PhD in International Relations

Doctoral students shape a curriculum based on their interests within Fletcher’s primary doctoral fields of study:

• Comparative and Regional Studies
• Gender and Intersectional Analysis
• Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs
• International Business
• International Development and Environmental Policy
• International Security

Regardless of their choice of field, all students pursue foundational courses in international relations theory, comparative politics and research methodology.

Students also supplement their primary field of study with a second field that can be self-designed or selected from the Fletcher School’s full list of fields of study. The student’s primary and secondary fields of study form the basis for their comprehensive exams.

Students seeking additional opportunities to individualize their studies may cross-register for up to a quarter of their classes at another graduate school at Tufts University or at Harvard University.

Students who have received their master's degree at another institution generally pursue 12 courses (36 credits) at Fletcher, with limited opportunities to have prior coursework applied to their degree. Those who possess a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) generally pursue an additional four courses (12 credits), for a total of 20 courses for the two degrees.

Doctoral students shape a curriculum based on their interests within Fletcher’s primary doctoral fields of study:

Comparative and Regional Studies

Starting with a core course in Comparative Politics, you’ll approach problems from a comparative lens or delve deeply into a specific country or region. The C&RS field of study is multidisciplinary and emphasizes history and politics, to better understand the internal dynamics of states within particular regional and global contexts.

Gender and Intersectional Analysis

Every global problem has gender and intersectional components: the way power is wielded, manipulated, and fought over directly corresponds to gender and intersectionality. Through Fletcher’s Gender and Intersectional Analysis (GAIA) field, train to become a feminist analyst and solve problems at the theoretical, practical, and policy levels. Examine gender and other key factors that influence and intersect with gender, including ethnicity, race, age, class or caste, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and urban/rural differences. 

Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs

The Human Security field focuses on the protection and promotion of well-being of civilians, as individuals and communities. Human security research and practice rests at the intersection of human rights, conflict analysis and resolution, development studies, and humanitarian studies. To best study human security, an explicitly multi-disciplinary lens is required. It therefore draws upon multiple analytic frameworks, including those from history, anthropology, gender studies, sociology, and psychology.  

International Business

From sustainability to pandemic preparedness to economic resiliency, contemporary global challenges can’t be solved by the government or civil society alone. The International Business field is designed for students to develop theoretical and applied analytical frameworks applicable to decision-making in firms in a wide range of industries, from consulting and technology to financial services.

International Development and Environmental Policy

With the International Development and Environmental Policy field, you will dive into interdisciplinary coursework to examine the many dimensions of development policy from both macro and micro perspectives while also learning to address environmental policies relating to energy use, technology choice, water and other natural resources, and climate change, drawing from science, economics, politics, diplomacy, law, and engineering.

International Security

The International Security Studies field asks tough questions about why actors go to war, what makes for an enduring peace, and how various actors interact in a space.  International Security faculty draw upon their experience as veterans and lifelong practitioners, to grapple with foundational questions of contemporary war and peace.

Comprehensive Exams

Doctoral students demonstrate mastery of their subjects through comprehensive examinations, composed of a written exam in each of the two fields of study and an oral exam that integrates the material from the two areas. Students generally sit for their comprehensive examinations within a year of completing their coursework.

Developing and Writing a Dissertation

Once they have passed their comprehensive exams and achieved PhD candidacy, students propose, research and write a dissertation. The completed dissertation should bear evidence of independent research and constitute a substantial contribution to the subject. When the dissertation is complete, the PhD candidate participates in a public oral defense of the dissertation.

Additional Degree Requirements

In addition to the comprehensive exam and dissertation requirements, doctoral students must demonstrate proficiency in a second language. Applicants should submit their master’s thesis with their application. If they haven’t previously written a master’s thesis, they will write one while in the program.  

Our faculty and PhD students conduct research within and across many disciplines, whether in the classroom or out in the field. Please refer to our Research and Publications page to review recent faculty publications or our Student Research page for the timely topics that other PhD candidates have pursued. 

To see what candidates have been working on, we encourage you to review our PhD student profiles (hyperlink to profiles page)

Fletcher faculty and the Office of Professional Development support Fletcher graduates with career advice, professional development and general assistance. Our graduates have pursued careers at a wide range of institutions and organizations.

For students focused on the academic job market, Fletcher offers support at a variety of levels. To develop teaching skills, students can participate in Tufts University’s three-week summer intensive Graduate Institute for Teaching and co-teach a class with a faculty mentor. Many students have also developed and taught classes in the University’s Osher Institute or Experimental College. 

Once students have completed their coursework, they generally take one year or less to finish their comprehensive exams and an additional year or less to prepare a formal dissertation proposal. 

After the proposal has been approved, researching and writing the dissertation averages about three years, but the time needed depends on how many other activities the student is pursuing in addition to their dissertation.

No. Although students may wish to pursue teaching or research opportunities within Fletcher or elsewhere at Tufts University, with only a few exceptions, Fletcher scholarships come with no teaching, research or other work obligations. 

