About the academic track

The PhD program in Law and Politics is an advanced academic track designed to prepare a distinguished group of scholars and researchers capable of producing original scientific knowledge in political science and international relations. The program aims to foster a high-quality research environment that combines theoretical depth with methodological rigor, through specialized supervision, advanced courses, and research workshops that support the development of a comprehensive dissertation project.

This program focuses on key subfields within political science, including: Political Theory, Political Systems, Political Sociology, Political History, International Relations and Diplomacy, Strategic Planning, and International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. Students begin with a foundational phase covering research methodology and core theoretical frameworks, before selecting a specific specialization aligned with their research interests.

The program is distinguished by the methodological breadth and diversity of its faculty’s research interests, offering students access to cutting-edge research in areas such as identity politics, democracy, migration, environmental politics, governance, human security, and comparative institutions. It also offers strong training in both quantitative and qualitative research methods, making it one of the most rigorous graduate-level programs in the region.

Vision

To lead regionally and internationally in graduate-level academic and research excellence in law and political science, preparing influential scholars who contribute to political thought and policy development.

Mission

To provide advanced academic training that integrates deep theoretical understanding with sophisticated research methodologies, aiming to prepare a new generation of scholars capable of producing original, impactful political science research.

Objectives

  1. Prepare researchers specialized in political science capable of producing rigorous academic work.

  2. Enhance doctoral students’ skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

  3. Support specialization and deep academic inquiry in key subfields of political science.

  4. Foster an academic environment that encourages critical thinking, dialogue, and comparative analysis.

  5. Supply universities, research centers, and international institutions with highly qualified academics.

  6. Encourage students to engage in international research networks and address contemporary global issues.

General Overview of the General Track

The General Track offers students a broad and advanced foundation in political science, allowing them to engage in various subfields without being restricted to a narrow specialization. It focuses on developing comprehensive expertise in comparative politics, political systems, political theory, and international relations.

Students complete advanced coursework in research methods and specialized seminars, and design a dissertation project tailored to their academic interests. This track is ideal for those seeking to bridge multiple subfields or pursue interdisciplinary research. It prepares graduates for careers in academia, research centers, and policy institutions.

General Overview of the International Relations and Diplomacy Track

This track focuses on the theoretical and practical dimensions of state and intergovernmental relations, foreign policy analysis, regional and global security, and global governance. It prepares students to critically investigate international issues such as conflict, cooperation, diplomacy, and transnational challenges.

Students develop research projects grounded in advanced international relations theory, supported by methodological training in both qualitative and quantitative analysis. This track is ideal for researchers aiming to contribute to scholarship in international affairs and global policy studies.

General Overview of the Strategic Planning Track

This track addresses strategic political planning, risk management, decision-making, and long-term public policy development. It equips researchers to analyze state strategies, national security, and policy design in complex political environments.

Ideal for scholars seeking to provide strategic insights and policy frameworks based on empirical data and analytical forecasting, this track connects political science with administrative, economic, and security studies.

General Overview of the Political Sociology Track

This track investigates the dynamic relationship between society and politics by analyzing political culture, identity, social movements, and public behavior. It adopts interdisciplinary approaches that blend social theory and political science to explore the interactions between power and society.

Students engage in advanced analysis of topics such as pluralism, political participation, social mobilization, and policy implications of social structures. It is ideal for researchers focused on societal change, governance, and civic engagement.

General Overview of the Political Theory Track

This track is devoted to the study of political philosophy and the evolution of political thought—from classical theorists such as Plato and Aristotle to modern and contemporary critical theory.

Students develop conceptual tools to analyze foundational themes such as authority, freedom, justice, the state, and legitimacy. It encourages critical inquiry and theoretical innovation. This track is well-suited for those pursuing academic careers in political philosophy and theoretical research.

General Overview of the Political Systems Track

Focused on the study of governance structures, constitutional systems, political institutions, and regime types, this track covers democratic transitions, elections, public policy, and institutional performance.

