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Home―Academics―Doctoral Degrees―Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

  • Campus: Washington DC
  • Program Duration: Average time to completion 5.5 years; Full-Time

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General Information

Regarding the PhD program should be directed to [email protected]

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The faculty and leadership of SAIS are currently undertaking a review of our PhD program and will not be admitting a new PhD cohort for the 2025-26 academic year. All applicants will receive a full refund of their application fees within the next few weeks. We expect to reopen applications next year for the 2026-27 academic year and look forward to considering your applications then. Thank you.

Overview

The full-time only PhD program at Johns Hopkins SAIS will cultivate your expertise as a scholar of international relations. During your studies you will work closely with a faculty advisor to develop a customized academic plan that best supports your dissertation research. You must have already completed (or be in the process of completing) a relevant master’s level degree to apply.

Become an Expert

Throughout your PhD studies you will gain a comprehensive understanding of qualitative and quantitative analytic skills, international relations, economics, and regional studies. The program is divided into a pre-dissertation, resident stage based in Washington DC, and a non-resident, dissertation stage.

PhD students will have one of the following areas of focus (either a policy or region):

International Policy

  • American Foreign Policy
  • Energy, Resources and Environment
  • Global Theory and History
  • International Development
  • International Relations
  • International Political Economy
  • Strategic Studies

Regions of the World

  • African Studies
  • Canadian Studies
  • China Studies
  • European and Eurasian Studies
  • Japan Studies
  • Korea Studies
  • Latin American Studies
  • Middle East Studies
  • South Asia Studies
  • Southeast Asia Studies

What Your Schedule Will Look Like

The PhD program will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of qualitative and quantitative analytic skills, international relations, economics, and regional studies.

The Pre-dissertation resident stage status lasts up to two years if you have completed the two-year Master of Arts degree at Johns Hopkins SAIS and up to three years without the two-year Masters of Arts degree from the school. You will complete coursework, comprehensive exams, and defend the dissertation prospectus.

During this portion of the PhD program you will be based at the school's main campus in Washington DC and take a full course load or approved independent study. 

Required Courses

In addition to individualized coursework agreed upon by a faculty advisor, all students must complete the following:

  • Research Methodology
  • International Economics
  • Statistics and Econometrics

Research Methodology: all students must successfully pass Theories and Methods of Qualitative Political Research and Research Design and Causal Inference. Prerequisites for Research Design and Causal Inference include fulfilling Statistical Methods for Business and Economics and Econometrics.

Within six months of passing the third comprehensive exam, you must prepare a written prospectus of the dissertation and present it in a formal defense that is open to members of the university doctoral community.

 
 

During the dissertation non-resident stage, you can explore opportunities to study at SAIS Europe, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, or at other prominent global institutions.

You will advance to the dissertation stage after successfully defending a prospectus. You are not required to be on campus, however you are still considered full-time status. You should defend the dissertation within five years of the prospectus defense.

Curriculum