It is to inform to all the prospective candidates who intend to seek admission in PhD International Relations, that following are the guidelines for securing admission in PhD International relations
University of Management & Technology Lahore
PhD IR Admission Test
General Guidelines
Admission Process
The screening of prospective candidates will be based on;
a) Previous academic record – all details, documents should be attached with admission form – minimum eligibility criteria set by HEC should be fulfilled.
a) Admission Test – 100 marks -- 70% score in the test is required to qualify for the interview.
c) Interview – 50 marks
Admission Test
Objective: A Diagnostic test that aims to evaluate candidates’ ability in the following areas;
a) Reading comprehension, critical, analytical ability
b) Research Orientation and Writing ability
c) Knowledge of the subject and research methods in Social Sciences
Format
Total marks 100 – Time Allowed: 2.5 hrs.
The test will consists of a combination of MCQs, short and long questions.
The following areas will be included. The exact weightage of each part can vary.
- Reading Comprehension, Critical, Analytical Ability - One or two reading passages will be given (content related to IR / related fields) with questions.
- Research Methodology, Research Orientation and Writing ability
This section will be further divided into two parts;
Part A - Knowledge of Social Research Methods
Part B – Writing of a tentative research proposal that includes your original research idea , how you plan to explore it , why is it worth exploring
- Knowledge of the Subject
This section will include questions from key areas of the subject including;
- International Relations Theory
- Foreign Policy of Pakistan
- Current Affairs
- Modern World History
- Basic International Relations
Interview – 50 marks.
Successful candidates will appear in the interview to be taken by Dept. Graduate Committee.
Each member of the committee will assess the candidate and decide his/her score after mutual consultation.
Some Basic Guidelines
IR Theory
Candidates are expected to be familiar with a range of theoretical perspectives in IR including;
- Realism – all variants
- Liberalism – all variants
- The English School
- Constructivism
- Marxism / Neo Marxism
- Critical Theory
- Post Structuralism
- Feminism
- Post colonialism
- Great Debates in IR Theory
Research Methods
Candidates are expected to be familiar with;
- Major Types of Social Research
- Components of a research proposal / dissertation
- Difference between Qualitative and quantitative approaches
- Qualitative and Quantitative Sampling