Conditions of access
- Admission Requirements for Application
The following individuals are eligible to apply for enrollment:
a) Holders of a master's degree or legally equivalent qualification in Sociology or any field within the Social and Human Sciences;
b) Exceptionally, holders of a bachelor's degree or legally equivalent qualification, with an academic, scientific, and professional curriculum of particular relevance in any scientific domain, recognized by the Doctoral Program Committee as attesting to the capacity to undertake the study cycle;
c) Exceptionally, individuals with an academic, scientific, and professional curriculum of particular relevance in any scientific domain, recognized by the Doctoral Program Committee as attesting to the capacity to undertake the study cycle.
Criteria for selection of the candidates
Criteria for Ranking Applicants
3. Criteria for Ranking Applications and Admission to the Doctoral Program
3.1. Applicants will be ranked according to the final scores assigned to their applications by the Selection Committee, based on individual merit, and expressed on a scale of 0 to 20 points. These scores will take into account their academic, scientific, and professional curricula, their proposed projects, and their motivations for pursuing the Doctoral Program. The following criteria will be considered:
3.1.1. Applicants holding a master’s degree or equivalent legal qualification in Sociology or any area of the social and human sciences:
a) The academic grade of the master’s degree (10%);
b) The academic grade of the bachelor’s degree (10%);
c) The overall evaluation of the academic, scientific, and professional curriculum (20%);
d) The evaluation of a project proposal or research topic, as stipulated in section 5.1(c) of this Announcement, along with a statement of purpose detailing the applicant’s motivations for pursuing the Doctoral Program (30%);
e) The evaluation of an interview (30%).
3.1.2. Applicants holding a bachelor’s degree or equivalent legal qualification:
a) The academic grade of the bachelor’s degree (10%);
b) The overall evaluation of the academic, scientific, and professional curriculum (30%);
c) The evaluation of a project proposal or research topic, as stipulated in section 5.1(c) of this Announcement, along with a statement of purpose detailing the applicant’s motivations for pursuing the Doctoral Program (30%);
d) The evaluation of an interview (30%).
3.1.3. Applicants without a higher education degree or equivalent legal qualification:
a) The overall evaluation of the academic, scientific, and professional curriculum (40%);
b) The evaluation of a project proposal or research topic, as stipulated in section 5.1(c) of this Announcement, along with a statement of purpose detailing the applicant’s motivations for pursuing the Doctoral Program (30%);
c) The evaluation of an interview (30%).
3.2. The Selection Committee will conduct interviews, which may, if necessary, be held via videoconference.
3.3. After evaluating the applications according to the criteria and weightings defined in section 3.1, the Selection Committee will rank the applications in descending order of their final scores.
3.4. Applicants whose final application score is below 14 points will be excluded from enrollment in the Doctoral Program.
3.5. Applicants will be admitted to the Doctoral Program if their final application score is equal to or greater than 14 points and, cumulatively, their ranking order is equal to or below the number of available places defined in section 1 (for the first phase of applications) or the remaining vacancies from previous phases (in the second and third application phases).
3.6. Alternates
3.6.1. Applicants whose final application score is equal to or greater than 14 points and, cumulatively, whose ranking order exceeds the number of places defined in section 3.5, will be designated as alternates.
3.6.2. Alternates will be admitted to the Doctoral Program if any vacancies remain after the registration deadline, in ascending order of their ranking in the final list.
Necessary documentation
4. Application Process
4.1. The application must be accompanied by copies of the following documents, in Portuguese, Spanish, French, English, or Italian:
a) Documents proving that the applicant meets the requirements stipulated in section 2, as well as the academic grades/scores mentioned in sections 3.1.1(a) and (b) or 3.1.2(a). If these documents are in any language other than those listed above, they must be accompanied by an official translation into one of the aforementioned languages.
b) An up-to-date academic, scientific, and professional curriculum, including published works or properly documented achievements.
c) A doctoral project presented according to the model adopted in the FCT doctoral scholarship competition; or, alternatively, a detailed proposal of a research theme or problem, including:
A summary (max. 150 words).
A presentation of the proposed research theme or problem, substantiating its sociological relevance (max. 1,500 words).
d) A letter of intent detailing the applicant's motivations for pursuing the Doctoral Program.
e) A Citizen Card or passport. Instead of providing copies of identification documents, the applicant may opt for an in-person presentation of these documents at the institution. The institution will retain the relevant information for enrollment, including the civil, tax, and social security identification numbers, as well as the validity of the respective documents.
f) Proof of payment of the application fee in the amount of 100 euros (paid by bank reference or credit card), which is non-refundable in the event of exclusion, non-admission, or withdrawal.
