PhD in Regional Development University of Pécs

The Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Pécs established its International Ph.D. Program in Regional Development for professionals who have collected several years of experience in their field working at national, regional, and local levels of decision-making or at think-tank organizations. The International Ph.D. The program in Regional Development belongs to the Doctoral School of Regional Policy and Economics and as such, it is a nationally accredited doctoral program in Hungary.

The aim of the program is to train high-quality professionals in the field of regional development. This aim is achieved by a well-structured program that provides a strong theoretical base and at the same time supports independent research under expert supervision and regular feedback. The international network of the School and its professors provides many more opportunities than lectures only; the best students can apply for travel grants to conferences and for abroad scholarships to our partner institutions or they can be involved in some of the international projects of the Faculty and its center of excellence, the Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Centre.

The Program is designed to help students acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for writing good-quality doctoral dissertations. To serve this aim the Program supports independent research by providing experienced faculty supervisors and professional feedback at dissertation seminars. From the very beginning, the Program provides methodological and practical support for individual research.

The International Ph.D. Program in Regional Development combines the advantages of contact-based and distance-based education drawing on the contribution of its recognized national and international faculty. The educational period consists of four semesters. Though subjects are partly delivered in block teaching, there is a continuous consultation between the students and their supervisors that requires personal attendance throughout the semesters.

The applicant has to submit the following documents by uploading them to the online application portal of the University of Pécs:

• Preliminary Research Proposal (2-3 pages long)*
• Curriculum Vitae in English
• Completed Application Form (available on the website)
• Official Copies of (Degree) Certificates
• Certified Translations in English
• Transcript of Records in English
• List of Publications (if any)
• passport-size photographs.
• Copy of the photo page (s) of your passport
• A medical certificate, Vaccination card, and HIV test
• Motivation letter

Preliminary Research Proposal*

A 2-3 page written statement of the research design that includes an explanation of the purpose of the study and outlines the research methodology.

It should consist of the following parts:

• The intended title of the dissertation
• The aim of the underlying research as well as the clearly stated motivation for the research
• Literature review, i.e. review of the state of the art in the literature
• List of references

5/A. § The Doctoral School applies the following admission procedure for foreign nationals applying for foreign language doctoral training programs:

(1) This admission procedure applies to all applicants who do not have Hungarian citizenship or Hungarian dual citizenship, regardless of whether they have applied for a scholarship program or a private placement at the Doctoral School.

(2) The applicant must be 18 years of age or older.

(3) Documents to be submitted with the application are:

• a valid passport;
• a MA/MSc certificate and a certified translation into English, which entitles the applicant to enter into a master’s program in the applicant’s home country;
• an official transcript of results of the completed MA/MSc program and a certified English translation thereof;
• a certificate of proficiency in English of no older than 2 years, on at least a CEFR level B2, obtained at an internationally recognized (accredited) language examination institution;
• an official medical certificate in English stating that the applicant has received the required vaccines and is free of communicable diseases;
• CV;
• research plan;
• list of publications (if the applicant has one), and other certificates.

To apply, an electronic copy of the required documents must be submitted via the online interface designated by the Faculty, and their original copies must be submitted upon enrolment.

(4) The Doctoral School measures the language skills and professional motivation of the applicant in an admission interview. The language of the interviews will be English.

(5) Admission interviews are scheduled and published on the Faculty's English-language web pages at least two weeks before the time of the interview.

(6) The head of the Doctoral School shall appoint the lecturer members of the Admission Committees (hereinafter referred to as "the Committee"). The Committee shall consist of two lecturer members and a secretary. The secretary may be a non-teaching/research staff member of the Faculty.

(7) Admission interviews are conducted in person and/or online. If the interview is conducted online, the Doctoral School needs to provide an interface for online chat, which is primarily the Skype availability provided by the Doctoral School. If the applicant is not able to use Skype in his or her country due to local laws, the interview will take place on an online interface chosen jointly by the Doctoral School and the applicant.

(8) Video recording of the online interview will be saved and archived for one year from the date of the interview.

(9) The secretary of the Committee shall draw up minutes of the interview, which shall be kept by the Doctoral School in accordance with the rules on records.

(10) Applications are ranked in a 100-point system according to the following criteria:

a) Learning outcomes: maximum 25 points

b) Research plan: maximum 60 points

c) Motivational interview: maximum 15 points

d) Extra points: maximum 23 points

Extra points may be awarded for relevant professional experience, CEFR level C1 language examination, and publication in the field of studies. The total score, including extra points, cannot exceed 100 points.

(11) Minimum eligibility criteria for admissions

a) obtains more than zero points for each of the four main criteria [(10) a), b), c)], and

b) the total score, of at least 40, without extra points.

(12) Recruitment decisions will be made by the head of the Doctoral School, taking into account the applicant's score (the ranking based on the points of applicants) and the capacity of the training program applied for.