The PhD in Development Studies is a joint Ph.D. of ISEG (School of Economics and Management), ICS (Institute of Social Sciences), IGOT (Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning) and ISA (School of Agriculture) of Universidade de Lisboa.

The PhD aims to provide high quality training and produce original research in the area of Development Studies, a field of interdisciplinary research of the process of economic, social and political changes in modern societies.

Research themes for the doctoral thesis and course units are grounded in a broad range of issues related to the development of contemporary societies and its methodological variables and analytical tools. The emphasis is on agriculture and contemporary agrarian transformation; poverty, inequality and equity issues; development economics and aid finance; development cooperation, policy and political issues; geography and urbanization; migration and gender; security-development nexus; sustainable consumption, food production and ecosystem services; and modernity theoretical challenges to development.

As a Development Studies programme, interdisciplinary links are established between economics, sociology, geography, social and economic history, political science and law, thus providing an integrated perspective on development and sustainability issues in contemporary societies. Great attention is paid to improving students' skills in research methods and techniques required for development studies.

One of the programme orientations focuses on development issues in Portuguese- speaking contexts (Portugal, Brazil, East Timor, Portuguese-speaking African countries), given that research in these geographical areas offers a comparative advantage for participation in international research networks.

This programme is lectured in English but offers tutorials in both Portuguese and English. The PhD thesis may be written in Portuguese or in English.

Representante do IGOT na Coordenação do Curso: Prof. Jorge Malheiros
Coordenação do 3.º ciclo do IGOT: Prof. Maria Lucinda Fonseca