Students analyze and compare political systems and models of governance, with an emphasis on state-building, institutional reform, and political stability. It is ideal for researchers interested in comparative politics and political institutions.

General Overview of the Political History Track

This track explores key historical events, the rise and fall of political entities, wars, alliances, and the evolution of political ideologies. It merges historical and political analysis to understand how the past shapes contemporary political landscapes.

It focuses on global transformations through a political lens, enabling scholars to produce historically grounded interpretations of modern politics. Ideal for researchers interested in the historical roots of global and regional political developments.

General Overview of the International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Track

This track prepares students to become experts in conflict analysis, negotiation, mediation, crisis management, and peacebuilding. It addresses international disputes, regional tensions, and peace processes.

Combining theoretical frameworks with practical case studies, the track develops skills in designing and implementing sustainable conflict resolution strategies. It is ideal for scholars interested in international diplomacy, conflict transformation, and global peace efforts.

Learning and Assessment

The First Stage

  • The student studies eight courses, distributed as follows:
    √ Six compulsory courses.
    √Two elective courses from among the courses offered by the faculty for master’s students.
  • The study is conducted through research seminars in each course, and the research seminar relies on multiple references and is in accordance with the scientific research methodology and standards.
  • The study of each of the eight courses takes four credit hours for a minimum of four weeks, and it may be more than that according to the capabilities of each student, after which the student’s competency and knowledge test is held in the course he finished, then he starts in another course in the same way, and so on.
  • Courses studied in the first year, the student has the right to extend the study for a period not exceeding a second year.
  • If a specialization track is chosen within the general program, elective courses will have to be studied from the courses designated for the chosen specialization.

The Second Stage

● The student is assigned a virtual course that the faculty chooses from among the courses that the student studied at the bachelor’s level. This is a practical training for the student, with ten credit hours. The student must divide this course into twelve to fourteen abbreviated lectures. The student presents each lecture in the form of a written summary of its topic in Word format, accompanied by a video recording of it in the student’s voice using the Power Point program. Its duration is not less than ten minutes and not more than twenty. Accurate.

The Thrid Stage

Requirements for registering a thesis topic for a master’s degree in law and justice

  • The student must pass the prescribed academic courses with at least 70%.
  • The student obtains a TOEFL certificate with a score of at least 450, or its equivalent, or obtains a corresponding certificate in the French language, with the exception of those who obtained a first university degree in one of the two languages, or in one of the two languages.
  • The student submits a request to the university administration to register a master’s thesis with a suggested topic in one of the sub-specialized tracks.
  • If the initial approval of the subject title is achieved, the Faculty Council shall specify a supervisor to guide the student and follow him up in preparing the plan.
  • The research plan includes the importance of the subject and a critical presentation of the previous studies in it, and a specification of the research problem, then defining the methodology of the study and its main hypotheses or the questions that you want to answer, and the division of the study and its sources.
  • The student presents his proposed plan in a scientific seminar. The plan discusses a topic and methodology.
  • The student amends his plan based on the notes of the professors in the seminar if he is asked to amend it.
  • The plan is presented after the seminar to the Faculty Council to take its decision regarding the registration of the subject.
  • In the event of approval, the decision of the Faculty Council is presented to the University Council to approve the registration, and the date of registration is calculated from the date of approval by the University Council.

