In the first year, students attend the two-semester curriculum component, participating in seminars on the various scientific areas of the course, taught by professors from Iscte and the Military Academy. In order to make the PhD a plural space, where diverse knowledge, experiences, and interests intersect, open to the privileged gaze of the protagonists and specialists of the issues it addresses, the study plan also includes an annual PhD Conferences Cycle based on the collaboration of some of the most renowned national and international specialists on these issues, as well as a Project Seminar dedicated to the discussion and preparation of the students' PhD projects.

The classes take place in the evening and are concentrated on two days of the week (one at Iscte, the other at the Military Academy), in addition to the Conference Cycle that takes place alternately between the two institutions. The program also includes an interdisciplinary component, taking advantage of the areas of advanced training developed at ISCTE, and is carried out in close coordination with the lines of scientific research developed by the Centre for International Studies (CEI-Iscte).

The students in this program have come from the most diverse academic backgrounds (from History to Military Sciences, Political Science and International Relations, Economics and Management, Sociology and Anthropology) and the most diverse professional contexts (military, teachers, diplomats, journalists, entrepreneurs).