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The PhD Programme in Political Science at Iscte’s Department of Political Science and Public Policy provides theoretical and methodological training that enables PhD students to conduct research on current topics, with findings that can be applied in both professional and research fields.
This programme, which lasts for four academic years, combined with agreements established with various public and private organisations for work placements, offers promising employment prospects for future PhD graduates.
The academic staff have extensive experience in the fields of scientific research associated with the PhD programme, as evidenced by the publications, conference presentations and participation in both national and international research networks of the lecturers and researchers involved. They also have extensive teaching experience in the programme’s core areas, namely Political Science (PS) and International Relations (IR).
Whether in terms of research or teaching, the academic staff specialise primarily in the following areas. In Political Science: elections, electoral behaviour, political attitudes and political representation; democracy and democratisation; political institutions; political elites; political and electoral communication; gender and politics; political regimes, social movements and citizenship. In International Relations: Europeanisation; African politics; foreign policy; security policies; development policies; the Middle East.
The relationship between the Department of Political Science and Public Policy and its associated research centres – namely CIES-Iscte (Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology, with expertise in Political Science) and CEI-Iscte (Centre for International Studies, with expertise in International Relations) (centres rated ‘excellent’) – enables greater support for PhD students in the completion of their doctoral theses.
The programme offers two areas of specialisation, reflected in all course modules (each comprising a Political Science component and an International Relations component, and taught by lecturers holding PhDs and specialising in each area) and in terms of the thesis’s thematic focus:
PhD in Political Science – specialisation in Political Science;
PhD in Political Science – specialisation in International Relations.
The curriculum is concentrated in the two semesters of the first year of the programme. The following three years are primarily devoted to the completion of the thesis, alongside a number of seminars on various theoretical and methodological topics. Each year, a series of international conferences will be organised in collaboration with the other doctoral programmes at the School of Sociology and Public Policy.
The PhD programme is coordinated by:
Director and Coordinator of the Political Science Area, Ana Maria Belchior, Associate Professor (with Aggregation) in the Department of Political Science and Public Policy, and Integrated Researcher at CIES-Iscte.
Coordinator of the International Relations Area, Giulia Daniele, Assistant Lecturer in History, Research Fellow at CEI-Iscte.
Applications must be submitted through the following platform: https://recrutamento.iscte-iul.pt/jobs.
Tuition Fee Scholarships
These scholarships aim to support new doctoral students who are enrolling for the first time in the first year of a doctoral programme and who obtained their master’s degree at Iscte in the two previous academic years, through coverage of the annual tuition fee.
Application deadline: July 8, 2026
More information is available on the page https://recrutamento.iscte-iul.pt/jobs/729.
NOTE: Iscte doctoral scholarships — Tuition Fee Scholarships — are awarded in accordance with the Regulation for the Attribution of Scholarships to Third Cycle Students at Iscte.
The awarding of scholarships depends on compliance with the requirements and eligibility criteria set out in the regulation, as well as the conditions defined in the respective call for applications. Applicants are advised to consult the regulation (available here) and the call for applications (once published) for full information on the applicable conditions.
Pioneer PhD Scholarships
The scholarships are funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the Cooperation Agreement between the FCT and Iscte, as part of the PIONEER Alliance, for the funding of the Multi-Annual Plan for Research Grants (BI) for PhD Students, which aims to foster the creation of synergies and the sharing of research environments between Iscte and the Alliance’s partner universities.
Application deadline: June 24, 2026
More information is available on the page https://recrutamento.iscte-iul.pt/jobs/733.
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 March 2 and 17.00 p.m. (Lisbon time) of March 31, 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 by email to concursos.cies@iscte-iul.pt until March 10, 2026.
Find out more here.
ESPP International PhD Conferences Cycle
General Regulatory Standards for Iscte Doctorate Degrees (2026) | PT (starting in the 2026/27 academic year)
Specific Norms of the PhD in Political Science (2026) | PT
General Regulatory Standards for Iscte Doctorate Degrees (2016) | EN
Specific Norms of the PhD in Political Science (2016) | PT
Doctoral Project in Political Science & Advisors Declarations [available soon]
Doctoral Research Annual Progress Report in Political Science & Advisors Evaluation Report [available soon]
The comparative study of the interrelationships between societies and political systems, as well as the interrelationships between different states, is fundamental not only to understand, but also to transform the contemporary world.
2026/2027
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.
| Unidades curriculares | Semester | ECTS |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Cycle Internship Parte Escolar > Optional Courses | 1 | 6.0 |
| Contemporary Debates and Controversies in Political Science | 1 | 12.0 |
| Political Science and International Relations Seminar | 1 | 12.0 |
| Political Systems, Europeanization and International Relations | 1 | 12.0 |
| Research Project Seminar in Political Science and International Relations | 1 | 18.0 |
Recommended elective
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.
| Unidades curriculares | Semester | ECTS |
|---|---|---|
| Phd Thesis in Political Science Specialization > Political Science | 1 | 180.0 |
| Phd Thesis in Political Science Specialization > International Relations | 1 | 180.0 |
Recommended elective
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.
| Unidades curriculares | Semester | ECTS |
|---|
Recommended elective
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.
| Unidades curriculares | Semester | ECTS |
|---|
Recommended elective
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.
It seeks to ensure that the training provided contributes to the development of an academic and professional profile that facilitates problem-solving, the deepening of empirical research skills, the design and implementation of policies, programmes and proposals in the fields of politics and international relations, as well as responding to new professional demands in these areas. They have demonstrated a strong capacity to deepen the links between teaching and research in these areas at postgraduate level. With this body of scientific knowledge, the aim is to:
a) train highly qualified researchers and professionals, placing particular emphasis on CP (and IR) with a strong focus on empirical research
b) to provide doctoral students with advanced training in theory and methodology, as well as an in-depth understanding of research conducted at international and national levels
c) to ensure that the training of doctoral students, throughout the entire course of study, takes place within a research context.
a) Have the ability to systematically understand the scientific field of political science
b) Possess the skills, competences and research methods associated with political science
c) Be able to conceive, design and carry out original research of scientific quality
d) Be able to critically evaluate, analyse and synthesise new and complex ideas
e) Be able to communicate with fellow scientists and the wider community about their scientific field and to publish their scientific work
f) Be able to contribute, in academic and professional contexts, to social progress and the well-being of populations
These competences are acquired through the characteristics of the course’s curriculum: the updating of knowledge on issues relating to CP and RI, the study and discussion of the most current research, theoretical and technical-methodological deepening, and the combination of research theory and practice to carry out research projects of social and political relevance.
2025/2026
| Round | Start Date | End Date | Vacancies | Application fee | candidacy.reservation_fee.simple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 (1 page);
- Certificates 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).
Please consult the Application's 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/contents/estudar/1013/candidaturas#.