Please note the doctoral program is being reaccredited.
For more information on the new program please check the Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations website.
You find below two descriptions: one refers to the old program, in effect for students entering before 2009/10, the other introducing the new program.
Quicklinks: New PhD Program | Old Phd Program
Application Deadlines:
January 24, 2011 - For all applicants wishing to take CEU-administered Institutional TOEFL examination.
March 14, 2011 - For all applicants who are able to submit a complete application file, including language scores.
Admission decisions for the MA programs will be sent out starting April 25, 2011.
How to apply:
University-wide information for AY 2011-2012, Online Application, Scholarships and Financial Aid
For more information please check the main admissions pages.
Structure
The structure of the PhD program in Political Science is based on a system of ‘tracks’ (areas of specialization, or ‘majors’). The tracks represent academic fields/sub-fields or research areas that reflect the major strengths and interests of our faculty. The five tracks are:
Comparative Politics
International Relations
Political Economy
Public Policy
Political Theory
PhD Candidacy
The Doctoral Program in Political Science is structured around the following stages:
- Completion of coursework;
- Successful completion of the comprehensive examination;
- Successful defense of the dissertation.
The Probationary Period is between the date of enrolment and the successful passing of the Comprehensive Examination. Probationary Doctoral Candidates become Doctoral Candidates after, first, passing the comprehensive examination and, second, successfully defending the Prospectus.
Studies during PhD candidacy are based on individual research guided and monitored by the candidate's supervisory panel. CEU encourages its Doctoral Candidates to spend at least three months at another university during the research period for their dissertation. Doctoral Candidates are eligible for financial support to conduct off-campus research related to the topic of their dissertation in conformity with the general rules of research support as regulated by the university.
The doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation and public defense no later than five years after the doctoral student passed the comprehensive exam.
Degree Requirements
The overall minimum number of credits that Probationary Doctoral Candidates must earn over the course of their first two academic years is 24. The minimum number of credits they must earn in the first academic year is 18.
The mandatory credits include:
- 14 credits in the students’ major track. Out of these 14 credits, 12 credits belong to the core curriculum. The 2 additional credits of the track fall in the category ‘Advanced Topics’ and change in content from year to year. These credits can be taken either in the first or the second academic year.
- 6 credits from the methods sequence . Given the importance of a sound methodological education, all Probationary Doctoral Candidates are required to take the 4-credit ‘Methods and Research Design’ course in the fall semester and a 2-credit ‘Prospectus Seminar Workshop’ in the Winter Semester of the first year.
- 4 credits from courses taken from a track different from the students’ first choice , which may count toward a minor field. Students may postpone such courses to the second academic year. Students can choose as their elective courses any course offered in any track. The PhD Program also supports the cross-listing of relevant PhD courses taught in units outside the School, as well as the cross-listing of all PhD courses with relevant disciplinary aspects and orientations from the School to other units.
Optional Credits
The student may take optional courses in the second year. If the student collects at least 8 credits from a track other than her/his own, he or she becomes entitled to a ‘minor’.
Students must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.33 in the courses taken for credit.
Course requirements, including the type of the final requirement, are specified in the course syllabi. Exams are written exams in order to avoid bias and uncertainty in judgment.
At the end of the probationary period doctoral candidates are required to take a comprehensive examination.The comprehensive examination comprises the exam and the prospectus defense. Probationary doctoral candidates have to earn a "B+" course grade average and a "B+" grade or higher on their comprehensive examination. Admission to the program as a probationary candidate is no guarantee that the student advances to doctoral candidate status. Those students who complete the coursework with a "B+" or higher GPA and a "B+" or higher grade on their comprehensive examination but cannot successfully defend their dissertation are still eligible to receive an MPhil in Political Science degree from CEU.
Supervision
The first year starts with personal consultations between the Probationary Doctoral Candidates and their personal Advisors as well as the Director of the PhD Program, with whom they must discuss their study plan for the first year. By the beginning of the second year Doctoral Candidates are required to nominate three members for their Doctoral Supervisory Committee, and to name one as their primary supervisor.
