Schedule

Seminars

Interactive seminars are the basic building blocks of the curriculum. Their objective is to establish common ground and to discuss the state of the art of research on theories and concepts of governance, fields of governance and spaces of governance. Seminars will be given by core faculty members and international guest professors discussing the most advanced theoretical and methodological issues in governance research. Seminars will be complemented by single lectures of (international) guest speakers presenting findings of ongoing and topical research.

Research ‘atelier’

Key to the successful completion of a PhD is the close monitoring of each student’s progress and continuous exchange with staff members and among the research students themselves. Research seminars will be held by a team of at least two core scientists with the aim of discussing research designs and methodological and substantive questions of the students’ work in progress. Each participant is required to deliver a presentation on design, method, data analysis, and empirical findings of his/her research work once per semester. The aims of this element of the curriculum include the following: a) to afford students an early opportunity to present their research in front of an audience of persons working in the same broad area of the discipline; b) to provide them with an opportunity to receive detailed feedback from their student peers and from the members of the teaching staff; and c) to permit students to assess the nature of their own potential contribution to the development of the discipline.

Practical training

Students will be given the opportunity

·         to participate in a summer school related either to methodical questions or their topic of specialization in order to acquire in-depth knowledge of quantitative or qualitative research methods and to deepen their knowledge of substantive questions related to their PhD project;

·         to develop lecturing skills by giving supervised courses on specialized topics on their own; in addition, research students will be required;

·         to give papers at international (graduate) conferences on topics related to their specialties in order to get acquainted with drafting and presenting scientific papers in an international environment:

·         to participate in research projects led by members of the core faculty;

The aim is to familiarize the students with the practical aspects of research and teaching, to provide training on the job, to gain insights into the inner workings of institutions and experience of working in a professional environment, and to establish contacts with potential employers. 

Internal Workshops

At the end of each year of study, a workshop will be organized where all students present their research output which will be discussed by the whole faculty and which forms part of the yearly assessment of the students’ progress.  

Individual research, supervision and international exchange

Finishing one’s PhD within three years time is a challenging task that demands a strong commitment on behalf of our research students. Our research students will be supported in their efforts by close supervision and mentoring and by internal and international exchange.

As junior researchers the focus of the students’ activities will be on conducting their own research projects. Students will be assigned (with their consent) two supervisors from among the core faculty who will monitor the students’ research work. The supervisors will be responsible for agreeing to the student’s research and time plan, for monitoring the student’s progress und to advise him or her on all matters related to his or her academic advancement. One of the supervisors will also function as a personal mentor who meets with the student on a regular basis and advises and supports the student on all matters that are relevant to the student’s progress. 

The ‘Initiativkolleg’ will motivate and support the students in acquiring international scientific experiences, contacts and research opportunities. The ‘Vienna School of Governance’ in cooperation with the University’s department of ‘Research Services and International Relations’ will make use of its broad network of academic contacts in securing mobility grants. The aim is to provide our research students with the possibility to do archival or field research in a foreign country, to acquire special knowledge, to establish contacts with leading experts in the field who may also become an external referee on the dissertation committee.  

Additional Training and Skills

The research students will be required to participate in a number of activities to acquire additional skills and to choose among the University’s programme for professional development. These skills include training in didactics, rhetoric, project management etc.. These short courses last for one or several days or weekends and should support the professional development of the research students.