Jury discussion and degree awarding

  • The minimum period for preparing a master’s thesis is nine months, starting from the date of approval of the University Council to register the subject, and the maximum is two years, which can be extended for a third exceptional year upon the recommendation of the supervisor and the approval of the Faculty Council, provided that the total period of the student’s enrollment in the degree does not exceed four years.
  • The supervisor submits a semi-annual report that includes what has been accomplished, and what is required in the remaining period.
  • After the student completes the thesis and the supervisor reviews it, the supervisor submits to the university administration a report stating that it is valid for discussion, including an evaluation of the student’s performance during the thesis preparation period of 140 degrees, along with submitting a full copy of the thesis signed by him, and a letter with the names of the jury proposed by the professors of the specialty, for presentation to the Faculty Council.
  • It is required that before the student’s discussion, at least fifteen days have passed from the date of approval of the jury committee from the faculty.
  • The jury committee formed to discuss the thesis is six months, which may be renewed for a similar period based on a report from the supervisor and the approval of the Faculty Council.
  • The period of validity of the committee formed to discuss the thesis is six months. It may be renewed for a similar period based on a report from the supervisor and the approval of the Faculty Council.
  • Each member of the jury writes a detailed scientific report on the validity of the thesis for discussion, and evaluates the thesis out of 100 degrees, and the average of the three degrees is taken.
  • The student may not be discussed unless he obtains at least 70% of the supervisor’s evaluation of his performance and the jury members’ evaluation of the thesis in the individual reports.
  • Submit a post-dissertation group report signed by all members of the jury evaluating the thesis discussion out of 100.
  • The thesis is approved after common discussion by the jury with one of the grades shown in the following table:

Average

Definition Point Grade
Excellent 4.00 A+
Excellent 3.75 A
Very Good 3.50 B+
Very Good 3.00 B
Good 2.50 C+
2.00 C
Pass on probation 1.50 D+
Pass on probation 1.00 D
Fail 0.00 F
  • The following grades are not taken into account for the semester or cumulative GPA.
Thesis or project in progress : DP
Incomplete : I
In progress : IP
Registration has been suspended : L
The grade has not been decided : NGR
Did not take the final exam. : NP
Transferred course. : T
Withdraw from the course. : W
The course covers two semesters, the degree is given at the end of the spring or summer semester. : YR
There are no credit hours. : NC
One credit hour taken as a private student. The credit hours and the degree do not count towards the degree : ND
Re-submitted course, only the last grade is used in calculating the GPA. : R
Credit taken as a special student. Credit hours and grade counted towards a degree. : S

Credits
Before the 2016-2017 fall semester 1 credit point is equivalent to 1 semester lecture hour. In the 2016 – 2017 fall semester the University introduced the ECTS – European Credit Transfer System.

Academic Calendar
International Suleiman University calendar is based on the semester system. Each semester has a duration of 15 weeks including the week of the final exam. The summer semester is 10 weeks long, including the final exam.

Track Structure

Track Structure
8 courses = 32 credit hours,
practical training = 10 credit hours
Master's thesis = 18 credit hours
Courses
Practical Training
Master's Thesis

Curriculum

I. Core Courses (General Track)

Advanced Scientific Research Methodology

Course name: Advanced Scientific Research Methodology

Course code: DPS101

Credit hours: 4.00

The course aims to train students to prepare research in political science, by identifying the most important steps of the research process such as the research problem, scientific hypotheses, concepts and variables, data collection methods, data analysis tools, reaching conclusions and generalizations, in addition to defining the most important approaches used in The field of political science.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

International Relations

Course name: International Relations

Course code: DPSL102

Credit hours: 4.00

The course introduces students to the development of concepts and theories of international relations, and the problems facing creating an integrated scientific theory of international relations. The course includes the study of realistic theories (power), behavioral theories (systems), and ideal theories (international organizations). It also includes studying the theories of external decision-making, theories of international conflict, its causes, and how to manage it and intervene to solve it.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

The Origins of Political Analysis

Course name: The Origins of Political Analysis

Course code: DPS103

Credit hours: 4.00

The course presents the concepts, ideas, and tools necessary for analyzing politics and comprehending its realities, and provides a description and analysis of the issues that occupy the mind of contemporary man: democracy, political behavior, political evaluation, policy making, and deals with the issue of power and influence through specific examples for those who have different degrees of them, in a way that helps the student to Creative perception of the realities of the world of politics and its makers.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Planning and Political Organization

