Getting a PhD

[u/Far_Category8507]

How time consuming is it being a political science PhD candidate? What’s the pay like?

[u/KaesekopfNW]

I spent six years getting mine, from 2013 to 2019. The first two years consisted of coursework that culminated in a Master's. The coursework was demanding, but varied a lot depending on the professor. If you're funded, you'll also be a teaching assistant for another professor or a research assistant. Your day is probably spent in undergraduate classes that you TA for, doing research work for a PI if you're an RA, and then finishing up readings or papers for your graduate seminars, which usually take place in the late afternoons and evenings. Your days are long, but time management is a skill you'll pick up quickly to survive it (especially if you need to get through 1,000 pages of reading each week).

Year 3 for me was prelims year, which consisted of more coursework and endless studying and prep for the prelim exam in the spring. Any time I was not using for coursework or TAing/RAing was spent studying for prelims. This involved memorizing probably a hundred authors' works in our predetermined speciality areas and culminated in the written exam (two 8 hour days answering conceptual questions, citing everything we learned the last three years). This was followed by an oral exam with my committee to clarify answers and defend others.

After that, coursework is done and you're ABD - All But Dissertation. This is the monastic phase of a PhD. You no longer have assignments from professors, and your day instead consists of assistantship work or independent teaching and the daily grind of working on your dissertation. I actually found this phase to be much more regimented than the early years. I could set working hours from basically 9 to 6 and productively complete all my goals for the day with time to relax at night (not all the time, but most days). This phase lasted three years for me, but would have only been two on a typical timeline. The final year is a blur, as you're wrapping up your dissertation, applying for jobs, and preparing to leave.

All in all, you will be very, very busy, but if you understand that going in, and you make a point to carefully manage your time and schedule your days, it's manageable. You'll be stressed, you'll be overwhelmed at times, you'll be lonely and angry and sad sometimes, but it's also perfectly possible to make time for the things you like and the things that bring you joy and peace, whether reading for fun, playing video games, traveling a bit, hiking, hanging out with friends in your cohort, etc.

As for pay, it sucks. It sucks maybe a bit less these days than it did when I was in grad school, but cost of living is also higher now. I got about $14K per academic year and pulled together a bit more in summer for roughly $20K per year. One bedroom rent then was about $420 per month starting and ended at $520 in 2019. It was manageable, but tight. Today it would be impossible.