Field of Political Science
The doctoral field of Political Science is one of the more recent additions to the doctoral research programs at the West University of TimiČoara. Its accreditation was issued by decision of the UVT Senate in 2013 and validated in 2016 (according to Order of the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research no. 5382/29.09.2016).
The first doctoral students in Political Science were enrolled in 2013, coinciding with the return to academia of Professor Silviu Eugen Rogobete after his diplomatic service. Alongside him, two faculty members from prestigious EU universities obtained doctoral supervision accreditation in this field and joined the UVT doctoral school. Together, they formed the initial core team, later joined by the late Professor Robert Reisz (UVT), Professor Gabriel Andreescu (SNSPA), Associate Professor Ileana-Cristina StÄnuČ (Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu), Associate Professor Emanuel CopilaČ (UVT), and most recently, Professor Lucian Vesalon (UVT).
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The primary mission of the doctoral research program in Political Science is to develop and promote high-quality research programs and to generate new knowledge in both fundamental and applied areas of the discipline. These programs aim to produce theoretical and empirical advances while enhancing the visibility and reputation of Romanian political science.
The Doctoral School, through its Political Science program, equips its graduates with advanced professional skills, enabling their rapid integration into the labor market and enhancing their competitiveness both nationally and internationally. The doctoral courses, as presented on this online platform, are conducted in English, contributing to the high-level training of specialists at the national, regional, EU, or global level in political science.
The Doctoral School actively encourages joint international supervision (cotutelle). It supports academic exchange opportunities, having already established agreements with universities from the UNITA consortium and other prestigious institutions in the USA, EU, and South Africa. In this way, the school seeks to attract doctoral candidates from Romania and abroad, offering an advanced academic research environment focused on topics relevant to Central and Eastern Europe and post-totalitarian regimes.
Doctoral supervisors
Thematic areas of interest (2025)
Doctoral topics are mainly situated within the following priority subfields:
ā¢ fundamentals of political thought
ā¢ applied moral philosophy in political science
ā¢ human rights
ā¢ international relations
ā¢ European studies
ā¢ educational policy
ā¢ political ideologies
ā¢ political communication
ā¢ religion and politics, area studies (with a focus on Romania, post-totalitarian regimes, the EU, and Sub-Saharan Africa)
ā¢ public and environmental policies, etc.
Lecturer Emanuel COPILAČ CIOCANU, PhD
ā¢ Political ideologies
ā¢ Non-democratic political regimes
ā¢ Political theory
ā¢ Political culture
ā¢ Theory of international relations
Professor Silviu Eugen ROGOBETE, PhD
ā¢ European politics, policies, ideologies, and identities
ā¢ Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) related issues
ā¢ Diplomacy, geostrategy, and politics
ā¢ Politics and religion
ā¢ Human rights and politics
Professor Lucian-Gheorghe VESALON, PhD
ā¢ The political ecology of development
Useful information
Proposed topics for admission (2025)
For the complete list of topics, please refer to the tableĀ (link).
The funding status of each topic (scholarship-based budget, budget without scholarship, or tuition fee) is determined based on the admission competition, in accordance with the UVT methodology.
Admission
The admission competition for this doctoral field consists of an interview during which the candidate presents the doctoral research project (see Annex 8 of the Admission Regulations of the Doctoral School of Philosophy, Sociology, and Political Science).
The main elements of this project are as follows:
- title of the scientific research project;
- project summary;
- content of the scientific research project;
- research objectives and activities within the project;
- plan for disseminating the results of the doctoral research;
- elements of the candidateās previous scientific research activity (if applicable).
Candidates may choose to prepare and present the scientific research project in Romanian or in an internationally recognized language agreed upon by the examination committee.
Candidate evaluation during the admission exam will be based on the criteria and indicators included in the evaluation grid specific to the chosen doctoral field (see Annex 9 of the Admission Regulations of the Doctoral School of Philosophy, Sociology, and Political Science).
For more details regarding the application file, admission calendar, and the organization of the doctoral admission process within the Doctoral School of Philosophy, Sociology, and Political Science, please consult the Admission Regulations of the Doctoral School and the UVT Doctoral Admission Methodology.
Resources
Eugen Todoran Central University Library (B.C.U.) ā ranked among the top four university libraries in Romania, B.C.U. āEugen Todoranā offers doctoral students access to over 1,000,000 documents;
Through Anelis Plus, doctoral students have free access to all major databases (e.g., ScienceDirect, Wiley, Sage, Scopus, Springer, or Web of Science);
Curriculum
- Doctoral students admitted in the first year in 2024 (link)
- Doctoral students admitted in the first year in 2025 (link)
Courses
Mapping Perspectives in Social Research
Political Ideologies
Academic Writing and Research
Ethics and Academic Integrity
Completion of studiesā
For more details about the IOSUD-West University of TimiČoara study completion procedure, please visit the Doctoral Studies > Completion of doctoral studies pageĀ (link).
For field-specific details, please consult the following:Ā
- Order of the Ministry of Education and Research no. 3018/2025, dated January 13, 2025, on the approval of the minimum mandatory national standards required for awarding doctoral degrees, published in the Official Gazette no. 78 of January 29, 2025
(applicable to doctoral students admitted from 2025 onward)Ā (link) - Order of the Ministry of National Education no. 5110/2018, dated September 17, 2018, regarding the approval of the minimum national standards for awarding doctoral degrees, published in the Official Gazette no. 817 of September 24, 2018 (link)
(applicable to doctoral students admitted before 2025)Ā (link) - The National Guide for Writing Doctoral Theses related to the Field of Study (forthcoming publication)
- Sections concerning the graduation procedure in the Regulations of the Doctoral School to which you are affiliated