PhD in Sociology

PhD in Sociology is one of 3 English-taught Sociology programmes at PhD level in the register, offered by 2 institutions. 1 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; this programme lists EUR 1,453 a year. 1 is at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters.

What you study

The doctorate in Sociology at the University of Innsbruck is built around your own dissertation, which the register describes as a genuinely independent academic research contribution. Sociology here works on two fronts: it keeps questioning its own concepts and approaches in the light of the present, and it tests its findings against observable reality. The curriculum reflects both sides.

You are not left alone with the thesis. Supervision from the teaching staff runs alongside it, and taught sessions support the work, for example on questions of theoretical and methodological reflection on your own research. The register also lists teaching modules that prepare you for later professional work. These go beyond the subject itself, encourage generic skills, and invite practical participation in the academic community.

Keywords the register gives for the programme are research, social science methods and academia. The degree is a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, worth 180 ECTS.

Admission, language and next steps

The register records no entrance examination for this programme. Teaching is in German and English, so the programme is partly taught in English; check with the University of Innsbruck which parts are in which language before you plan. There is no central application portal: you apply directly to the university, and its own programme page gives the application period and the documents it wants. As a public university, Innsbruck charges no tuition to EU/EEA and Swiss students within the standard duration plus two semesters; other students pay a fee per semester. The standard duration is three years (six semesters).

Als reflexive Disziplin versichert sich die Soziologie stets ihrer eigenen Fragestellungen und Zugangsweisen im Licht der Gegenwart. Als empirische Disziplin stellt sie ihre Ergebnisse methodisch kontinuierlich dem Test der erfahrbaren Wirklichkeit. Beiden Aspekten trägt das Curriculum Rechnung.

Gemäß dem Studienaufbau wird die zentrale Arbeit an der Dissertation als eines genuin eigenen fachlichen Forschungsbeitrags durch intensive Betreuung seitens des Lehrkörpers wie auch durch entsprechende Lehrveranstaltungen (z.B. zu Fragen der theoretischen und methodologischen Reflexion der eigenen Forschung) begleitet. Darüber hinaus werden Lehrmodule angeboten, die auf spätere berufliche Tätigkeiten vorbereiten. Diese regen, über die fachlichen Aspekte hinaus, zur Entwicklung generischer Kompetenzen an und laden zur praktischen Teilnahme an der Fach-Community ein.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here University of Innsbruck. A public university sets the admission requirements and dates for this level, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: No. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.