Simone91

Hi. I want to apply for a PhD and the announcement says that very good English skills are required. If they don't specifically ask for a certificate, am I right to suppose that I don't need to include one in the application? I thought to take a IELTS or Cambridge exam, but my current job is in English, would that and the interview be sufficient to prove my level?

Thank you for the answers, they've all been very helpful. I am considering to start a PhD mainly because it would give me the opportunity to research a topic I really like and with which I already dealt when I wrote my M.A. thesis. Also I have the chance to become an expert in a very specific field, which I believe it could be an advantage after the PhD. Furthermore other people told me that in a long term career perspective a PhD is a plus, even if I realize that in the short-medium term people who start to work after the m.a. have indeed more work experience. I would do it in Germany and that means the program would last 3-4 years.

Hi! I have to solve a huge doubt which concerns my future and I hope I'll find some good advice here. I have to choose between two PhD projects and both deal with a very similar subject and also the one in political science would rely on a strong historical background and on the use of archival sources, but probably in a less meticulous way. Also I consider myself mainly a historian, because even if I have a B.A. in international relations, I completed my M.A. in history writing a thesis on the same subject of the PhD. On the other hand the PhD in political science would give me a better opportunity to research the consequences of the historical process today, also there is already a professor who is most likely willing to support the project. My main concerns are: Is it possible to combine a deeper historical analysis (at the same level of a PhD in history) in a political science project? What different chances of employment do I have after the PhD, considering that I would prefer to work for the government or private institutions and not as a professor?