Political science graduate uses PhD with Auditor General office

Scott Swagerty, who recently graduated ASU with a PhD in Comparative Politics, Methodology, has taken a position with the office of the Arizona Auditor General.  Swagerty, who has three degrees from the School of Politics and Global Studies, says the graduate program at SPGS helped him be qualified for his position as a methodologist.

“My position requires a PhD, so without SPGS and its rigorous methods sequence, I wouldn't have been qualified to apply,” he said. “Additionally, since the PhD program is small, faculty devote a lot of time to individual students, which helped me persevere, even though there were certainly times I wasn't sure I'd make it to the finish line.”

Swagerty is the in-office research design and statistics expert with the office of the Arizona Auditor General. He provides guidance on measuring and evaluating the performances of state programs and agencies.

Staying local to Arizona was also key in Swagerty’s decision to pursue a non-academic career path.

“I was equally interested in academic and non-academic positions,” he said. “One of the difficulties with pursuing academic careers is that you don't typically have a lot of say in where you end up. I'm pleased to have ended up remaining a Phoenician.”

Looking back at his academic experience at the School of Politics and Global Studies, Swagerty said it was, “strong all around.”

“The faculty, the small class sizes, the course offerings, the opportunities to teach, the department's commitment to funding students for conferences and research. … I will say I'm very proud to be a product of SPGS.”