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The PhD Programme in Modern and Contemporary History at Iscte seeks to deepen students' knowledge, critical thinking skills and abilities to synthesize new and complex ideas about the Modern and Contemporary Periods. The course encourages communication with the historiographical community and the professional areas that make use of History's social applications, providing pathways to scientific research, knowledge-production and theoretical and methodological cognitive tools along with depth in a specific area chosen as the theme of the student's thesis.
Curriculum Plan in the PhD in Modern and Contemporary History
The doctoral programme in Modern and Contemporary History has a four-year duration: one year is specifically dedicated to the curricular component of the course, followed by three years for the preparation of the doctoral thesis, with a follow-up seminar and tutorial guidance.
The course also includes an interdisciplinary component, taking advantage of its proximity to the advanced training in other academic disciplines developed at Iscte. The programme also occurs in close contact with the scientific research carried out at the Centre for Research and Study of Sociology (CIES-Iscte) and the Centre for International Studies (CEI-Iscte).
More information available here.
PhD Studentships in All Scientific Fields 2026, under the Regular Line of Application and the Specific Line Application in a Non-academic Environment.
Applications are open between 2 March and 17.00 p.m. (Lisbon time) of 31 March, 2026.
For candidates whose applications are approved with CIES-Iscte as the Host Institution, a Zoom session will be organized to support the preparation of applications and to clarify any questions.
All interested candidates, including members of the CIES-Iscte team and PhD students from CIES-Iscte doctoral programmes, must submit an expression of interest by sending the following information via email to concursos.cies@iscte-iul.pt until 10 March 2026.
Find out more here.
Useful links
General Regulatory Standards for Iscte Doctorate Degrees | PT (2026) (starting in the 2026/27 academic year)
General Regulatory Standards for Iscte Doctorate Degrees (2016) | EN
2026/2027
| Unidades curriculares | Semester | ECTS |
|---|---|---|
| History Seminar I | 1 | 6.0 |
| Methodological Seminar I | 1 | 6.0 |
| Phd Conferences Cycle | 1 | 6.0 |
| Project Seminar | 1 | 18.0 |
| History Seminar II | 2 | 6.0 |
| Methodological Seminar II | 2 | 6.0 |
Recommended optative
Optional courses will only be held if they achieve a minimum number of enrollments.
| Unidades curriculares | Semester | ECTS |
|---|---|---|
| Phd Thesis in Modern and Contemporary History Specialization > Defence, International Relations | 1 | 180.0 |
Recommended optative
Optional courses will only be held if they achieve a minimum number of enrollments.
| Unidades curriculares | Semester | ECTS |
|---|
Recommended optative
Optional courses will only be held if they achieve a minimum number of enrollments.
| Unidades curriculares | Semester | ECTS |
|---|
Recommended optative
Optional courses will only be held if they achieve a minimum number of enrollments.
2025/2026
| Round | Start Date | End Date | Vacancies | Application fee | Reservation fee | candidacy.reservation_fee_international |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st round | Doutoramento/PhD | 2025-12-15 09:30 | 2026-01-14 17:00 | 25 | 70.00 € | 350.00 € | € |
| 2nd round | Doutoramento/PhD | 2026-01-15 09:30 | 2026-02-25 17:00 | 70.00 € | 350.00 € | € | |
| 3rd round | Doutoramento/PhD | 2026-02-26 09:30 | 2026-04-06 17:00 | 70.00 € | 350.00 € | € | |
| 4th round | Doutoramento/PhD | 2026-04-07 09:30 | 2026-05-13 17:00 | 70.00 € | 350.00 € | € | |
| 5th round | Doutoramento/PhD | 2026-05-14 09:30 | 2026-06-24 17:00 | 70.00 € | 350.00 € | € | |
| 6th round | Doutoramento/PhD | 2026-06-25 09:30 | 2026-08-26 17:00 | 70.00 € | 350.00 € | € |
a) Master’s degree or the legal equivalent;
b) Bachelor’s degree, together with relevant academic or scientific curriculum which is recognized as attesting the ability to complete this level of study;
c) Relevant academic, scientific or professional curriculum that is recognized as attesting the ability to complete this level of study.
Required documents:
- Updated curriculum vitae;
- Identification document;
- Letter of motivation and research interests (2 pages);
- Certificates/diplomas of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees (and, where applicable, of other courses or diplomas obtained in higher education). Documents certifying the final classification obtained for the completion of the degrees must be submitted, together with the corresponding positive grading scale, for certificates issued by foreign institutions;
- Transcript of records: document proving the course units taken to obtain each degree, respective grades and duration of the course;
- Formal photo (passport-type).
This information does not dispense consulting the Applications’ specific selection and seriation criteria defined for this doctoral programme.
For information on the application procedure in Fénix+, we also recommend consulting the page https://www.iscte-iul.pt/conteudos/study/1100/applications#.
