PhD in Psychology

The Graduate School for Social Research, part of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Polish Academy of Sciences, offers a PhD program in Psychology taught in English, with a duration of 4 years. As a doctoral program, the track centers on independent research under faculty supervision, culminating in a dissertation within the field of psychology. Doctoral training of this kind typically begins with coursework and seminars that strengthen research methodology and theoretical grounding, before candidates move into an extended period of original research. Over four years, students usually develop a research proposal, collect and analyze data, present findings at conferences, and work toward publishing in peer-reviewed journals, alongside writing the dissertation itself. Because the program sits within an institute for philosophy and sociology, students may also have opportunities to engage with adjacent fields, situating psychological research within broader social science perspectives. Graduates of PhD programs in psychology commonly pursue academic careers as researchers and lecturers, as well as roles in applied research settings, including government bodies, non-governmental organizations, and research institutes outside academia. Training within the Polish Academy of Sciences, an established Polish research institution spanning the social sciences, gives doctoral candidates access to research infrastructure and a network of scholars working across disciplines. For international students, a four-year English-language doctoral program based in Poland offers the chance to build a research career while working alongside a multidisciplinary community of scholars in the social sciences.