Jessica Caddell

• Dissertation title: The Coming of Mental Warfare: How Russia Changed the Conduct of War
• First post-PhD position: Director, Defense and Strategic Studies Program, United States Military Academy

Zoltan Feher

• Dissertation title: The Sources of American Conduct: U.S. Strategy, China’s Rise, and International Order
• First post-PhD position: Nonresident Fellow, Global China Hub, The Atlantic Council and Visiting Scholar and Professorial Lecturer, George Washington University

Xiaodon Liang

• Dissertation title: Military Rule and Military Industry: Prerogatives and Interests
• First post-PhD position: Senior Policy Analyst for Nuclear Weapons Policy and Disarmament at the Arms Control Association

Alexandra McAuliff

• Dissertation title: The Troubles with Inclusion: Northern Ireland and the Gendered Hierarchies of Peace
• First post-PhD position: Assistant Professor of Politics, Bates College

Scott McDonald

• Dissertation title: The Potential of Hierarchy: The Role of Classical Chinese Philosophy in the Foreign Policy of the People's Republic of China
• First post-PhD position: Assistant Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science & International Affairs, University of North Georgia

Noriya Nakazawa

• Dissertation title: Japan's Grand Strategy under Yoshida, Kishi, and Ikeda
• First post-PhD position: Chief, Education Section, Maritime Staff Office, Ministry of Defense, Japan

Stefan Tschauko

• Dissertation title: Branding and Performance of International Organizations in the United Nations System
• First post-PhD position: Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs

Polina Beliakova 

• Dissertation title: Explaining Erosion of Civilian Control: A Policy-Focused Theory
• First post-PhD position: Rosenwald Postdoctoral Fellow, Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth College.
• Subsequent position: Paul and Melonie Brophy Research Fellow, Security Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Aaron Melaas 

• Dissertation title: Business Associations and Government Policy for Innovation in Middle-Income Countries
• First post-PhD position: Associate Director for Research & Innovation at University of California Alianza MX

 Deborshi Barat 

• Dissertation title: The Legitimacy of Investor-State Dispute-Settlement: A Framework of Analysis
• First post-PhD positions: Senior Associate, AQUILAW (an Indian law firm); Trade & Economy Advisory, Intueri Global; Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University; Associate Professor, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, India
• Subsequent position: Counsel, S&R Associates (an Indian law firm) 

Lydia Sizer 

• Dissertation title: Should I Stay or Should I Go?: How the State Department Decides Whether to Keep Diplomats in Dangerous Places
• First post-PhD position: Researcher, Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP)

Julie Zollmann 

• Dissertation title: Are New Jobs Good Jobs? Digital Driving and Labor Markets in Nairobi
• First post-PhD position: Independent Development Consultant, Nairobi, Kenya

Arun Sukumar 

• Dissertation title: Experts and the Death of Discipline: What Rules for International Cybersecurity Mean for International Law
• First post-PhD position: Postdoctoral fellow, University of Leiden, Netherlands
• Subsequent position: Assistant Professor, University of Leiden, Netherlands

Robert Bell 

• Dissertation title: NATO Nuclear Burden-Sharing: What Constitutes "Free-Riding"?
• First post-PhD position: Distinguished Professor of the Practice and Diplomat in Residence, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology

Neha Ansari 

• Dissertation title: "God's Wrath" to "Miracle Birds": The Evolution of the American Drone Program and Public Opinion in FATA
• First post-PhD position: Consulting Scholar, Sandia National Laboratories
• Subsequent position: Analyst, Afghanistan War Commission, U.S. Congress

Frances Burke 

• Dissertation title: "Why We Went": A History of the Decision to Invade Iraq in 2003
• First post-PhD position: George P. Shultz Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (Washington, D.C.)
• Subsequent positions: Operating Partner, Leadership & Strategy, Exactus Advisors (management consulting); Adjunct Professor of the Practice of National Security, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University 

Ana De Alba 

• Dissertation title: Essays on the Politics and Electoral Implications of Targeting
• First post-PhD position: Regional Chair, Department of Government and Social Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey
• Subsequent position: Assistant Professor of International Relations, Department of Government and Social Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey 

Frank Sobchak 

• Dissertation title: Lost in Translation? Assessing the Importance of Language Skills and Cultural Awareness in Special Forces Advisory Efforts
• First post-PhD position: Adjunct at Joint Special Operations University
• Subsequent position: Chair of Irregular Warfare at the Modern War Institute at the U.S. Military Academy.

Thomas Burke 

• Dissertation title: Anatomy of Dissent: Senior U.S. Military Leader Resistance to the Use of Force in the Post-Cold War Era
• First post-PhD positions: Deputy Commander, 7th Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA; Director, House Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs
• Subsequent position: Deputy Commanding General, 11th Airborne Division (Arctic), Fort Wainwright, Alaska

Benjamin Spatz 

• Dissertation title: Cash Violence: Sanctions and the Politics of Power, and Peace
• First post-PhD positions: Visiting Research Fellow, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame; Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, working in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
• Subsequent position: Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor, tenure-track), Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Bretton McEvoy 

• Dissertation title: White Reckonings: The Possibilities for Transformative Justice Contributions from Ant-Racist White Activists in the United States
• First position: Fritz Thyssen Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, The Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, University of Erfurt, Germany
• Subsequent position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Bayreuth, Germany

Jeremy Gwinn 

• Dissertation title: By, With, and Through: Explaining Effectiveness in U.S. Unconventional Warfare
• First post-PhD position: Director, Army and Special Missions, Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq (Baghdad, Iraq), U.S. Army
• Subsequent position: Chief of Staff, Army Strategic Operations (The Pentagon), U.S. Army