PhD Programme in Political Science

The PhD programme in political science focuses on developing research skills, with coursework and work on a doctoral thesis at its core.

The programme spans four years, including a mandatory year of coursework and development of a research plan. PhD candidates at Uppsala University are university employees and often contribute to teaching or administration, which can extend the program to a total of five years. A PhD in political science from Uppsala holds significance for advanced academic research, teaching roles, and professional opportunities beyond academia.

Are you interested in applying for the PhD programme in political science?

Admission: When and how?

New doctoral students are admitted as the result of a process that starts with a call, i.e. new positions are advertised. A call is made regularly, approximately once a year. Normally, positions are advertised in December or January, with deadline for applications in February. The number of positions advertised depends upon available funding. Candidates are evaluated and ranked (top candidates) by a committee. To come in question a candidate must be shortlisted by this committee. The formal decision to admit someone is taken by the Head of Department.

The department sometimes engages in PhD programme collaboration with other departments or universities. On these occasions, the procedures for admissions can be somewhat different.

External funding can be used to finance shortlisted candidates, but must be approved by the Faculty of Social Sciences, Uppsala University.

Who is eligible?

Eligibility is defined in terms of academic degrees and scores (i.e. the number of scores on specific levels and in specific disciplines) There are two types of eligibility requirements that applicants need to meet, general and special eligibility.

General eligibility is possessed by anyone who has obtained a degree at advanced level, fulfilled course requirements for at least 240 ECTS points, of which at least 60 ECTS points at advanced level, or otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad.

For special eligibility for admission to graduate studies in political science the applicant is required to have satisfactory results on courses carrying 90 ECTS points in political science. Special eligibility is also possessed by anyone who has otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad. More details on required qualifications can be found in the general curriculum.

We require very good oral and written proficiency in English. Applicants who have not attended a master's programme where the language of instruction has been Swedish or English have to verify English language proficiency by submitting a certificate of results from internationally recognized language tests, such as TOEFL or IELTS.

The Application – what documents are to be submitted?

The application must contain the following:

Curriculum Vitae.
A brief cover letter (max 500 words) indicating your motives for applying.
A research text, preferably an MA-thesis, authored by the applicant. The writing sample can be in English or Swedish. If the text is co-authored, it must be accompanied by a co-author statement and complemented by a single-authored secondary research sample.
A self-reflection statement where the strengths and weaknesses of the research sample is discussed (max. 1000 words).
Transcripts of academic records to demonstrate qualification for admission.
Contact information for two academic references (address, email address, and telephone number). No recommendation letter should be included.

The application may need to contain the following:

A secondary research text authored by the applicant. It is mandatory to submit a secondary research text when the applicant’s primary research text is co-authored. In other cases, a secondary research sample is voluntary. The secondary writing sample can be in English or Swedish. If the text is co-authored, it must be accompanied by a co-author statement.
A co-author statement that should describe the independent research contributions of the applicant and each co-author. The statement should be signed by the co-author(s).
Certificate of English language written and oral proficiency from internationally recognized test such as TOEFL or IELTS. Applicants that have attended an MA-program where the language of instruction has been English or Swedish do not need to submit test scores.

Please note that the list of required documents may be updated at the time of a new call for applications. Note also that our application is digital, i.e. the documents you are submitting are uploaded in the application tool Varbi.

Basis of evaluation

Applicants who meet the minimal requirements for admission are evaluated based on their expected ability to profit from advanced graduate training and to produce, with proper training, independent high-quality academic research. Consequently, the evaluation is primarily based on submitted examples of the applicant’s prior research production.

The examples of own research submitted are evaluated with the purpose of obtaining an informed judgment about the applicant’s research talents. Hence, the submitted work should preferably demonstrate those talents in as clear a manner as possible rather than have the form of literature reviews. Ideally, the work should be of such a quality that it (with minor revisions) would be publishable as research articles in scholarly journals (if not already published). The evaluation is based on an independent reading by members of the admission committee, where previous grades or other evaluations are left without consideration.

Besides the evaluation of prior research production, the applicant’s performance in prior course work is taken into consideration. Applicants should therefore include clear records of what they have accomplished in this regard, the grades obtained, and (for courses taken outside the Swedish university system) a certified explanation of the grading system used.

Decision

The admission committee presents its evaluations on a senior faculty meeting. The final decision is taken by the Head of Department (Prefekten) based on the advice of the senior faculty meeting. Applicants admitted to the programme are contacted as soon as possible, and the decision is communicated to all applicants.

The Head of Department may decide to admit more doctoral students than advertised. This requires that financing for the whole programme is assured and that the student has been top ranked among applicants by the faculty meeting. External funding has to be approved by the university.

Outline of the PhD Programme in Political Science

Doctoral studies in political science are conducted within a four year programme comprising 240 ECTS credits and concluded with a doctoral degree. The programme includes 60 ECTS credits in courses that are mandatory for all students and are normally taken the first year. The PhD thesis corresponds to 180 ECTS credits. A maximum of 20 % of the position as PhD student may involve administrative and/or educational responsibilities at the department (not included in the PhD programme). This means that most students take five years from admission to examination.

The research project for the thesis does not have to be formulated from the start. The research plan is developed as part of the first year of the programme. This is done within an introductory group headed by two department faculty and involving all new PhD students. The research plan is normally presented at the research seminar one year after admission. Activities in the introductory group are coordinated with the first year courses and will also introduce the student to research, administration and social activities at the department.

