Online PhD in International Relations

Online doctorates in international relations are hard to come by, so I thought I'd share this.

https://graduate.sit.edu/program/doctorate-international-relations-phd/

 

Quite pricey for a no name school, for that price should be from SAIS.

• $79,500: With 0 Transfer Credits Applied
• $63,600: With 15 Transfer Credits Applied

 

I had to reach the bottom of the page before I found the name of the institution: School of International Training. That's not good marketing.

 

University of Leicester has a PhD in IR

https://le.ac.uk/politics/study/distance-learning/phd

30k USD ? something like that

University of York and SOAS have PhD programs in IR via distance learning as well. Not sure the cost.

There's quite a few more reputable Unis around the world that offer a PhD in IR via DL, most in UK

Salvia Regina University in RI has a PhD in IR.

https://salve.edu/graduate-and-professional-studies/international-relations-phd

but it's like 1k per credit hour

 

Even Salvia Regina University's program is cheaper than STI's.

 

The school started out as a tutoring abroad in the Peace Corps. Great story, but ain't worth that much for a Ph.D.

 

For an American, how many have $30k to pay out of pocket? Is it easy to get a private loan to pay for a foreign school? If I remember correctly, U.S. financial aid will not cover 100% online programs in foreign countries; it can only be used for in-person programs. There's was an exception for a couple of years because of the pandemic.

 

I didn't say that SIT was the only option or best option; it's just one of the few options.

University of Southern Mississippi's PhD in International Development used to be the best option for an American, but now they require seven campus visits per year. Liberty University has a doctorate in public policy, but it only includes three foreign policy courses. For an American, I think the best option is K-State's online PhD in Security Studies. It's $574.50 per credit hour. As long as you have a related master's degree, the program is 60 credits and will cost about $34,470. Security Studies is a sub-field of international relations.

https://online.k-state.edu/programs/security-studies-doctorate/

 

Many students receive assistance sponsors like employers.

This is correct. If one attends a non-U.S. school with Federal School Code via distance learning, that student cannot obtain federal financial aid. However, that student CAN defer existing student loans while taking the degree via distance learning.

 

huh? if you don't have 30k to pay for your studies, maybe you shouldn't be studying...

go work, get some experience in the field, save up some money rather than get yourself into more debt?

Or maybe that's not the american way.

 

The traditional way in the U.S. and Europe is to have your PhD fully funded by the university. Most Europeans can't afford $30k either. If your PhD doesn't have an ROI of more than $30k, then maybe you shouldn't be spending $30k on it, whether it comes from loans or savings. That could have been a down payment on a house or gone into a retirement account or stocks. Books on international relations are free at the library.

If you're trying to convince me that it's the norm for Europeans to save up $30k for a PhD they expect no ROI from, I call BS.

 

I'm not trying to convince you that it's the norm for EU to save up 30k for a PhD program. I never once mentioned about Europeans paying for their studies because most EU countries have very low cost / almost free programs from bachelors onward no? Germany has programs that are either free or nominal semester fees. Also imo, Europeans don't need to have 30k saved up for studies because they actually have governments who look after them. I know Netherlands and Denmark gives locals an allowance while they study. They also offer student loans with 0% interest. (I know because I have close friends from those 2 places)

It's only your unique American way that makes people take huge debts to study (I'm assuming you're American since you sound so defensive, if not I apologize) while profiting off the citizens. What's the interest rate atm? 5%~7%?

So again for Americans - if you don't have 30k to study a PhD, don't. You are poor, stop making yourself poorer. You're not EU, neither are you the same.

 

Debt with 0% interest is still debt. I am aware that on-campus PhD students in Europe can study for free. That is also the case in the U.S. The U.S. and Europe do, however, differ when it comes to undergraduate studies. Some states have only now started offering free college to recent high school graduates. Racially diverse countries tend to be less generous with social programs, which is probably why Europe has been moving to the right as immigration increases.

 

yikes, this conversation is all over the place and i really have no interest to talk about EU and US and your diversity stand or immigration

if you feel europeans don't have money to pay for a phd program, good on you.

if you feel US and EU are the same, sure. really not my problem.

all i did was to sic alternatives to your expensive program (maybe price doesn't matter to americans since yall can just take FAFSA)

I'll just end by saying - if you're poor, don't become poorer. Go clear your student debt before thinking about studying.

take care ~