Scuola Normale Superiore (SNS) PhD Scholarships 2020/2021 for International Students

The Scuola Normale Superiore is seeking applications for its fully-funded PhD programs for both Italian citizens and international students to study in Italy.

Contents

Scuola Normale Superiore PhD Scholarships Eligibility

Applications are invited from candidates who, irrespective of their citizenship, have an Italian laurea magistrale (MA/MS degree) or an equivalent degree awarded abroad, or who expect to have obtained the degree required for admission by 31 October 2020 – failure to obtain the degree by this date will disqualify the candidate for admission.

Admission to the selection process is restricted to candidates who:

were born after 31 October 1988;
have no past criminal charges resulting in a prison term of more than three years;
have not been subject to the disciplinary measure of “expulsion” as specified in the didactic regulations of the SNS;
are not in possession of a research doctorate issued by an Italian university, and in any case have never benefitted from a scholarship for attending a research doctorate course in Italy.

To apply for the scholarship in collaboration with the Istituto di Nanoscienze del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-NANO), candidates:

shall, at the time of the application deadline, be in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and not yet awarded a doctoral degree;
should not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for more than twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the time of the application deadline.

Admission interviews can be conducted in Italian or English; the admission interview for the PhD course in “Political Science and Sociology” and “Methods and Models for Molecular Sciences” must be conducted in English. The candidate’s level of competence in the Italian and English language must be stated in the application, with reference to the EUROPASS language grid

Fields of Study: PhD Program in the following fields: Astrochemistry, Global History and Governance, Transnational Governance.

Selection:

The selection is based on candidates’ qualifications and interviews.
The candidates’ level of competence, talent, motivations and inclination towards scientific research will be assessed on the basis of their qualifications and research project, and through an interview.
Candidates are admitted to the interview on the basis of an evaluation of their qualifications and of a research project in Italian or English (about 20,000 characters, spaces included). The research project must reveal the candidate’s scientific interests and their cohesion with the scientific guidelines promoted by the SNS, but it will not be a determining factor in the subsequent choice of the thesis. The project must show the candidates’ full awareness of the state of the art in the selected scientific field, and their competence in the research methods in use within that discipline; it must also include an adequate bibliography.
All classes are in English. The courses in “Cultures and Societies of Contemporary Europe”, “Literature, Art and History in Medieval and Modern Europe”, “Philosophy”, and “Classics” are both in Italian and English.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship

All students admitted to the PhD program receive full financial support. This includes tuition, fees, free meal, and a cost-of living scholarship. All students will be assigned further funding for their research activity and travel.

Duration of Program: The courses are usually 3-4 years. All courses will start on 1 November 2019.