Financial support and salary

PhD candidates at Uppsala University are university employees. Once you are admitted, you will not have to pay any tuition fees, but you will receive a salary, social security and an office space.

Supervision

Each PhD student has two supervisors. The faculty responsible for the introductory group function as supervisors until the research plan has been presented. Hence, students are normally assigned permanent supervisors only at the beginning of year two. This also means that potential supervisors should not be contacted before applying. Admitting PhD students to the department is a faculty responsibility, and no single supervisor can admit students to the program (cf. the procedure described under Application).

Courses

The first year includes four mandatory courses:

Central Analytical Perspectives (15 credits)

This course introduces PhD students to core analytical perspectives in political science research. The four analytical perspectives that will be addressed in the course are the political-theoretical perspective, the rationalist perspective, the constructivist perspective, and the institutional perspective.

Methods (15 credits)

This course provides PhD students with a good understanding of relevant problems in the theory of social sciences as well as with knowledge about quantitative methods, comparative methods and case studies, and discourse analyses. It is organized together with the PhD program in political science at Stockholm University.

Foundations, Achievements, Conclusions (7,5 credits)

In this course you will read and discuss work that constitute foundations of/for political science as well as work that has generated major achievements. The aim is to provide an intellectual history of foundations and achievements and to reflect together.

Reviewing Prior Research (15 credits)

The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the concept of literature review, practice finding and critically reviewing literature and, as a final step, write a literature review related to their own planned dissertation topic.

Applied Methods (7,5 credits)

In this course, students work with a selected method that they consider using in their dissertation work. A methods paper is written and presented at a conference where PhD students from other political science departments in Sweden participate.

The PhD thesis

The PhD thesis may be a book (monograph) of 150-300 pages, or a collection of three or more journal articles with an introduction. The PhD student should plan the three years of work on the thesis together with his/her supervisors. Often, working on the thesis includes several field trips or other studies abroad. Students can keep their salary during such research trips, but usually they have to finance other costs with external scholarships. Drafts of the thesis are presented to the faculty research seminars at least twice. An internal committee of professors from the department decides when the manuscript is ready for public defense.

Examination: the Public Defence

The programme ends with a public defence of the PhD thesis. An external commentator (“opponent”) is invited to discuss the thesis and point out its strengths and weaknesses. After approximately two hours of discussion between the author and the commentator, the chair of the public defense opens up the floor for questions from the audience. When the discussion is over, a committee of three professors, two external and one from the department, decide if the thesis passes or not.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to submit a research plan in my application?

A: No, you do not need to submit a research plan!

Q: Are you sure?!

A: Yes, our PhD students write and present their research plans during the first year of the programme.

Q: Do I need to establish contact with a supervisor before applying?

A: No, our PhD students work with temporary supervisor during year one. Once the PhD students have presented their research plans, the department will assign permanent supervisors.

Q: Am I eligible?

A: We do not evaluate merits beforehand. Requirements are described under "The Application – what documents are to be submitted?" above. Please note that the wording “otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad” allows for some flexibility. Subjects closely related to what we traditionally refer to as political science may be of relevance. If you find yourself in that category, please argue your case in the application, providing information of your merits as well as stating the reason they should be regarded as equivalent!

Q: How do I finance my PhD?

A: PhD students are employed fulltime with a fixed monthly salary.

See current doctoral student ladder here

Q: I have a scholarship /I have my own funding, can I be accepted as a PhD student without having to go through the usual admission process?

A: No, all PhD students need to apply in one of our formal calls and be short-listed in order to be admitted. There are no other ways to be admitted. Please also note that all external funding must be accepted by the faculty of Social Sciences.

Visiting PhD Students

The Department of Government welcomes visiting PhD students from all over the world. Visitors have the opportunity to be involved in a wide range of activities, e.g. lectures, seminars and graduate courses at the department. Due to availability, we can also offer work space at the department, and IT facilities.

The department does not provide financial payments to visitors. Hence, visiting PhD students should normally apply for research funding schemes through their home department.

How to apply for as visiting PhD student status at the Department of Government, Uppsala University:

1. Before submitting the formal application, it is essential for the visiting PhD student to have identified and corresponded with a full member of the department that is willing to act as an academic mentor during the stay. The department mentor must be an established member of the academic staff in a relevant field. The mentor will usually not provide formal academic supervision. The Director of Graduate Studies can help prospective visitors to establish an initial contact.

2. The formal application should enclose the following documents:

Documentation of enrolment in a PhD programme
Specification of the topic of your PhD project (max. 1 page)
A letter motivating the choice of Department of Government, Uppsala University as a suitable place to carry out your research, and an outline of the work which you propose to undertake while based at Uppsala. Specify the time period you wish to stay at the department (max. 2 pages)
Supervisor reference(s) from your home department (must state that the stay is recognised as an integral part of your PhD project)
Short CV (max 2 pages).

3. Send your application to the Director of Graduate Studies.

4. Based on the application and available resources during the period you wish to visit the department, the Director of Graduate Studies and the Head of Department will take a decision and communicate it to the applicant.

Development Research School

International cooperation between Uppsala universitet, Lunds universitet, Göteborgs universitet och University of Ghana.

Public Defences

at the Department of Government

Doctoral Theses