When selecting members of their Doctoral Supervisory Committee, Doctoral Candidates are also expected to submit their study plan for the next two years. The study plan has to be approved by the Doctoral Supervisory Committee and the Director of the PhD Program. Supervisors are expected to follow closely the progress of the students and to have regular contacts with them.
To find out more about the expected learning outcomes of our PhD program click here.
First Year Specialization
In the first year, the PhD Program in Political Science offers courses organized in five tracks:
Social and Political Theory;
Comparative Politics;
Political Economy;
Public Policy;
International Relations.
PhD Candidacy
Students in the first year of the Doctoral Program are referred to as Probationary Doctoral Candidates, and as Doctoral Candidates afterwards. Studies during PhD candidacy are based on individual research guided and monitored by the candidate's Doctoral Supervisory Committee. Doctoral Candidates may spend 1 or 2 semesters at other institutions of higher education, depending on an agreement with their supervisors, and in accordance with general CEU rules and regulations. Doctoral Candidates may apply for financial support to conduct off-campus research related to the topic of their dissertation in conformity with the general rules of research support as regulated by the university.
The PhD dissertation is an academic dissertation of 150-250 pages, which meets the general standards of the university and follows the style sheet issued by the Department of Political Science. It can be submitted for evaluation and public defense no later than five years after the doctoral student passed the comprehensive exam.
Degree Requirements
Probationary Doctoral Candidates have to earn 32 credits within a single year by attending courses at the Department of Political Science. Specialization in a major and a minor field of study (track) is required. From the total of 32 credits, students have to earn 16 credits in the field of their major, and 8 credits in their minor field. The remainder can be taken from the department’s PhD courses or other departments’ PhD programs in agreement with the candidate’s personal Advisor.
When preparing their study plan for the first year, Probationary Doctoral Candidates are required to choose, upon consultation with their Advisor or temporary supervisor, one major (at least 8 credits per semester) and one minor (at least 4 credits per semester) track, and may opt to choose a field of concentration as well. The major and the minor tracks can be chosen from among the specializations offered by the PhD Program of the Department of Political Science, while a field of concentration may involve courses (up to 8 credits per Academic year) offered by other PhD programs at the Central European University.
To get marked, Probationary Doctoral Candidates are required to take an exam or to write a final essay at the end of each course. Course requirements, including the type of the final requirement, are specified in the course syllabi. Exams are written exams in order to avoid bias and uncertainty in judgment.
At the end of the first year, PhD Probationary Doctoral Candidates are required to take a comprehensive examination. In order to be admitted to the second year, they will have to earn a "B+" course grade average and a "B+" grade or higher on their comprehensive examination. A limited number of these students, selected on a competitive basis, will be admitted to stay at the CEU with a full tuition waiver and scholarship for two more years. So admission to the program as a probationary candidate is no guarantee that the student advances to doctoral candidate status. Those students who complete the first year of the study with a "B+" or higher GPA and a "B+" or higher grade on their comprehensive examination but are not admitted to the second year, are still eligible to receive an MPhil in Political Science degree from CEU.
Supervision
The first year starts with personal consultations between the Probationary Doctoral Candidates and their personal Advisors as well as the Director of the PhD Program, with whom they must discuss their study plan for the first year. As soon as their prospective dissertation topic started to crystallize, students choose a temporary supervisor with whom they consult while preparing their dissertation proposal (prospectus) for the comprehensive exam. The prospectus must present an outline of the key research questions, hypotheses and their theoretical background as appropriate, plus a detailed research plan, a bibliography, and a short description of the resources needed to conduct the research.
By the beginning of the second year Doctoral Candidates are required to nominate three members for their Doctoral Supervisory Committee, and to name one as their primary supervisor. The names of the Committee members are to be approved by the Director of the PhD Program. One of the Committee members is supposed to be an external supervisor.
When selecting members of their Doctoral Supervisory Committee, Doctoral Candidates are also expected to submit their study plan for the next two years. The study plan has to be approved by the Doctoral Supervisory Committee and the Director of the PhD Program. Supervisors are expected to follow closely the progress of the students and to have regular contacts with them.
To find out more about the expected learning outcomes of our PhD program click here.