Deadline: 15.04.2008.

Scholarships: There are a limited amount of full scholarships available, Date: 3 year full-time PhD programme starting September 2008, Deadline for Applications: April 15, 2008.

The Berlin Graduate School for Transnational Studies (BTS), a joint endeavour by the Freie Universität Berlin (FUB), the Hertie School of Governance (HSoG) and the Social Science Center Berlin (WZB), invites applications for its full-time PhD programme. All three are leading institutions in the field of political science and its neighbouring disciplines. The programme draws upon their faculty, research projects, facilities and services.

The three-year English speaking doctoral programme is designed for exceptionally talented and motivated graduate students. It offers state-of-the-art survey classes, a strong training in research methods and research design, skills courses and individualized supervision. While the courses and training present an important part of the curriculum, the bulk of the workload for the PhD candidates in the programme will be in the form of independent research for their dissertations.

The successful applicants will enter to the doctoral programme in September 2008. The three-year program has a strong focus on social science theories and methods but also welcomes applications from adjacent disciplines. Applicants are particularly welcome from the fields of transnational studies and international relations. Dissertation topics should nonetheless refer to one of the following three broadly understood areas of concentration:

* The analysis of national and transnational causes and consequences of political, societal and cultural globalization. * The new challenges to governance in international and transnational settings including issues of politicization and legitimacy, as well as in areas of limited statehood. * The comparative study of regional cooperation, including the EU.

The application requirements for the programme are:


·An exceptionally strong completed university degree qualifying for PhD studies in political science, international relations, sociology, economics, law or adjacent disciplines.

· Proof of C1 level English language skills or the equivalent.

· CV

· A short letter of motivation (600 words maximum)

· A dissertation exposé (5000 words maximum

· Two letters of reference from faculty members


The deadline for applications to the doctoral programme is April 15. 2008. All application documents and general enquiries should be sent electronically to: info@transnationalstudies.eu.

Applicants are also welcome to contact faculty members and potential supervisors via email.

www.transnationalstudies.eu