Overview

Education and Social Sciences at Free University of Bozen-Bolzano responds to the growing need in international research to develop complex interpretations of socio-cultural and educational systems and to deepen conceptual, theoretical and methodological models. The study plan foresees different activities to ensure that PhD students acquire basic epistemological skills, methodological skills, both qualitative and quantitative, as well as transversal skills.

Key facts:

Students and professors from different countries, different disciplines and scientific fields guarantee the international and interdisciplinary orientation of the programme.

Over the three-year period, several teaching activities are offered: lectures, practical sessions and seminars that aim to develop and illustrate the programme’s subjects and research areas and to focus on the most recent findings in the education and in the social sector.

The main teaching areas are philosophy of science, epistemology of related disciplines, research methodology, currrent questions and methods drawn from the international context.

The cycles of compulsory and optional lectures, workshops and seminars (study plan) are defined by the PhD Course Committee at the beginning of the cycle.

Programme Structure

This is a full-time PhD programme and you can choose between two research areas: Education (which includes Pedagogical and Didactics fields) and Social science. The research areas share modules on research epistemology and on qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Courses include:

Philosophy of science

Epistemology of Education and Social sciences

Qualitative methodology

Quantitative methodology

Ethnographic research methods

English for Academic purposes

Information Literacy

Research Ethics

Coaching

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 36 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-11-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-09-11 00:00:00

More details

1st Call 15 June; 2nd Call 18 July; 3rd Call 11 September.

Language

English, Partially taught in German, Partially taught in Italian

TOEFL^® IBT

72

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Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Brixen, Italy

Disciplines

Education Liberal Arts

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

72

Schedule TOEFL®

Other requirements

General requirements

Applicants holding a postgraduate degree as per Italian Ministerial Decree no. 509/1999, a postgraduate degree as per Italian Ministerial Decree no. 270/2004, a degree of the former Italian university system, or an equivalent degree obtained abroad;

Applicants achieving one of the above mentioned titles within the enrolment deadline. In this case applicants will be admitted conditionally to the selection procedure and they must produce the degree certificate within the enrolment’s deadline. If not, their application is considered null and void.

All candidates have to be proficient in at least two of the three languages of the programme: Italian, German, English. Language certification at B2 level (CEFR) in two of the three languages of the PhD programme (Italian, German, English) is a prerequisite for participating in the selection process.

Candidates without the certification of language proficiency are excluded from the admission procedure.

Student Insurance via Studyportals Partner

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items like Additional medical costs, Repatriation, Liability etc. Make sure your student insurance covers your needs.

Studyportals partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Get your student insurance now

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and/or in Italy, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

189 EUR / year

≈ 189 EUR / year
EU/EEA Applies to you

Applies to you

EU/EEA Nationals

189 EUR / year

≈ 189 EUR / year

Living costs

Bressanone - Brixen

Italy

600 - 900 EUR / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Education and Social Sciences.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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