The doctoral programme in Sociology and Social Research is part of the Doctoral School of Social Sciences at Trento University, a multidisciplinary and lively international environment, providing its students with advanced training and guiding them towards cutting-edge doctoral research.
The Doctoral School of Social Sciences provides doctoral researchers with a three year fully funded programme, located in Trento, Italy. The school actively promote interdisciplinary exchange in methods and approaches, and foster internationalization: students are encouraged to spend a research period abroad. It also offers several joint degree programmes with European universities. The doctoral programme in Sociology and Social Research (SRS), sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Social Research, was established in 1981 and joined the School of Social Sciences in 2011. SRS provides state-of-the-art research training and teaches advanced professional skills in sociology and social research. Besides providing a solid foundation in the disciplines, including a broad range of quantitative and qualitative methods, the Programme places strong emphasis on theoretically driven empirical sociology.
Among the topics covered: social change, social stratification and inequality studies, cultural studies, economic and labour market sociology, migration studies, social network analysis and collective action, political and electoral studies, demographic change and family sociology, and studies on welfare and social policies.
The PhD programme offers a limited number of positions for joint or double degree programmes, as well as many other opportunities for exchange and individualized agreements in Europe. The official languages of the doctoral programme are English and Italian. Language of instruction is English.
International Research Environment
The PhD programme offers students a stimulating research environment and important opportunities, not least through an international network of high quality. The SRS faculty has developed an extensive network of international relationships which can help students to visit foreign institutions and to get in contact with external experts. In addition, SRS offers an intensive calendar of seminars and conferences including visiting scholars.
The department of Sociology and Social Research is a multidisciplinary entity, with sociologists, economists, political scientists and statisticians. It has consistently carried out high-quality research, often within larger international comparative studies and has successfully attracted both national and international funding. SRS is associated with the European Consortium of Sociological Research (ECSR), the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR).
Courses
The SRS programme consists of a set of common mandatory courses in the first year and a series of specialized courses and elective seminars in the second year. The course programme often involves international visiting scholars. Teaching is integrated with research seminars and we offer the opportunity to participate in various summer/winter schools. Teaching is integrated with research seminars and we offer the opportunity to participate in various summer/winter schools.
Օffer
Doctoral scholars are provided with office space, IT equipment, conference and summer school travel support. Trento University provides also helps with accommodation. Scholarships are about EUR 1.000,00 a month, with a possible 50% increase for research stays abroad. The PhD programme does not charge tuition, but students are required to pay an annual student fee of about EUR 150,00.
Application
The School invites applications from qualified graduates (M.A. degree or equivalent) in one of the social sciences (Sociology, Economics, Demography, Anthropology, Social Statistics or closely related fields). You can be “conditionally accepted” if you obtain your degree by October 31, 2016. In this case full documentation needs to be provided no later than November 14, 2016. The programme is conducted in English and a very good working knowledge of that language, including a proven writing ability, is expected. Admission is on a competitive basis and progress to successive years is subject to satisfactory academic appraisal. Please check the official website for details. Closing date is May 18th, 2016, 4 pm (Italian time) Participation in the selection process is subject to the payment of a non-reimbursable application fee of EUR 15,00 by bank transfer or credit card, as indicated in the appropriate section of the online application. Please read carefully the call for application on the website.
Selection Procedure
The selection procedure consists of three stages. First, a shortlist of candidates is produced on the basis of the assessment of the CV, research proposal, and possible reference letters. Shortlisted candidates are required to sit a multiple-choice test. Once passed, candidates are invited to an interview in Trento (in some cases, candidates may be interviewed by phone or video conference).
Documents to be submitted
- photocopy of the applicant’s identity card or passport
- degree certificates (Italian “laurea specialistica” or “magistrale”) according to Ministerial Decree no. 509 of 03/11/1999 and subsequent amendments, or equivalent titles obtained abroad)
- curriculum vitae in English
- research proposal (in English of about 3000 words, bibliography and abstract excluded, and an abstract of about 150 words. The research project is used for evaluation only and does not determine the PhD project)
- reference letters (maximum 2, not mandatory) and a brief letter of motivation (not mandatory)
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