PhD Programmes

CEURUS serves as a contact point for UT faculty and PhD students who conduct research on Russian and East European politics, economics, law and society, as well as Russia’s interaction with the West. Prospective PhD students should first apply for admission to one of the PhD programmes offered at the University of Tartu (at the Johan Skytte Institute for Political studies, the Faculty of Law or the Faculty of Economics)  and once admitted, seek affiliation with CEURUS. Prospective students in search of a supervisor are encouraged to contact CEURUS-affiliated scholars directly and introduce their research interests and plans. The Centre seeks to offer an intellectually stimulating, interdisciplinary environment to all graduate students interested in Russian and East European studies and EU-Russia interaction.

Most of the current PhD candidates affiliated with CEURUS are enrolled in the Political Science PhD programme offered by the Johan Skytte Institute is the most direct way for PhD candidates to begin working with CEURUS. The programme is offered entirely in English, thus we invite and encourage both international and Estonian students to apply. There are no tuition fees affiliated with the programme, and all enrolled students are eligible for a study allowance of 1,060€ per month. 

Prospective applicants should consult the Institute’s existing research interests and competence to ensure these align with the applicant’ own proposed research as they prepare to apply and, once ready, should begin to prepare their research proposal for submission, which is a key part of the admission process. Research proposals should include a dissertation topic (with a brief summary of the topic and most substantial studies done in a field), objectives of the dissertation and a description of research methods, among other things, a full list of which can be found on the website on admission to the Johan Skytte Institute’s PhD programme on Political Science, here. Those wishing to apply to this PhD programme in Political Science should check the admissions page on the link above for more information on the programme, the admission process and requirements, and where and when to submit applications, as well as contact information.

Opportunities to connect with CEURUS also exist for those choosing to apply to PhD programmes offered by other faculties at UT, such as those of Law and Economics, as professors and researchers with competencies, knowledge and experience with Russia, Eastern Europe, and the European Union are present in many of these faculties, as well. Information about the application process for the PhD programme in Law can be found here, that for the PhD programme in Economics can be found here and general information on PhD at the University of Tartu can be found here.

Funding your studies

At present, CEURUS does not offer scholarships to complete PhD studies. PhD students admitted to the University of Tartu will receive a monthly study allowance (1060€ as of 2019). If you require a scholarship, please visit our Visiting Fellowships page for fellowship opportunities.