PhD in Europe

[PonderingSoc]

Hey everyone, 

 

Does anyone plan on doing, or know of anyone who plans of doing, a PhD in sociology somewhere in Europe? I was just curious about this possibility and had a few questions about it. For instance, does anyone know if one has to take the GRE to do a PhD in sociology in Europe? Are the admissions more or less competitive? 

[European Lumpi]

Hey PonderingSoc,

 

The PhD in Europe usually works a little differently, which is also why applications usually require other materials than in the US. I'm not doing a PhD here myself, but I know people that are. With PhDs (at least) in continental Europe, you are usually applying for a much more specific research project. This means, that most of the time you are also applying to a specific PhD position surrounding a certain field of research within sociology and that you are less free to completely change direction. Since this is the case, more fleshed out research proposals (compared to personal statements in the US) are usually expected from admissions committees.

In regard to the competition, I would argue that it can vary immensely. Given that  you are applying to a specific PhD position, you might get lucky in that it is a field not a lot of people are applying for. The opposite might just as well be the case though. As opposed to the US, you also mostly only take about a semester worth of classes and then start working on your research right away, usually leaving the PhD to be a bit shorter than in the US as well. As far as I know, GRE scores are hardly ever needed, even though this might be different in the UK. In genera, what I have written is probably more applicable to continental Europe, whereas the UK seems to stray halfway between the States and the rest of Europe.

 

Hope this helps!