Sociology Doctoral Program

The Sociology Doctoral Program at the Corvinus University of Budapest aims to assist motivated students to carry out problem-oriented, theoretically grounded and methodologically sound empirical social research. The Doctoral Program prepares its students for the international labor market. In order to develop the careers of our students, the organized doctoral training is conducted in English. The training program is full-time and lasts for eight semesters. In addition to the continuous research work, course work must also be carried out in the first two years. The first two academic year ends with the comprehensive exam focusing on the defense of the research plan. In the second phase of the training – also four semesters – students work exclusively on their research and dissertation. The dissertation must be submitted for defense within three years after passing the comprehensive exam. The language of the dissertation must be English.

About the program

Given our vast experiences on the progress of doctoral students, the key feature of the sociology doctoral program is a strong focus on supporting the doctoral research and minimizing coursework in the usual sense. All courses focus on developing research skills The mandatory courses include

the series of research seminars (one course per semester) devoted to reviewing the literature, formulating research questions and developing the research plan.
one course discussing good and questionable practices of theorizing and empirical research

Students should take at least three elective classes. We offer courses in both quantitative and qualitative research and data analysis methods. Students are free to select other courses from the offers of other doctoral programs and even summer schools instead.

Continuous work on the doctoral research is a must. Students are expected to

meet the supervisor(s) on a weekly basis
submit a progress report at the end of every semester, which includes a workplan for the prospective semester

present their progress before their supervisors and peers at the doctoral research forum held each semester
present at conferences and work on and publish papers

Research topics

Topics for prospective applicants are available HERE.

The research topics of current doctoral students is presented below.

Digital technology, innovation, the future of societies

Ahmed Said Al Ghdani: Expectations around artificial intelligence and robotics and the role of these projections in the present- A study of Oman Vision 2040 – supervised by Lilla Vicsek

Ayse Aysu Sinik: The Effects of Industry 4.0 on the Labor in Turkey – supervised by Lilla Vicsek

Ágnes Horváth: Critical evaluation of scenarios about the future of work created by Hungarian IT professionals – supervised by Lilla Vicsek

Fikadu Ayanie: Ethiopia: Authoritarianism in the age of digital technology – supervised by Attila Melegh

Michelle Crosby: Beyond Pre and Postisms: Understanding European Innovation Variance and the Long Wave – supervised by Attila Melegh

Siwar Youssef: Entrepreneurial intention among Tunisian University Students: the impact of government trust – supervised by György Lengyel

Gender, family, health

Helga Frech: Cross-cultural analyses of gender norms in correlation to the gender ratio in delinquency, health, and suicide in Europe – supervised by Tamás Bartus and Zsuzsanna Elekes

Fruzsina Mikó: Technology use in the family – Parental attitudes and perceptions – supervised by Beáta Nagy

Otgonbaatar Tsedendemberel: Shamed Citizens: Affectivizing the Lived Experiences of Contemporary Mongolian Queer Community – supervised by Judit Takács

Valéria Pelyhe: Transgender experiences about gender in workplaces – supervised by Judit Takács

Borbála Szczuka: Reproductive choices and climate change in the context of COVID-19 pandemic – supervised by Ivett Szalma and Judit Takács

Zsuzsanna Kollár: Women’s Trauma Narratives in the Hungarian Health Care System – supervised by Zsuzsanna Elekes and Zsuzsanna Káló

Orsolya Udvari: Women’s Trauma Narratives in the Hungarian Obstetric Care – supervised by Judit Durst and Ivett Szalma

Migration, communities, mobility

Alexandra Bagi: International Student Mobility in the Transnational Era: Transnational social spaces and mobility capital – supervised by Adél Pásztor

Neil Cezar Sapungan: Ethnography on Filipino Students – supervised by Adél Pásztor

Hang Tran Thi Thuy: Social capital with community resilience in the context of natural disasters in Vietnam – supervised by Andrew Ryder and György Lengyel

Anna Martin: Housing crises in Europe – supervised by József Hegedűs

Vera Horváth: Middle class identities in a peri-urban commuting zone – supervised by József Hegedűs

Mónus Gergely: Understanding Internal Migration from a Network Perspective – supervised by László Lőrincz

Merve Burcak Ketene: Migration within the Context of Climate Change – témazető: Attila Melegh

Orsolya Polyacskó: Social inclusion of immigrants in Hungary – supervised by Borbála Göncz and Vera Messing

Sarolta Wichmann: Chinese family structural changes in the light of modernity and migration – supervised by László Letenyei

Ainura Smailova: Post-Migration Living Difficulties of Returned Women in Kyrgyzstan – supervised by Borbála Göncz

Media and public discourse

Ali Md Niamot: The Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis in Elite and Public Discourse in Bangladesh – supervised by Vera Messing

Andrea Nyéki: The Portrayal of Occupations in Hungarian Fiction Series – supervised by Károly Bozsonyi

Réka Tamássy: Minority Discourses in Hungarian Online Political Communication – supervised by Zsuzsanna Géring

Cibele Silva e Souza: Representations of corruption in the media: a comparative study of Brazil and Portugal – témaveztők: Zoltán Szántó and Lilla Vicsek