The Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Pécs established its International PhD 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 PhD 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 strong theoretical base and at the same time supports independent research under expert supervision and by 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 PhD 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 Application Process
Selection Criteria in English doctoral programs at the UP FBE
1. Checking FORMAL REQUIREMENTS of application documents
Applicants must meet the following formal criteria to start the training:
Applicants must have attained the age of 18 by the date of commencement of training and must provide the following documents in full:
To apply, an electronic copy of the required documents must be submitted via the online interface designated by the Doctoral School, and their original copies must be submitted upon enrolment.
2. The oral part of the admission procedure
During the admission procedure, the heads of the English programs, the international coordinator, the administrators of the English programs, and the IT system administrators shall cooperate. The heads of programs call the members of the admission committees to conduct the interviews, the system administrators prepare the interview room, IT systems and online platforms (Skype, DreamApply). The international coordinator and the administrators prepare the academic evaluation (Evaluation Form), schedule and organize the interviews. If, for any reason, an interview does not take place at an organized time, the applicant has the opportunity to repeat it once.
UP FBE reserves its right to record the interview after informing the applicant about the recording.
3. Admission criteria:
The following criteria are considered during the admission procedure:
Criteria | Results breakdown | Max points |
1. Learning outcomes: GPA of the applicant’s last two years in the MA/MSc training |
0 point: If applicant’s GPA is below 50 % 10 points: If applicant’s GPA is 50 % or above 20 points: If applicant’s GPA is 70 % or above 25 points: If applicant’s GPA is 85 % or above |
25 |
2. Quality and content of the research plan Relevance of topic selection, quality of literature review, well-founded and advanced research hypotheses, relation of expected results with hypotheses and literature, planned structure of research, appropriateness of form, research methodology, linguistic quality, overall review. |
0 point: The research plan contains nothing specific, no professional goals are set, the plan is plagiarized; 10 points: In its structure, the plan is not well elaborated, moderately worded. Conspicuously short research plan, unrelated to choice of subject, most of the selected literature has been published more than 5 years ago, or the chosen literature does not fit the subject. The research hypotheses are difficult to interpret, and the relation of the expected results to the hypotheses and the chosen literature is difficult to reveal. The planned structure of the research does not comply with the formal requirements and methodology, and based on the form of the research plan, the applicant's knowledge of the technical language and vocabulary is far below the academic expectations. 20 points: The chosen topic of the research plan is relevant, but the literature review, research hypotheses, and expected results are not sufficiently developed. The structure of the research generally conforms to the formal requirements, and the format of the research plan requires that the applicant's knowledge of the technical language and vocabulary be improved. 50 points: The chosen topic of the research plan is relevant and the literature review is based on current and internationally recognized studies and research. The research hypotheses and the expected results are elaborated and substantiated, and the planned structure of the research meets the formal requirements and methodology. Based on the format of the research plan, the applicant's language and technical language skills meet the requirements of scientific research and presentations. |
60 |
3. Motivational interview |
0 point: the applicant cannot communicate with the interviewer, not even the most basic communication acts (greeting, identity issues); 5 points: the interview is lagging, the applicant only communicates in short answers, mostly answers yes or no questions; 10 points: : the applicant is fluent in general topics, his or her professional motivations are not fully elaborated; 15 points: the applicant is fluent in both general and basic professional topics, has determined professional goals and can express his or her professional motivation. |
15 |
Total | 100 | |
Extra points* | ||
Certified, relevant professional experience |
0 points: the applicant does not have any professional experience; 9 points: the applicant has certified professional experience in academics (university lecturer) or in a non-profit organization or non-governmental organization related to the training. (3 points per year up to 9) |
9 |
CEFR level C1 language exam certificate in the instruction language |
0 point: the applicant has only a level B2 language exam certificate in the instruction language; 5 points: the applicant has an internationally recognized CEFR level C1 language exam certificate obtained no earlier than 2 years in the instruction language. |
5 |
Relevant publications |
0 point: the applicant does not have relevant publications in peer-reviewed papers. 9 points: the applicant has relevant publications in peer-reviewed papers. (3 points per publication up to 9 points) |
9 |
Total | 23 |
*Applicants may be awarded a maximum of 23 extra points in total, according to the criteria listed, but the total number of admission points, including the extra points, must not exceed 100.
4. The admission decision
The minimum requirement for admission is that the candidate
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.
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.
The applicant has to submit the following documents by uploading them to the online application portal of the University of Pécs:
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:
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:
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 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.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Maria LAJOS
International Coordinator
E-mail: lajos.maria@ktk.pte.hu
English website of the Faculty
University of Pécs | Chancellery | IT Directorate | Portal group - 2020.