Higher Education Studies. Policies, institutions and people in the transition from modernity to a post-industrial world (HES)

New: Ph.D. positions in the Higher Education Studies. Policies, institutions and people in the transition from modernity to a post-industrial world (HES) Interdisciplinary Research Training Group

University of Bucharest announces 10 doctoral positions for the September competition at the Higher Education Studies. Policies, institutions and people in the transition from modernity to a post-industrial world (HES) Interdisciplinary Research Training Group (IRTG), at the Interdisciplinary School of Doctoral Studies.

Candidates are expected to choose one of the following fields of study:  Educational Sciences, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology .

After the successful defense of their thesis, students will obtain the doctoral title in the particular field they have been registered in, as well as a Certificate highlighting their interdisciplinary achievements, inside the IRTG. During their doctoral studies, students will be guided by their supervisor and by a committee including specialists from different fields of study, they will have the opportunity to interact with their colleagues and with the professors who are part of the IRTG and will gain access to research resources.

Romanian and EU citizen may apply for state-funded doctoral positions and scholarships. For non-EU candidates, the study fee is 3,400 Euro/year. Starting with the 2nd semester of the first year, the University of Bucharest will provide merit-based support schemes (partial fee exemptions, scholarships, paid positions in research projects etc.) for the fee-paying doctoral students.

Candidates are expected to demonstrate a strong background in their main field of study and an open view related to scientific problems from other fields.

Prospective candidates are advised to choose their field of study and contact in advance one of the members of the IRTG from the list below as potential supervisor and promoter of their research theme:

Applications deadline: July, 2023

Enrollment: October 1st, 2023

Higher Education Studies. Policies, institutions and people in the transition from modernity to a post-industrial world (HES)

short description of the IRTG

The current educational context for higher education teaching and learning, not only in the Romanian but also at the larger scale represented by the European Higher Education Area, creates a very favorable ground for fresh and innovative research on nearly all the specific domains: learning pathways, curriculum, innovations in pedagogy, certification, learning recognition and so on.

In this frame, emerging topics linked to the very essence of higher education modernization in a post-pandemic near future are represented by:

  • Access  and participation in higher education
  • New ways of reshaping academic curricular structures/developments, based on micro-credentials and European degrees
  • Transforming higher education in modern “wall-free” institutions, through flexibilization and innovation in all academic fields
  • Higher education and lifelong learning: flexibility for better access
  • Philosophical presuppositions of reforms in higher education
  • Current transformations in higher education: policy perspectives
  • Sustainability of higher education as a public good: sources and dynamics
  • Externalities of the higher education system: methods of identification and assessment of impact
  • Access and success in university studies: interdependences or indifferences
  • Identification and assessment of the relationship between the choice of various higher education trajectories and the patterns of intergenerational preservation/improvement of socio-economic status (in connection with project PN-III-P4-PCE-2021-0981)
  • Economic costs and affordability of higher education in Romania (in connection with project PN-III-P4-PCE-2021-0981)
  • Romanians studying abroad – patterns, trends, outcomes (in connection with project PN-III-P4-PCE-2021-0981)
  • Romania in the European Higher Education Area – comparative analysis with a selected post-communist country (in connection with project PN-III-P4-PCE-2021-0981)
  • Management of higher education / Institutional approaches to higher education

Inside these broad topics, case-studies focusing on a specific policy issue, institution, geographical area and/or time-period are strongly encouraged, as are also comparative approaches.

We consider that future Ph.D. students from the group could benefit from a program of advanced studies which includes course / seminars / training sessions related to:

  • Academic curricular reshape based on micro-credentials, automatic recognition, and European degrees;
  • Teaching and learning development through innovative pedagogies, based on novelty, freshness, and digital instruments;
  • Interculturality and multilingualism as instruments for wide-range learning, reaching out to multiple learning partners across the educational sector.

Eligibility conditions and other information are available here.

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