary work done at the University of St.Gallen’s Master’s level to the extent of a maximum of 18 to 20 credits. Applicants shall complete such supplementary work by the end of the coursework stage. Ph.D. students who must complete supplementary work may extend the deadline for submission of the research proposal by half a year. The deadline for submission of the doctoral thesis remains unchanged at three years after completion of the coursework. Admission to the Ph.D. programme is a provisional admission until the supplementary work is completed satisfactorily. 6.4 Changing programmes If a change of programme is applied for, the application must be evaluated again. The Dean of Studies decides on admission in consultation with the chairman of the programme commission.
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