Faculty Perceptions of Political Science PhD Career Training

Abstract

In face of the ongoing discrepancy between the number of political science PhD graduates and the availability of permanent academic positions, in this article we consider attitudes of faculty members towards options to address this issue. Based on a survey of faculty members in PhD-granting political science programs at English-speaking Canadian universities, we find considerable support for both reducing the number of PhD students admitted and reforming curriculum to ensure graduates cultivate skills transferable to non-academic environments. At the same time, faculty members are inclined to believe that PhD students themselves should shoulder the greatest responsibility for career preparation.

Doctoral Mentorship Practices in Canadian Political Science

“…This is especially important for promoting non-academic career paths. Berdahl et al (2020) report that many faculty are broadly supportive of PhDs pursuing careers outside academia but also do not feel personally equipped with the requisite capacity and contacts. Thus, there are growing calls to expand mentorship beyond academic supervisors (see, for example, Clifford et al, 2014), and some universities are experimenting with expanded mentorship models that allow students to draw upon community expertise (Gunaratne et al, 2019).…”

“…Supervisors may also feel better equipped for some types of mentoring activity than others. Berdahl et al (2020) find that while many political science faculty are supportive in principle of non-academic careers for PhDs, most do not feel personally equipped to offer preparation for non-academic careers or know how and where to direct students.…”

Hard Work and You Can’t Get It: An International Comparative Analysis of Gender, Career Aspirations, and Preparedness Among Politics and International Relations PhD Students

“…The Canadian survey 4 was distributed from February to April 2021. The survey drew on questions from previous surveys of graduate supervisors in political science (Berdahl, Malloy, and Young 2020). The Australian survey 5 was distributed from February to April 2022.…”

“…It appears that Canadian doctoral students are somewhat better served in terms of career preparation than their Australian counterparts; however, they believed that their department was not doing enough to prepare them for a nonacademic career. This may be attributed to the view of Canadian faculty members that departments should assume only a modest role in career preparation (Berdahl, Malloy, and Young 2020).…”

“…Although neither Canada nor Australia has a similar survey, 3 it is reasonable to assume that the pattern is similar. A survey of faculty members in English-speaking, PhD-granting political science departments in Canada found that faculty members acknowledged the reality of this disconnect and expressed considerable support for reducing the number of PhD students and reforming the curriculum to ensure that graduates cultivate skills for nonacademic jobs (Berdahl, Malloy, and Young 2020).…”