Applications and Admissions
Application Procedure
UNU-IIST is not currently accepting applications for admission to the double degree PhD Programme in ICT for Sustainable Development for the fall 2013 term. Please check back with us in December of this year for further developments.
General Enquiries: PhD-enquiries@iist.unu.edu
Admission Requirements
Applications must have been awarded a Master degree in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Software Engineering, Computer Science or other discipline with a large ICT component, with strong academic records.
English Language Proficiency
The sole medium of instruction in the PhD programme is English. Applicants are therefore required to demonstrate English language proficiency before entry. Applicants who are not native English speakers are required to submit official evidence of English language proficiency. The following exams are accepted:
- IELTS with minimum score 6.5
- TOEFL (internet-based) with minimum score of 80
An official test score is valid for only 2 years.
Applicants who are not native English speakers but who have obtained a previous degree from a university that uses English as the medium of instruction may submit a Certificate of University Medium of Instruction. This document certifies that you attained your previous degree from a university where the sole medium of instruction is English. The document should be attested and signed by the University Registrar. Note : Because some schools that use English as a medium of instruction do not meet UNU-IIST’s standards for English proficiency, the UNU-IIST Office of Admissions may not accept certain certificates and may require the applicant to submit a standardized test score instead.
Curriculum Requirements
PhD students are required to gain six course credits, where one credit corresponds to a course of twenty lecture hours, when the course is taught in face-to-face modality. Some courses may be delivered in eLearning as well as in blended modality. Credits may be acquired by attending graduate courses offered by UNU-IIST, by the Department of Computer Science of the University of Pisa, or, in some cases, by other universities or advanced schools. At least three courses must be in the area of sustainability or application of ICT to sustainability. All courses and examinations are in English.
A thesis proposal must be presented in December of the year following the enrolment. Each candidate will have two thesis advisors, a main advisor from UNU-IIST, and a co-advisor from the University of Pisa. The advisors will be responsible for monitoring research activities and progress of the student. The final thesis must be completed by the end of the seventh semester. Extensions are possible in exceptional cases. The thesis, written in English, is reviewed by two international referees and defended in front of an examining committee.
The progress of the PhD candidate will be formally assessed every year during the month of December. The study will be terminated if the PhD candidate fails to demonstrate a satisfactory performance in any yearly assessment. Study may also be terminated if the PhD candidate fails to abide by the regulations of UNU or the University of Pisa.
- Faculty (Professional Staff) at UNU-IIST
- Faculty at University of Pisa (Computer Science Department)
- PhD courses held and planned at University of Pisa in 2012
- The courses of the previous years at University of Pisa
Requirements for graduation are:
- the requisite six course credits have been passed;
- positive responses have been received from two international referees of the thesis;
- the thesis has been presented in front of an internal committee of the PhD programme;
- the thesis has been defended in front of an external committee of the University of Pisa (for the University of Pisa degree);
- the UNU Academic Committee has made a positive recommendation for graduation upon review of the student’s documents (for the United Nations University degree).
General Enquiries: PhD-enquiries@iist.unu.edu
Costs
- Tuition fee: USD 35,000 for the entire programme
- Registration fee: USD 800 per semester
- Travel to summer schools and conferences: USD 6,000 (estimated)
- Visas, permits, etc: USD 1,000 (estimated)
The amounts shown in this document represent fees as currently approved by the United Nations University. All university fees are subject to change, and the fee amounts billed for this period may be adjusted at a future date.
Estimated living and travel costs
- Monthly cost in Macau: USD 1,200
- Monthly cost in Pisa: USD 1,500
- Roundtrip Travel Macau-Pisa: USD 1,800
Note that for outstanding applicants subsidized lodging in UNU-IIST housing may be provided.
General Enquiries: PhD-enquiries@iist.unu.edu
Q: The applications require a copy of valid passport. Unfortunately I do not have a passport at the moment yet as I am in the middle of application I expect to receive it in weeks. Could I apply for the PhD programme without the copy of passport now?
A: Yes. You may apply without the passport for now and then send the information later.
Q: I am from mainland China. Could I send a copy of "Permit for travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau" instead of a copy of passport?
A: A copy of the permit would be fine.
Q: My former university indicates the English medium of instruction directly on the transcript. Do I still need to ask the university to provide another certificate?
A: It is fine if the university indicates the English medium of instruction directly on the transcript. Please include a note to this effect in your application. In this case, you need not to provide score from IELTS or TOEFL tests.
Q: I come from a strong social science background with both master and bachelor degrees. My research interest is in the area of development. Am I eligible for the PhD programme in ICT for Sustainable Development? Is a computer science background a must?
A: This PhD programme involves postgraduate level coursework and research in ICT. So it is necessary to have a strong technical background in this area.
Q: I have completed a bachelor degree in ICT, am I eligible for the scholarship position?
A: Applicants must have a master degree.
A: Applicants must have a master degree.
Q: Do you require reference letters to be submitted with the applications?
A: You need only provide the contact information for the recommendation letters. UNU-IIST will contact your references directly.
A: You need only provide the contact information for the recommendation letters. UNU-IIST will contact your references directly.
Q: May I send the scanned copies of the required original documents?
A: It is best to send you application by email with scanned copies of documents (by the deadline) and then follow up with the original copies by mail. We can screen your application based on the scanned copies of the documents you submit. Since we cannot make a final official offer till we receive the official hard copies, it is best that you follow with those soon so that if a positive decision is made, we can move quickly with the formal offer.
A: It is best to send you application by email with scanned copies of documents (by the deadline) and then follow up with the original copies by mail. We can screen your application based on the scanned copies of the documents you submit. Since we cannot make a final official offer till we receive the official hard copies, it is best that you follow with those soon so that if a positive decision is made, we can move quickly with the formal offer.
Q: Do I have to submit scores from both IELTS and TOEFL?
A: You need only submit one of the two test scores.
A: You need only submit one of the two test scores.
Q: I believe this is a scholarship program but the costs are listed as well. Do successful applicants still need to pay?
A: The costs are listed for those who are self paying or who are applying with externally funded scholarships. The listed UNU-IIST scholarships cover all costs.
A: The costs are listed for those who are self paying or who are applying with externally funded scholarships. The listed UNU-IIST scholarships cover all costs.
Q: I notice that scholarships are not listed for all research programmes in UNU-IIST, for example ICT for poverty reduction.
A: For this September intake (2012) we do not have scholarships in all areas. For those areas not covered this year it is likely that scholarships will be available next year. The institute does have a number of fellowships that provide diverse opportunities to become involved in research. These are listed under “careers” on the webpage.
General Enquiries: PhD-enquiries@iist.unu.edu