Ph.D. in Human Rights and Global Politics - Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies

The Dirpolis Institute offers a 3 year Ph.D. program in Human Rights and Global Politics at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies.

The international Ph.D. in Human Rights and Global Politics: Legal, Philosophical, and Economic Challenges give the student the opportunity to carry out research in a lively and supportive environment.

The goal of this three-year Ph.D. program, entirely delivered in English, is to provide an educational path that will enable participants not only to carry out sound academic research but also to undertake professional careers within a wide range of international, national, and regional entities, in both the private and the public sectors.

The Programme addresses the issue of Human Rights and Global Politics, and is characterized by a strongly interdisciplinary approach, which implies the intersection among the following research areas:

• Agricultural, food and agri-environmental Law 
• Public International Law
• Political Economy
• Political Philosophy 

Candidates are expected to submit research projects which deal with at least two of the research areas above (the main research area and a complimentary one).

The Ph.D. is awarded after three years of full-time research on the basis of a dissertation that should present the results of an original piece of research. Examination for the Ph.D. involves an oral examination (viva) by a Board of Experts.

Admission Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• The ideal candidate is a curious and open-minded researcher, willing to explore the variety of disciplines and approaches the program has to offer.
• A Master’s degree or equivalent degree is required for admission to the Ph.D. program. Candidates who will fulfill the minimum degree requirements by 31 October of each year can apply. They may be admitted under the condition of getting the degree by end of October.

English Language Requirements

The language for this Ph.D. program is English, thus proficiency in English is expected.

The Ph.D. students are required to attend language courses in order to obtain, at the end of the Programme, a good knowledge (i.e. A2 level) of at least a second foreign language, besides English, chosen among the languages taught at the Scuola.

Even though the Programme is entirely in English, in order to improve their quality of life in Italy, foreign Ph.D. students can be invited by their supervisors to attend Italian courses during the first year of the Ph.D. program.

Course Structure

The Ph.D. program’s structure includes mandatory lectures and research activities, but it also envisages the possibility to attend summer schools and to spend research periods abroad (a minimum of six months abroad is compulsory).

In particular, first-year Ph.D. students are required to attend the compulsory classes specifically designed for the program. They are also encouraged to attend lectures, especially at the graduate level, within the general field of their research. 

Note that – given the interdisciplinary nature of the program – each student will be required to follow an issue-related course within the four areas involved in the Ph.D. (Agricultural Law; Public International Law; Political Economy; Political Philosophy). 

These courses will revolve around the topics of Human Rights and Global Politics in order to give an understanding of their interdisciplinary components. 

Moreover, research methodology courses are offered which will provide students with the opportunity to acquire methodological expertise and to apply it to substantive research in their chosen topic. 

Throughout their studies, participants will work under the supervision of a faculty member who will meet with them regularly to discuss their work and provide feedback and advice.

Ph.D. students must obtain 150 hours:

• 130 hours from the compulsory courses,
• 20 hours from optional ones that can be selected also from every Ph.D. program of the School

Ph.D. students are free to attend other optional courses (as supernumeraries) selected from the various other programs of the Scuola

Fees and Funding

5 places are available each year in this program, 2 of which are reserved for candidates with a Ph.D. degree from a non-Italian university. Self-financing candidates cannot be admitted to the Ph.D.

Candidates are offered a scholarship of $17,359 gross paid in deferred monthly installments.

The gross amount includes the social security charges payable by the recipient.

Students can use the canteen free of charge for the duration of the course (one meal a day, from Monday to Saturday).

For the period of stay abroad, authorized by the Academic Board, the scholarship can be increased by a total amount of approximately $5,318 gross.

In addition, the School will make a budget of approximately $3,394 available to Ph.D. students to cover expenses related to research activities (participation in conferences, purchase of books, etc.).