Course name: Planning and Political Organization

Course code: DPS104

Credit hours: 4.00

The course includes a study of the concepts of planning and political organization and the most important elements upon which these concepts depend to achieve the political goals of states, a study of models of international relations and the nature of the interactions regulating relations and the factors influencing aspects of governance and political organization, and a study of the scientific foundations on which the study of politics is based and an explanation of the role of ideologies and political philosophies in Organizing international political action, studying the most important challenges facing work in the field of politics, studying them and ways to deal with those challenges, studying the most important aspects of research and development of various political systems and interactions, predicting political trends and the political decision-making system.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Philosophy of Political Science

Course name: Philosophy of Political Science

Course code: DPS105

Credit hours: 4.00

The course deals with the meaning and function of political philosophy, and then reviews the philosophies of Plato that he presented in his dialogues, as well as Aristotle as the founder of the science of politics, as well as the political philosophy of Muslims represented by Al-Farabi and Ibn Khaldun. Then he moves on to the modern political philosophy of Hobbes, who worked to reorganize political thought in a rational, materialistic framework, Hegel’s creations about the state and civil society, leading to the emergence of ideal (utopian) socialism and ending with Marx’s materialistic socialism, which he established on the basis of Hegelian.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes

Political Decision

Course name: Political Decision

Course code: DPS106

Credit hours: 4.00

The course is divided into nine themes. The first axis deals with the concept of decision linguistically and idiomatically, in addition to the concept of political decision specifically, then the concept of political decision-making and the different trends in this regard. The second axis deals with the pillars of the political decision, which are the elements that must be available in order to reach a rational and correct decision, such as: the situation, information, time, the scientific method, and the decision maker. The third axis deals with the types of political decisions and the criteria on the basis of which political decisions are classified. Decisions are classified according to their objective, area of ​​interest, or scope. This axis has separated all these criteria and types under each criterion, and the fourth axis deals with the stages of political decision-making. Which is represented in the political position and its perception by the decision-maker, then identifying or defining it, collecting information related to it, classifying and analyzing it, developing alternatives, comparing them, then making the decision, implementing it and monitoring it. The fifth axis deals with decision-making institutions and the parties influencing it, as it deals with the official institutions that make political decisions, as well as informal institutions that have become contributing, in different ways, to the political decision-making process. The axis also deals with political decision-making units and their various forms. The sixth axis deals with the factors that affect decision-making in terms of its form and quality, which are various factors related to the decision-making apparatus, the nature of the problem that is the subject of the prospective decision, or the social, political and economic framework in which the decision will be taken, as well as the military, cultural and ideological factors that affect in one way or another the political decision-making process. As for the seventh axis, it deals with explanation and clarification of the most important difficulties that may face the political decision-maker, and lead to a lack of clarity of vision, and then the inability to control the elements of the environment in which the decision will be implemented. The eighth axis deals with the most important methods of making and making decisions, such as the Solution Selection Matrix, the Decision Tree method, and the Fish Bone diagram. Finally, the ninth axis deals with the decision-making and decision-making process in the field of foreign policy due to the difference in the decision-making environment in the two fields, and because of the complexity and overlap in foreign policy-making.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

The Strategic Policies of the Countries of the Middle East

Course name: The Strategic Policies of the Countries of the Middle East

Course code: DPS107

Credit hours: 4.00

The course contains a set of in-depth research and careful and accurate readings on the causes of the uprisings, their drivers, and their effects on the internal Arab political situation, the regional and the international one. It has and in light of the new types of mobilization and activity that framed those uprisings, especially youth movements and communication technology, especially social networking sites, as it deals with it within the framework of the broader scene at the regional and international levels.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes

II. Elective Courses (General Track)

The Origins of Geopolitical Science

Course name: The Origins of Geopolitical Science

Course code: DPS151

Credit hours: 4.00

The course includes a study of the concept of geopolitics and the principles on which the science of geopolitics relies and its relationship to various variables, and a study of the developments that the origins of geopolitical sciences have gone through and the efforts of researchers towards forming a clear understanding of political geography, and the study of the most important components and ways to understand the interactive relationships between the various components of geopolitical science at the level of civilizations and cultures Various fields, and the study of many applied fields through which geopolitical sciences can be effectively employed in various fields, and the study of the most important areas that need further studies in relation to geopolitical sciences and ways to develop applied work in it in improving understanding of the nature of events and the development of decision-making systems.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Geopolitical Analysis

