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 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 years end with the comprehensive exam focusing on the defence 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.

The application deadline is 18 March.

Days

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“Taking academic knowledge into the industry”

The PhD story of Aleksandra Zivanovic

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"In the doctoral programme, you are more than just a student"

the PhD story of Alexandra Bagi

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Events

Corvinus Doctoral School’s Online Open Day 2025

2025.02.13.

Are you interested in a PhD? Do you have questions about admissions? Join our Online Open Day, where the heads of our doctoral schools will share their insights and we will answer your questions!

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Read more »

PhD Café 2025

2025.02.13.

3MT Competition and Informal Discussion

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Why the sociology doctoral program?

Society shapes our lives in countless ways, from everyday interactions to global structures. If you are curious about how social processes, institutions, and inequalities influence the world around us—and how we can study them systematically—then this is the doctoral program for you! We place great emphasis on fostering a supportive and collaborative doctoral community, where students can engage with peers, share ideas, and develop their research in a stimulating environment. Join our innovative academic community, where critical inquiry, innovative research, and interdisciplinary perspectives come together to explore the complexities of social life!

The Sociology PhD program at our department offers a vibrant research environment where faculty members investigate pressing contemporary social issues with global relevance. Research on protest cultures and political mobilization in Hungary and abroad sheds light on contemporary protest movements. Higher education, social mobility, and international student migration are also key areas of inquiry, contributing to debates on equity and inclusion. Research on the societal impacts of artificial intelligence examines ethical concerns, power dynamics, and how AI is shaping the future of work. Another key area is gender and work, including women’s advancement in academia, executive search, and the impact of intensive motherhood during the pandemic. Research on gender and migration addresses care migration, human trafficking, and the sexcam industry. The department also fosters cutting-edge research on migration, exploring barriers to immigration, the role of inequality in shaping migration policies, and how representations of migrants influence public opinion. Additional areas of expertise include corruption and EU funding, economic sociology, intergenerational welfare transfers, digital behavior and social media use, and media sociology. Our department provides an intellectually stimulating space for PhD candidates eager to engage with contemporary social challenges.

Research Topics

Applicants may propose a research topic that aligns with those listed for our doctoral school at doktori.hu, where available topics are continuously being updated, or choose any sociology-related topic of their interest. Our department maintains an extensive network of highly qualified professionals who are available as supervisors across diverse research areas. If a doctoral student’s project requires external supervision, we actively seek the most suitable expert and have a strong track record of successfully securing external supervisors when needed.

Characteristics of 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. 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 regular 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

In case of any questions, feel free to email Lilla Vicsek, the director of the Sociology Ph.D. program: lilla.vicsek@uni-corvinus.hu.

Admissions

General information

• Applicants are required to submit a research plan in the English language. The oral interviews are conducted in English.

• The expected length of the research plan to be submitted during application: a minimum of 10,000, but not more than 20,000 characters including references.

• If an applicant selects both tracks, the Head of the DS and the Admission Boards shall decide which track is competent to conduct the admission procedure. If both tracks are deemed competent, the applicant may participate in both admission procedures. In that case the applicant may submit two research plans.

The Admission Board of each track shall:

• review and evaluate past achievements documented in the application materials (educational achievements, research experience, publication output, whether the completed education matches the track);

• review and evaluate the submitted research plan (maturity, relevance of research topic, whether it matches the doctoral track’s professional profile);

• conduct face-to-face or online interviews as means to assess the language skills, communication skills and professional competence of each applicant.

Supervisors

Dr. Tamás Bartus
Dr. Zsuzsanna Elekes
Dr. Borbála Göncz
Dr. György Lengyel
Dr. László Letényi
László Lőrincz
Dr. Attila Meleg
Prof. Dr. Beáta Nagy
Dr. Adél Pásztor
Ivett Szalma
Prof. Dr. Zoltán Oszkár Szántó
Dr. Lilla Mária Vicsek

Külső oktatók, témavezetők

Andrew Ryder (egyetemi docens, ELTE TK)

Bozsonyi Károly (egyetemi docens, KRE BTK)

Durst Judit (tudományos munkatárs, Társadalomtudományi Kutatóközpont)

Géring Zsuzsanna (tudományos főmunkatárs, BGE)

Hegedűs József (ügyvezető igazgató, Városkutatás Kft)

Kaló Zsuzsanna (egyetemi docens, ELTE PPK)

Messing Vera (tudományos főmunkatárs, Társadalomtudományi Kutatóközpont)

Pulay Gergely (tudományos munkatárs, Társadalomtudományi Kutatóközpont)

Takács Judit (kutatóprofesszor, Társadalomtudományi Kutatóközpont)

Research topics

Culture matters: Cultural components in social stratification – Luca KRISTÓF
Why do elites fail? Empirical studies of local and national political, economic and cultural elites – Luca KRISTÓF
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Elite grammar school students’ choosing between elite universities at home or abroad – Adél PÁSZTOR
Post-doctorates: Another Stage in the Academic Pipeline? – Adél PÁSZTOR
Moving up or moving away? East-European PhD holders in the European academic workforce – Adél PÁSZTOR
Current social trends in Europe. Lessons from the European Social Survey (ESS) – Bence SÁGVÁRI
Computational Social Science in action: exploring human behavior from digital traces – Bence SÁGVÁRI
Social perception of the new digital world: attitudes and expectations towards artificial intelligence and related technologies – Bence SÁGVÁRI
Expectations around artificial intelligence and robotics and the role of these projections in the present – Lilla VICSEK
Framing, Identity and Social Attitudes – Béla JANKY
Adolescents at risk: Nature and reasons of risk behaviours, leisure time activities, health consciousness of young people – Zsuzsanna ELEKES
Gender, organization and management – Beáta NAGY
Gender and academia: Is gender equality in science being achieved? – Beáta NAGY
Do educational hierarchies shape parenting strategies and fertility intentions? – Tamás BARTUS
How do social norms and reputation support cooperation? – Károly TAKÁCS and Szabolcs SZÁMADÓ
Educational hierarchies, family practices and fertility – Tamás BARTUS

Research topics

Cultural production/cultural labour and society – Róza Emília Barna
Culture matters: Cultural components in social stratification – Luca KRISTÓF
Why do elites fail? Empirical studies of local and national political, economic and cultural elites – Luca KRISTÓF
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Elite grammar school students’ choosing between elite universities at home or abroad – Adél PÁSZTOR
Post-doctorates: Another Stage in the Academic Pipeline? – Adél PÁSZTOR
Moving up or moving away? East-European PhD holders in the European academic workforce – Adél PÁSZTOR
Current social trends in Europe. Lessons from the European Social Survey (ESS) – Bence SÁGVÁRI
Computational Social Science in action: exploring human behavior from digital traces – Bence SÁGVÁRI
Social perception of the new digital world: attitudes and expectations towards artificial intelligence and related technologies – Bence SÁGVÁRI
Expectations around artificial intelligence and robotics and the role of these projections in the present – Lilla VICSEK
Framing, Identity and Social Attitudes – Béla JANKY
Adolescents at risk: Nature and reasons of risk behaviours, leisure time activities, health consciousness of young people – Zsuzsanna ELEKES
Gender, organization and management – Beáta NAGY
Gender and academia: Is gender equality in science being achieved? – Beáta NAGY
Do educational hierarchies shape parenting strategies and fertility intentions? – Tamás BARTUS
How do social norms and reputation support cooperation? – Károly TAKÁCS and Szabolcs SZÁMADÓ
Educational hierarchies, family practices and fertility – Tamás BARTUS