Academic Program
Ph.D. in Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought
The ASPECT Ph.D. Program is designed for applicants who hold master's degrees or equivalents in fields such as political science, philosophy, sociology, history, cultural studies, or related disciplines. Strong BA applicants, however, will also be considered for admission. The program offers individualized faculty mentoring, interdisciplinary colloquia, and collaborative research opportunities across Virginia Tech’s College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. Participating faculty are primarily based in the Department of Political Science, with individual faculty members from partner departments and programs contributing a broad range of elective offerings.
Graduates leave ASPECT fluent in the language and ideas of political science and equipped with the intellectual flexibility to engage diverse scholarly communities. They are prepared for careers in academia, policy analysis, public humanities, and governmental and non-governmental organizations, where rigorous interdisciplinary training is increasingly essential.
Curriculum
What You'll Study
Course requirements for the Ph.D. can ordinarily be completed during two years of residency and entail successful completion of 42 credit hours, leading to the defense of a Ph.D. dissertation proposal and preliminary exams during the fourth semester. Thereafter, dissertation research will be undertaken under the supervision of a multidisciplinary advisory committee and remaining credits may be earned either by taking additional classroom courses or research and dissertation credits.
Students pursuing the ASPECT Ph.D. select a major and a minor concentration chosen from among four areas: 1) Security, Vulnerability and Displacement; 2) Democracy, Equity and Political Participation; 3) Political Economy and Development; and 4) Integral and Global Ecology and Environmental Politics. Additional ASPECT course requirements offer education in interdisciplinary theory, methodology, and professional development.
- The Ph.D. curriculum concentrates on methodological and theoretical issues, as well as domains where these are put to work in understanding social and individual transformations in contemporary and historical contexts.
- All classes are taught in small seminars and offer personal interaction with faculty and peers.
You will complete 12 credit hours of core studies in interdisciplinary frameworks and approaches in social, political, and ethical thought, interdisciplinary perspectives in methodology, and professional development.
6 credit hours in research methods. PSCI 5000 level method classes methods meet the minimum requirement for ASPT methods. The requirement can also be satisfied with interdisciplinary methods courses.
ASPECT degree students will have the choice to select among the below concentration options and will complete 12 credit hours in the major field and 9 credit hours in the minor field of concentration. Each category includes courses appropriate to a particular concentration. The courses are drawn from Political Science and other departments so that each concentration can reflect the interdisciplinarity that is a hallmark of the ASPECT degree.
Pre-matriculation: Master’s degree required in a relevant field of study.
- Year 1:
Admission into ASPECT doctoral program.
First year of coursework (includes core requirements and electives).
Begin engagement with literatures and theoretical materials pertinent to dissertation project.
Start to develop dissertation project and doctoral dissertation committee. - Year 2:
Completion of coursework.
Prepare for preliminary examination.
Finalize dissertation committee.
Work on dissertation proposal. - Year 3:
Complete preliminary exams and dissertation proposal.
Conduct research for dissertation and write dissertation chapters. - Year 4:
Complete and defend doctoral dissertation.
Application Information
Admission Requirements
- A master's degree with minimum GPA 3.5 (4 Scale)
- Overall GPA 3.3 (4 Scale) in undergraduate education
- GRE Required - the GRE is not required. Applicants may upload scores to their application if they wish.
- TOEFL /IELTS Required (If Applicable)
Application Deadlines
Domestic Application
- *Fall: February 1
International Application
- *Fall: February 1
*ASPECT accepts applications ONLY for Fall terms. We do not accept students in Spring, Summer I or Summer II terms.
Funding Opportunities
The ASPECT Ph.D. Program has a limited number of graduate assistantships and fellowships available for students applying for full time study on the Blacksburg Campus. Entering students can apply for such funding as part of their admissions application. No separate application required.
Find out what loans are available as a graduate student and other opportunities.
SPECTRA is an online, double blind reviewed, refereed scholarly journal established as part of the ASPECT Ph.D. Program at Virginia Tech. The journal features work of an interdisciplinary nature and is designed to provide an academic forum to showcase research, explore controversial topics, and take intellectual risks. SPECTRA welcomes submissions for publication by way of articles, book reviews, interviews, and other works that operate within a problem centered, theory driven framework.
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Contact Us
If you have questions about pursuing a Ph.D. in ASPECT, please contact:
Program Leader
Besnik Pula, Director (ASPECT)
Associate Professor of Political Science
202A Major Williams Hall
aspect@vt.edu
Program Specialist
Tamara Sutphin, Program Support Technician
202 Major Williams (0192)
540-231-0698
tsutphin@vt.edu