Course name: Geopolitical Analysis

Course code: DPS152

Credit hours: 4.00

The course provides a definition of the concept of political geography, an analysis of the spatial relationship of the state and its economic and human components, and their impact on the regional and international political weight, present and future. It also deals with various geopolitical theories such as: the biosphere, the marine, the continental heart, the contributions of Mackinder, Haushofer, and Mahan, in addition to applied studies of geopolitical theories and their contribution to achieving security and regional blocs.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

The Political Structure of the European Union

Course name: The Political Structure of the European Union

Course code: DPS153

Credit hours: 4.00

The course aims to study the nature of the European Union and the foundations on which it is based, the historical developments and political events that affected its formation in its current form, and the most important goals it achieves. It also aims to study the most important institutions concerned with achieving the political and economic goals of the European Union, and the charters regulating the work of those institutions. It reviews examples of the most important efforts made by the various institutions to achieve the security and political goals of the European Union countries. It deals with the most important areas in which European countries overlap with the aim of achieving safety and the economic and political strength of the European Union, and strengthening its active role in various regional and global political and economic events.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes

Strategic Policies of the European Union

Course name: Strategic Policies of the European Union

Course code: DPS104

Credit hours: 4.00

The course focuses on the management of the European Union and the foundations on which it was based to ensure the independence of its countries in their policies with integration within the Union’s general strategies and common policies. It explains ways to finance the Union in order to achieve economic and monetary union and the declaration of the Eurozone, how to build common foreign, security and defense policies, the structure of European law and the mechanism The work of the Court of Justice and the political and legal nature of the Union and the challenges it faces.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes

Strategic Policies of the United States

Course name: Strategic Policies of the United States

Course code: DPS155

Credit hours: 4.00

The course discusses the developments that the United States of America has gone through since the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Britain, and shows the reasons for that. It then discusses the geographical expansion policy pursued by the independent states, and their perseverance in receiving immigrants. categories in its texture, and shows the struggle of black citizens to gain their rights. The course also deals with the foundations of the federal system that the states chose for themselves, and reviews the characteristics of civil society organizations, pressure groups, and the organization of American parties, and what are the differences between the Republican and Democratic parties, and shows in detail the rules followed in electing the president and members of the House of Representatives and Senate, and presents the characteristics and role of the American media In public life, he explains that the main political dilemma in this sector lies in the concentration of ownership in the hands of giant companies that control the information that American public opinion gets. The course also focuses on the distribution of power between the president and Congress, the foundations of the judicial system, and addresses the roots of the prevailing political culture in the United States of America.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Strategy and National Security

Course name: Strategy and National Security

Course code: DPS156

Credit hours: 4.00

The course seeks to lay a foundation for a strategic thought that fits the current global challenges and contributes to shaping the desired future in developing countries, as well as contributing to facing the challenges facing the world, the latest of which is the collapse of the global financial system. The course deals with correcting the misconceptions of national security, and reformulating the complexities surrounding the concept in a simplified, scientific manner that is easy to absorb and understand, in the hope that this will constitute a real lever for managing the state and protecting the national interests of our Arab and Islamic nation. The contents of the course focused on the foundations of strategic planning for national security and its political, economic, military, social and geopolitical components, through which the state determines the features of its national security. The course presents the elements of national security, and although it acknowledges the difficulty of enumerating them because new elements may be introduced, it generally distinguishes between nine basic elements: internal and external political security, military security, economic security, social security, cultural security, administrative security, information security, and environmental security, and finally space security. It concludes by talking about the challenges of national security, and addresses the sources of threat to national security and ways to protect it.
The curriculum inputs include: the form and type of knowledge, learners’ characteristics, needs, tendencies and interests, society’s philosophy, values, hopes and aspirations. The curriculum outcomes are: knowledge, skills, and attitudes

Welcome to the Institute of Postgraduate Studies at ISU