Benjamin Beegan, First Year CIR student

Benjamin Beegan is entering his MA in UChicago’s Committee on International Relations with an open mind. “I hope the CIR program will better prepare me for the PhD application process and connect me with CIR alumni, both those who decided to get a PhD and those who thought they wanted a PhD before CIR but decided to go a different route during the program,” he says.

After completing his undergraduate work, Beegan applied to mainly PhD programs but was not successful. His applications were frequently forwarded to the master's degree programs at those institutions, where he was admitted to 5 programs at 5 different schools. He decided to enroll at UChicago. CIR outcomes at top PhD programs were a major factor in deciding where to attend, as well as alumni and current student testimonials.

As Beegan starts his program Autumn Quarter, his interests are the intersectionality of environmental law, policy, and environmental justice and political theory in international relations. He is particularly interested in studying the Paris Climate Agreement and how it relates to atmospheric justice. In addition, he is interested in expanding his research interests through CIR’s interdisciplinary curriculum, which allow him to craft my schedule from a list of 500+ approved classes not only in the social sciences but also in other divisions and schools, including Chicago Booth and the Law School.

That interdisciplinarity carries into the thesis project.  “CIR allows you to pick an advisor for your thesis outside of the immediate CIR faculty, I can ask a professor in theory or in environmental science programs,” he says.

Post-CIR, he currently hopes to earn a PhD, but is undecided about going directly after the MA or gaining professional experience before applying to PhD programs again.