37 Best Social Sciences PhD Degree Programs in Italy for 2024

The Ph.D. Program in Cognitive and Cultural Systems unites disciplines that have been carefully selected for their ability to provide the necessary cultural, methodological, and instrumental know-how for the analysis of complex social, cognitive, psychological, and cultural systems. It is truly a unique Ph.D. Program thanks to its common topics of study that consist of cognitive, cultural, and social systems.

Upon successful completion of the study program students receive an international private Doctor of Philosophy in Management (Ph.D.) in Communication Studies degree awarded by the school's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, based on the recommendation of the faculty of the local campuses where credits were earned.

This PhD program is jointly run by the Universities of Trento and the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. This 4-year full-time Ph.D. program is jointly run by the Universities of Trento and the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano and includes one year of core courses as well as individualized training depending on the specific research interests and objectives of the Ph.D. student as recommended by the supervisor.

This Ph.D. program addresses the study of education and social sciences in an interdisciplinary context, providing the necessary skills to face research in the theoretical and empirical-experimental field and promoting the development of innovative application practices.

Area: Legal and Social Sciences

The National PhD program in "Theoretical and Applied Neuroscience" aims to provide doctoral students with the scientific methodologies necessary for the integrated study of neuroscience in areas ranging from molecular and cellular neurobiology, to computational neuroscience, cognitive, preclinical, clinical, diagnostic, rehabilitative neurorobotics up to the investigation of the mind-body-brain relationship.

The new associated doctoral program "Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction" has been developed based on the experience gained by the proposing entities within the Research, Innovation, and Training Consortium "REducing risks of natural DIsasters - REDI"

Economics Analytics and Decision Sciences is one of the three PhD Programs offered by the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca.

The Ph.D. program in Life Course Research fosters the study of life courses and the significant events that shape them from a holistic and transdisciplinary perspective. The program establishes an alliance among scholars from the biomedical, psychological, and socio-demographic fields. ​The PhD program in Life Course Research will train a new generation of highly skilled scholars relying on an evidence-based approach, with a strong emphasis on quantitative methods and data analysis.

PhD Course in Social Sciences for Sustainability and Wellbeing. The Ph.D. program in Social Sciences for Sustainability and Wellbeing (acronym: S3W), jointly offered by the University of Florence and the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, offers a great opportunity to learn a wide range of methods from the social sciences and enter a community of scholars committed to doing their best to ensure wellbeing and a sustainable future for our society.

Upon successful completion of the study program students receive an international private Doctor of Philosophy in Management (Ph.D.) in Global Studies degree awarded by the school's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, based on the recommendation of the faculty of the local campuses where credits were earned.

The Ph.D. program in Neural and Cognitive Sciences (NCS) provides advanced research training focused on the interdisciplinary study of the central and peripheral nervous systems, the mind/brain system, cognition, and on applications in clinical, social, ergonomic, and sports contexts.

The general educational aim of the “History of Societies, Institutions, and Thought. From Medieval to Contemporary History” doctorate is uniform for all curricula, even though differing themes and perspectives are explored depending on the specific area of interest.

The third cycle is a specialized research track mainly targeted to those who wish to teach and do university research.

EEH is a PhD course study activated since 2017 at G. d’Annunzio School of Advanced Studies, in the Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences (DiSPuTer) (Campus Universitario, Via dei Vestini, 31 - 66100 Chieti Scalo, Italy). EEH coordinator is Giusy Lavecchia, full professor of Structural Geology. EEH is dedicated to high-quality studies and original research on natural and anthropogenic hazards and their consequences. It is aimed to build a multi-task research community concerned, on one side, with monitoring, modelling and assessment of hazards and, on the other, with the investigation of the impact on individuals and society, finalized to the design and implementation of risk mitigation and adaptation strategies. The skills of the EEH teaching board, which span from Earth Sciences and Physics (ERC PE10) to Archaeology (ERC SH6) and Psychology (ERC SH4), make possible a multi-task approach to two high-impact categories of hazard, that concern earthquakes and environmental pollution. Characterizing EEH research and teaching topics are: 1. Seismotectonics and seismogenesis for seismic hazard assessment (responsible: prof. Giusy Lavecchia) 2. Geoarchaeology and archaeoseismology for cultural heritage risk and for seismic hazard (responsible: prof. Oliva Menozzi) 3. Endogenous and anthropogenic hazards for risk mitigation (responsible: prof. Francesco Stoppa) 4. Psycho-sociological analysis of hazard perception and risk communication (responsible: prof. Nicola Mammarella). EHH students will develop and implement their scientific background, but, at the same time, they will acquire basic tools and knowledge on hazard problems approached from different point of views. This strategy is crucial to educate and train a new generation of researchers and technicians able to combine their specific expertise into a common procedure for successful risk management. Such a framing process is urgent in order to increase resilience to earthquakes and environmental hazards and to reduce the impact from natural disasters. The course is open to candidates with a master degree in structural geology, geophysics, geomorphology, seismology, archaeology, geochemistry, petrography, physics, environmental science, psychology and sociology. Accordingly, candidates will widen their specific competence by working in a team of experts from many different fields.

Within the Ph.D. course in Mathematics in Natural, Social, and Life Sciences a priority has been established on mathematical modeling, both towards the traditional areas of application, such as Physics or Engineering, and towards emerging issues in Biology and Social Sciences.

The aim of the Ph.D. in Regional Science and Economic Geography is to address issues related to local and regional development. The methodological perspective of research and teaching is multidisciplinary, combining regional and urban economics, economic and human geography, spatial planning, and sociology.

The Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience at SISSA aims at providing students with the fundamental knowledge and skills for conducting cutting-edge research in the field, covering topics as diverse as perception, language, memory, action, and social behavior.

A Ph.D. by Research via Distance Learning is ideal for people engaged in the world of work who cannot attend a traditional university. Selinus University is a private and accredited international institution: an alternative that helps adult students around the world achieve their academic goals.

The learning skills at a distance from the Faculty of Arts & Humanities are usually highly professional. The degree programs of distance learning of Selinus University in this faculty allow access to the specialization in which the student can choose the topics of your interest in order to design a program fully adapted to his vocation.