Doctorate Degree (PhD)

Accreditations

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Accredited
6 Years
30 Jul 2019
Accreditation DGES
Initial registry R/A-Cr 217/2011 de 08-02-2012
Update registry R/A-Cr 217/2011/AL01 de 02-03-2015 | R/A-Cr 217/2011/AL02 de 04-12-2020 | R/A-Cr 217/2011/AL03 de 30-01-2023 | R/A-Cr 217/2011/AL04 de 18-04-2024
Contacts
School of Sociology and Public Policy
Secretariat
Sedas Nunes Building (Building I), room 1E03
secretariado.espp @iscte-iul.pt
(+351) 210 464 015
9:30 - 18:00

Tuition fee EU nationals (2025/2026)

1.stYear 2000.00 €
2.ndYear 1400.00 €
3.rdYear 1400.00 €
4.thYear 1400.00 €
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Lectured in Portuguese
Teaching Type In person

The PhD Programme in Political Science has a four-year duration, corresponding to the completion of 240 ECTS credits, which are divided among 60 credits in lecture units in the first year and 180 credits for the doctoral thesis in the second, third and fourth years of the course.

Programme Structure for 2025/2026

1st Year
Political Science and International Relations Seminar
12.0 ECTS
Contemporary Debates and Controversies in Political Science
12.0 ECTS
Political Systems, Europeanization and International Relations
12.0 ECTS
Research Project Seminar in Political Science and International Relations
18.0 ECTS
2nd Cycle Internship
6.0 ECTS
2nd Year
Phd Thesis in Political Science
180.0 ECTS
Phd Thesis in Political Science
180.0 ECTS

Recommended optative

02678 | Political Campaigns Analysis
00529 | Elections, Parties and Political Representation
03426 | Public Opinion and Polls
00527 | Governance and Globalization


Optional courses have a limited number of places. On the other hand, they will only be held if they achieve a minimum number of enrollments.

The optional course may be other course of 6 ECTS credits, of the 2nd or 3rd cycle, with available vacancies, taking place in the 1st semester.

The list of the optional courses, for each new academic year, will be available on Fénix+ for new students to register, during the period defined for that purpose.
For more information on the curricular units running at Iscte, visit the page https://fenix-mais.iscte-iul.pt/units/iscte/informacao-geral.

Objectives

The course aims to contribute to the development of an academic and professional profile which enables students to resolve problems, develop empirical research skills, design and implement policies, programmes and proposals within the fields of politics and international relations, and respond to new professional demands in this area. It has ideal conditions for furthering the connection between teaching and research at the doctoral level. With its scientific knowledge, the course intends to:
a) to train highly qualified researchers and professionals, especially focusing on PS (& IR),with a strong component of empirical research;
b) to provide doctoral students with advanced training in theoretical and methodological domains, along with advanced knowledge of the current research carried out at international and national levels;
c) to ensure that the training of doctoral candidates takes place in a context of research throughout the programme.

Students are intended to acquire the following set of abilities:
a) A systematic command of the discipline of Political Science;
b) Political Science-related competencies, skills and research methods;
c) The ability to conceive, design and implement original research of scientific value;
d) The capacity to critically assess, analyse and summarise new and complex ideas;
e) The capacity to communicate with scientist peers as well as the community on the topic of his/her scientific area, and to publish his/her scientific work;
f) The ability to contribute, in academic and professional contexts, towards social progress and the wellbeing of all populations.
These skills are acquired through the specific features of the study plan, which include: the renewal of knowledge on the issues of PS and IR, the apprehension and debate of cutting-edge research, theoretical and technical-methodological advancement, and a combination of research theory and practice for the purpose of carrying out socially and politically relevant research projects.

Contacts
School of Sociology and Public Policy
Secretariat
Sedas Nunes Building (Building I), room 1E03
secretariado.espp @iscte-iul.pt
(+351) 210 464 015
9:30 - 18:00
Apply
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