Doctoral School of Social Sciences

University of Lodz Doctoral School of Social Sciences provides its doctoral students with comprehensive scientific supervision and assistance in gaining knowledge necessary to obtain a PhD degree. The study curriculum makes it possible for a doctoral student to gain advanced level qualifications pertaining not only to the process of doctoral dissertation realization but also including professional development (improvement of research workshop and improvement of teaching qualifications) as well as personal development (soft skills). The first year is of an interdisciplinary nature and it is addressed to the doctoral students of all disciplines. It is a year of joint scientific discussions, posing questions and looking for multi-faceted answers. The following years of curriculum are dedicated to the development in the selected discipline and expanding knowledge during classes of doctoral student’s area of interest. The entire period of studies is intensive work in cooperation with a Doctoral Supervisor, bearing comparison to a master-apprentice model of relationship. 

The recruitment process commences on the date on which both of the following conditions are met:

o    submission of a signed application for admission to the school via the IRK system,

o    payment of the recruitment fee of PLN 250 and allocation of this fee to the selected doctoral school.

Electronic registration (without submitting an application and paying the application fee) does not constitute an action initiating the recruitment process. If an application for admission to a doctoral school is not submitted via the IRK system or if the aforementioned payment allocated to the relevant school is not made, no procedural action will be taken.

a)  registration in the IRK system and submission to the IRK system of the full set of documents specified in § 8 of the Recruitment Regulations (from 17^th of June to 25^th of June 2026) – Registration instructions (PDF format)

b)  taking an English language test at B2 level (1^st of July 2026); this applies to candidates who do not hold a document certifying their knowledge of English in accordance with the List of documents certifying knowledge of a modern language (Annex 6 to the Recruitment Regulations)

c)  interview (from 13^th of July to 21^st of July 2026),

d) for candidates admitted to the doctoral school – submission in hard copy of the set of documents specified in § 8 of the Admission Regulations, no later than on the day of taking the oath.

People with disabilities

The form of assistance provided to people with special needs or disabilities during the admissions process may be arranged with the chair of the admissions panel via the Support and Accessibility Centre, following the candidate’s prior contact with this unit. The University of Lodz ensures that people with special needs or disabilities are able to participate fully in the recruitment process, including by providing a sign language interpreter or an assistant to accompany them during the interview; however, the candidate should indicate this need during the registration process in the IRK.

a) selecting a doctoral school and specifying the discipline(s) in which the doctoral thesis will be prepared. If the thesis is to be prepared in more than one discipline, the candidate must indicate the primary discipline,

b) completing the registration form,

c) entering the weighted average of marks obtained during first-cycle and second-cycle studies, or integrated master’s studies, or equivalent (where it is not possible to provide a weighted average, the arithmetic mean may be accepted); the data is entered on the basis of:

-  a supplement to the degree certificate for a first-cycle or second-cycle degree, or a single-cycle master’s degree, or an equivalent qualification; or

-  a certificate stating the weighted average mark from their studies.

For candidates who have completed their studies outside Poland, the above results are converted by the doctoral school to the system in force in Poland on a proportional basis according to the percentage of the maximum number of points that can be obtained. The data entered by the candidate will be verified on the basis of the documents attached in the IRK system,

d) uploading to the system a recent photograph taken in a format meeting the requirements specified for identity cards in the case of Polish citizens or for passports in the case of foreign nationals,

e) producing legible PDF scans of all paper documentation (and the photograph uploaded to the IRK system) submitted by the candidate as part of the recruitment process, and then uploading them to the IRK within the timeframe specified in the recruitment schedule for electronic registration. Each scan file should include the candidate’s first name and surname in the filename, along with an indication of which document has been scanned, following this format: Surname_First name_name of scanned document

The candidate is responsible for ensuring that the documents submitted via the IRK system correspond to the originals. The documents entered into the IRK system must be identical to those submitted in paper form by candidates accepted into the SDNS.

f) assigning their academic output to the academic discipline(s) relevant to the candidate’s research and publication activities, by submitting an appropriate declaration in the IRK,

g) submission by the foreign candidate of a declaration regarding their intention to use a place in the University of Lodz Student Hall following admission to the SDNS. The University of Lodz does not guarantee the allocation of a place in the University of Lodz Student Hall,

h) following registration in the IRK – checking their IRK account daily to receive any messages.

The documents that applicants are required to submit are listed in § 8 of the Admission Rules for the Doctoral School of Social Sciences at the University of Lodz for the 2026/2027 academic year. Recruitment Rules 2026/2027

The candidate must upload a complete set of admission documents to the IRK system, including a printed and signed application form for admission to the SDNS (the template is set out in Appendix 1 to the Admission Rules). Appendix 1

In the recruitment process, copies of documents (scans) are accepted as the basis for assessing candidates and conducting the recruitment procedure. Should there be any doubts as to the authenticity of the copies (scans) of documents submitted by a candidate, the candidate may be asked to produce the original documents or officially certified copies of those documents.

