Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science

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 and 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.

Compulsory courses  for specializations [this section would have to be added on the basis of information at this page http://web.ceu.hu/polsci/teaching/PHDcur.htm and http://web2.ceu.hu/phd-curriculum]: Social and Political Theory; Comparative Politics; Political Economy; Public Policy  

Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science with a Human Rights Track (PhD), taught jointly with the Department of Political Science Candidates not holding a law degree may apply for a PhD in Political Science with a Human Rights Track. More information is available at the departments’ websites.

Doctor of Philosophy in Political
Science (PhD)
(Track Specialization in International Relations under the PhD in Political Science)

The doctoral program is as a specialization in International Relations under the PhD in Political Science. It is primarily oriented towards academia, preparing graduate students for a career in research and university-level teaching. Emphasis is on the development of professional-level research and analytical skills. Under the broad scope of political science, the areas of specialization are largely defined according to comparative politics, political theory, public policy, international political economy and international relations. Within this, however, IRES particularly welcomes research proposals in the following areas: international relations and international political theory; critical security studies; EU enlargement and neighborhood policy; European security and defense policy; the political economy of the EU; and approaches to ethnic conflict. During their studies at CEU, doctoral candidates are actively introduced to research networks in their field. They have the possibility to participate in major research projects where CEU faculty are partners or lead personnel. Travel support from CEU to participate in major academic conferences is offered. There are also opportunities to participate in graduate student workshops that the Department of Political Science regularly organizes in collaboration with some of the most outstanding European and US universities.

Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD)
(Track Specialization in Public Policy under the PhD in Political Science)

The doctoral program in public policy is a specialized track in CEU’s political science PhD program. It is jointly operated by the Department of Public Policy, the Department of Political Science and the Department of International Relations and European Studies. The program prepares graduate students for careers in both academia and applied research. Core courses focus on the development of professionallevel research and analytical skills in the fields of European and international public policy, comparative policy analysis and political economy. DPP faculty teaching PhD courses bring a unique set of skills to the program. In addition to being authoritative voices in their respective fields of research, they have long-term experience in think tanks such as the RAND Corporation, in national or international public administration such as the World Bank Institute, in business such as Vodafone, and in NGOs such as the Open Society Institute and Transparency International. Much of the student work in the doctoral program is centered on graduate student workshops and departmental seminars, where PhD candidates also have the opportunity to get in touch with visiting scholars from the most outstanding European and US universities. As the department’s faculty is actively involved in European Union-funded research projects, such as CONNEX, RECON, RECWOWE and GARNET, doctoral candidates gain direct access to academic networks, workshops, conferences in their field, both at CEU and beyond.