Earth Sciences PhD

Key information:

• Degree: PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)
• Duration of training: 8 semesters/4 academic years
• Language of instruction: English
• Completed Credits: 240
• Language requirements: minimum level of B2 or official proof that your master study’s instruction language was English
• Application requirements: Submitted online application form; Matching research topic with the announced ones and a completed oral entrance exam in English via Skype/VideoChat
• Deadline for application: 31/May
• Application fee: EUR 140
• Tuition fee: EUR 6000/Academic year
• Coordinator: Ms Mónika KOVÁCS (phdkoord)

Description of the program:

The PhD programme "Spatial-Environmental Problems of Socio-Economic Activity", which started in 1994, developed into the PTE Doctoral School of Earth Sciences, which has been accredited as a doctoral programme since 2001. Over the last almost three decades, more than 200 people have obtained PhD degrees in almost all fields of earth sciences.

For PhD students who had started their studies in or after the 2016/2017 academic year the study program is divided into 2 phases: the study period (2 years) and the research and thesis submission (2 years). By the end of the 2nd period, the student must submit and successfully defend her/his thesis.

At the end of 1st part – the study period – the student is obliged to take a complex comprehensive exam. The student can only enter the 2nd part of the study program upon the successful completion of the complex exam. In case of failure at the complex exam, in accordance with the Hungarian national law on higher education, the student is entitled to apply for the examination again in the same semester of the failed attempt.

In case the second attempt results in failure, the study period of the student terminate, and her/his scholarship holder status ceases.

Upon the successful completion of the complex exam, the student enters the second phase of the study program. During the second phase, the student must conduct her/his research activity and complete and submit her/his thesis for defense.

The defence of the thesis is the final stage of the doctoral process; after the candidate has successfully defended her/his thesis, a certificate of the completion of the doctoral process is issued stating that she/he had successfully completed all the requirements of the doctoral title. Please note that this certificate itself is not equal with the doctoral title – the PhD title awarded by the Doctoral and Habilitation Committee of the University.

The Doctoral School of Earth Sciences has three accredited programmes:

• Political Geography, Geopolitics and Geo-economics from a Central European Perspective - Norbert Pap
• Social Geography - András Trócsányi
• Political Geography, Geography, Geology and Meteorology - János Kovács

Students' choice of topics, training themes and theoretical and applied research are linked to these branches and within thematic groups. Students are assisted by subject leaders with academic degrees and substantial research experience. In addition to our lecturers, guest lectures are regularly delivered by renowned national and international experts.

Programmes and modules:

Students enrolling in the geopolitics programme can carry out research on the political geography of the Central European and Balkan region, geopolitical processes related to the region, or the impact of geography on economic processes, among other topics.

Students applying for the Social Geography programme may also explore the frontiers of social geography, in addition to classical regional geography, population and settlement geography and tourism.

Students on the Natural Geography programme can develop geographic information systems (GIS) applications, study short- and long-term changes in land use, and research geological, geomorphological, meteorological and hydrogeographical topics.

Once admitted, doctoral students will become "staff" of the Institute, participating in the life of the Institute and its departments, and getting involved in its scientific research. They can participate (optionally) in teaching at BSc and MSc levels, which can help them develop their lecturing skills.

Doctoral students can choose between two types of funding: public scholarships or self-financing. The Hungarian-language scholarship programme is open to 8-12 students per year, with a limited number of English-language courses also available for foreign nationals. With the support of Tempus, Ceepus, Erasmus and other state scholarships, our students have participated in several internships abroad in several European countries and have also travelled to distant parts of the world on study trips. Both public scholarship students and self-financed students can apply for funding under the KDP (Cooperative Doctoral Programme) and the scholarship programme supported by the NRCP.

Suggested Procedure Before the Admission Interview

1. Students applying to the Doctoral School of Earth Sciences should find a supervisor prior to the PhD interview. We recommend visiting the website of the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences Staff. By clicking on a selected professor's name, you can find information about their research topics. This website will help you identify faculty members whose research aligns with your interests.
2. Students are encouraged to reach out to their potential supervisor via email, including relevant information about their research interests and a CV. If the supervisor expresses interest, they should engage in discussions about the research plan through a minimum of two online meetings.
3. After these discussions, if the supervisor accepts the candidate, the Doctoral School will issue a document that allows participation in the PhD interview.

PhD Interview

The PhD interview will be conducted via Teams. A member of the Doctoral School Committee, along with your potential supervisor, will be present during the interview. The purpose of the interview is to assess your language skills and, more importantly, your academic background.
The doctoral school evaluates the quality of your master's diploma and research plan on a scale of 0 to 40 points.
The quality of the interview is assessed on a scale of 0 to 60 points.
To be eligible for application, a minimum score of 53 points is required.

Admission requirements:

• Valid passport
• Finished BA/BSc diploma - a copy of University / College degree (in English or with official translation; the original hard copy must be shown after arrival)
• Finished MA/MSc diploma - a copy of University / College degree (in English or with official translation; the original hard copy must be shown after arrival)
• Certified (in English or with official translation) copy of transcripts
• Two letters of recommendations
• List of publications, if available
• Research plan (1-3 pages)
• Demonstrated evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency – B2 intermediate level
• Medical certificate, vaccination card (showing that you are immunized against HEP B, C) and HIV test, and results of Chest X-Ray
• Europass CV in English
• Motivation letter (introduction plus field of interest, etc.) in 3000 to 3500 character