Other documents required for the recruitment process:

1) a copy of the degree certificate for a first-cycle or second-cycle degree, or a single-cycle master’s degree, or an equivalent qualification, together with a copy of the diploma supplement stating the candidate’s degree average (subject to point 3),

2) in the case of a candidate who has completed their studies abroad – the degree certificate must be legalised or bear an apostille and entitle the holder to apply for a doctoral degree in the country whose higher education system includes the institution that issued it. In the case of a diploma issued in a language other than Polish or English, a translation into one of these languages must also be submitted. The candidate shall submit a declaration in which they undertake to provide a certified translation of the aforementioned diploma into Polish within the time limit specified in the declaration (Appendix 2 to the Admission Rules),

3) candidates who, by the time of the interview, have not yet obtained a Master’s degree or do not hold a diploma confirming a Master’s degree, shall submit a certificate of the weighted average of marks obtained from first- and second-cycle studies or integrated master’s studies or equivalent, together with an undertaking to provide a certificate confirming the completion of the final examination and the award of the professional master’s degree by the 21^st of July 2026. (a template for the undertaking is set out in Appendix 3  to the Admission Rules), the above-mentioned persons are required to provide a copy of the diploma confirming the award of the degree referred to in § 2(1) of the Admission Rules, prior to commencing their studies at SDNS,

4) an outline of the proposed doctoral thesis, accompanied by a declaration confirming that the candidate has never previously prepared or defended a doctoral thesis on the proposed topic (the obligation to submit the above statement does not apply to cases of transfer from another doctoral school or to individuals who will be studying under a cotutelle agreement and are already studying at a foreign university at the time of recruitment). The outline (approx. 5–8 pages) should include:

a) an introduction identifying the research problem,

b) the reasons for undertaking the research problem/topic – its scientific significance,

c) a review of the literature on the subject, identifying the gap in the field of science which the candidate intends to fill through their research,

d) a definition of the fundamental research questions, the research objective, the main thesis and, where applicable, specific hypotheses,

e) the research method(s) to be used to address the research problem,

f) the contribution to the advancement of science, and in the case of the Applied PhD programme, also the practical utility of the solutions,

g) a bibliography,

5) a statement from a member of staff at the University of Lodz confirming their willingness to act as supervisor (if the candidate has obtained such consent) – using the template (Download here)) available in the IRK system.  In the absence of the above statement, the candidate shall submit an application for the appointment of a person authorised to act as a supervisor as the supervisor of their doctoral thesis (Appendix 4  to the Recruitment Rules), selected from the list of potential supervisors which the SDNS makes available on its website no later than one month before the start of the recruitment process. If the list of supervisors does not include a person specialising in the chosen research topic, the candidate may nominate another member of staff at the University of Lodz. The topic of the doctoral thesis, as set out in the candidate’s outline, must correspond to the research interests of the person selected from the list of potential supervisors.

6) the candidate’s documentation assessment questionnaire (Appendix 5) to the Recruitment Rules), which constitutes the candidate’s declaration of the achievements to be assessed,

7) a document confirming proficiency in English at a level of at least B2 in accordance with the List of documents confirming proficiency in English (Appendix 6 to the Recruitment Rules); if the candidate does not possess the aforementioned document, they shall sit an English language examination in accordance with the rules set out in § 9 of the Recruitment Rules,

8) confirmation of previous academic activity (the recruitment process takes into account the candidate’s documented academic and organisational activity corresponding to the disciplines in which the SDNS is conducted, from the period of the last 5 years preceding the recruitment – up to the time of completion of the online registration):

a) publications – please attach a copy of the title page, editorial page, the full table of contents, and the first and last pages of the text itself (for published works) or confirmation from the editorial board/publisher that the work has been accepted for publication,

b) participation in academic conferences – please attach confirmation of participation in the form of: the conference programme with the title of the presentation and the candidate’s name, or confirmation from the conference organisers of the candidate’s active participation, including the title of the presentation,

c) research projects – participation in projects confirmed by a document from the grant provider or a letter from the project manager, confirming the source of funding,

d) a document confirming knowledge of a foreign language Appendix 6

e) evidence of social, organisational, educational and promotional activities – each type of organisational activity and its duration should be confirmed,

9) a candidate holding a certificate of disability/degree of disability issued under the provisions of the Act on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and the Employment of Persons with Disabilities (i.e. Journal of Laws of 2025, item 913, as amended) shall submit a copy of the certificate together with other application documents if they intend to avail themselves of the additional entitlements arising from the provisions of the law

Applicants from abroad (foreign nationals) must also submit:

a) a document confirming the legality of their stay in the territory of Poland, in the form of a copy of a valid visa or residence card, to be submitted immediately upon obtaining one of the aforementioned documents, and no later than the end of the first semester of study at SDNS,

b) in the case of applicants who do not have their place of residence or habitual residence, or their registered office, in Poland, another Member State of the European Union, the Swiss Confederation or a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area – a written indication of an address for service within the territory of Poland or the appointment of an authorised representative for service (for the purposes of serving letters and administrative decisions). In the event of failure to comply with the above obligation, decisions and letters shall be placed in the candidate’s file with the effect of service.

The language test will take place on the 1st of July 2026.  

Detailed information about the test will be sent to candidates registered in the IRK system via a system message.

The interviews will take place on the following dates: 

from the 13th of July 2026 to the 21st of July 2026.  

Detailed information regarding the job interview will be sent to candidates registered in the IRK system via a system message.

**applies to candidates who have been admitted to the admissions process despite not holding a Master’s degree (pursuant to the provisions of § 2(2) of the Admissions Rules) and who have undertaken to provide a certificate confirming that they have passed the final examination and been awarded a Master’s degree by the deadline specified in the admissions timetable.

by the 21st of July 2026

by the 25th of July 2026

Documents must be submitted no later than the date on which the oath is taken.

Documents must be delivered to the doctoral school office or sent by post to the following address (the date of receipt by the doctoral school shall be deemed the date of submission):

University of Lodz

Doctoral School Centre

SDNS Secretary: Ms Aneta Szewczyk

21/23 Matejki Street, Room 114

90-237 Łódź

E: office.sdns@uni.lodz.pl 

T: +48 42 635 62 42