*European University Institute, Florence (Italy) *
*Department of Political and Social Sciences*
Call for Applications to the PhD Programme (Successful candidates are offered funding for up to four years)
The Department of Social and Political Sciences of the European University Institute (Fiesole/Florence) invites applications for its PhD Programme. The Department specializes in comparative politics, comparative sociology, international relations, political behaviour and social and political theory, and was recently listed as the top-ranking political science department in Europe.
The Department has good working relations in teaching and research with the EUI Departments of Law, History and Economics and the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, and is at the centre of extensive international networks. It hosts a number of large, collaborative
projects financed by the European Commission Framework programmes or other external sources. The main working language is English, although theses can be written in the other principal languages of the European Union.
The European University Institute is one of the world’s leading academic institutions for postgraduate study in the political and social sciences. Located in the hills overlooking Florence, it is distinguished by its unique international nature and strong European focus. It was founded in 1972 by the European Community Member States to provide advanced academic training to PhD students and to promote research at the highest level. The SPS Department currently has fifteen full-time professors from all parts of Europe.
PhD Research and Training
The Department’s four-year doctoral programme puts a strong emphasis on the theoretical and methodological tools required for PhD research. In the first year there is a common core course on approaches and methods in the social sciences. Additional courses in both quantitative and
qualitative methods are also available. A wide range of seminars and workshops is offered in substantial fields, many of them linked to the current research interests in the Department, while others are interdisciplinary and offered jointly with other departments in the Institute. Further intensive courses and workshops are offered as needed and funding is available for the summer schools run by the ECPR, the ECSR, and other organizations. Colloquia organized by professors with their supervisees provide spaces for discussion of research design and problems.
PhD researchers benefit from an excellent library which also includes a wide range of electronic resources. Language training is provided by the
EUI Language Centre. Funding is available from the Department for PhD researchers to undertake trips for field work or archival research, and to participate in summer schools and conferences.
The Department hosts some twenty or more visiting and postdoctoral scholars each year, whose work is linked to that of the professors. They are available for consultation by PhD researchers, and normally present guest seminars based on their current research. The Robert Schuman
Centre for Advanced Studies is a research centre within the EUI, and professors and students in the SPS Department are fully involved in its programme of seminars and workshops
Scholarships
Each year up to 40 citizens of EU Member States, Norway and Switzerland, as well as a small number from elsewhere, are admitted to the PhD programme of the SPS Department and funded for four years (subject to satisfactory progress). The basic monthly stipend is around €1100, depending on the country. Some scholarships are available to citizens of non-EU states, under the Central and Eastern Europe, South-East Europe, Mediterranean and Latin American programmes. The basic entry requirements are a Masters’ degree in a relevant subject and language skills appropriate to the proposed programme of study. The closing date for applications for the coming academic year is 31 January 2008.
For more detailed information about the European University Institute and about how to apply, go to http://www.eui. eu/Servac/ Postgraduate/
Inquiries about administrative and procedural matters may be addressed to applyres@eui. eu
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