PhD Program

General

CIS offers three different ways to work on a PhD project, one 12 ECTS program at the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities (D-GESS) at ETH Zurich and two at University of Zurich, one of these is the 12 ECTS general doctorate, the other is a 30 ECTS structured PhD program “Comparative and International Studies”. At CIS PhD students have a wide range of exciting opportunities to collaborate with faculty members and other graduate students in the course of the dissertation writing process. Moreover, students can choose from an attractive set of courses to fulfill coursework requirements in a tailor-made fashion to complement their previous education.

The skills and qualifications developed in our PhD programs are in high demand in both the public and private sectors. They include the ability to analyze a wide range of complex national and international political, social, economic, and environmental phenomena in a systematic and rigorous manner. They also include strong writing and oral communication skills. Former CIS PhD students have taken up positions in government, journalism, academia and other research-oriented institutions, consulting, the financial sector and other areas.

All programs are conceived for M.A. and Lic.Phil. graduates with a thorough academic background in political science or related fields. Graduates in a discipline other than political science may be required to complete additional course work.

 

Find general information about studying at the University of Zurich and living in Zurich here and about working on a PhD at ETH Zurich here.