Doctoral Studies

There are currently over 200 doctoral students at our university. All doctoral studies are full-time.

Invitation from the Rector: RSU is an open and modern European university that places people at its centre. By evolving with the times, we have shown that the quality of our education is outstanding. We have always emphasised the fundamental role that research plays in the life of the University.
RSU actively supports its PhD students, for example by providing grants for purchasing reagents, paying for internationally cited publications and helping to purchase academic literature. RSU also has a Doctoral School, which aims to ensure the circulation of information, a high-quality doctoral experience and the development of professional competences in an interdisciplinary environment. Our university also provides other support services for excellent and internationally relevant research. We are interested in helping you further your research, which is why more and more young PhD students are choosing to pursue their careers at RSU.
We invite you to join our research team and become a doctoral student at RSU!
RSU Rector Prof. Aigars Pētersons
Invitation from the Vice-Rector: Doctoral studies at RSU provide an opportunity for all those who want to be involved in the development of health and social sciences to do so together with our lecturers and researchers - to learn and absorb their knowledge and experience, as well as to explore and develop new ideas together.
Why study for a PhD? Many of our PhD students chose to do so because they want to pursue a career in academia. Others because the degree and the competences they will acquire will broaden their professional opportunities. Many of our PhD students are experienced professionals who want to deepen their knowledge related to their practice or, on the contrary, to change their academic and professional direction. Whatever the motivation of each individual PhD student, they all share a passion and deep interest in their field of research, perseverance, and commitment. These qualities and their passion for research are the basis for success in the doctoral studies during which we build our competence to create knowledge.
PhD programmes at RSU are designed to provide our students with a broad knowledge and understanding of their academic or professional field. They also learn how to conceptualise issues, acquire and interpret knowledge, develop new theories, and design and implement international projects.
All RSU PhD students have the opportunity to carry out research, participate in international conferences and, most importantly, publish their research results in internationally recognised scientific journals. For socialising with colleagues, we organise events such as Doctoral School and Research Breakfast.
Together we will succeed!
Vice-Rector for Science Dr. phil. Agrita Kiopa
Invitation from the Dean: RSU offers opportunities for doctoral studies in a wide variety of fields - medicine and pharmacy, law, politics and management, psychology, sociology, communication culture, and multimedia. Such diverse and necessary fields! We are proud of this variety and the possibilities. Each supervisor of a doctoral programme at RSU has a wealth of experience, and the teaching process is constantly being improved with new ideas and activities.
When you start your higher education studies in Europe, you join a community of peers who are active in both research and academia. New PhD students and new researchers in any field are a sign that it is evolving, that new discoveries and ideas are being generated and that progress is being made. RSU sees in young PhD students the leading researchers of its institutes and laboratories, future assistant professors and professors, employees working in other organisations, but above all - people doing important work for society and determining the future growth of our country.The journey you are about to embark on will be challenging, requiring motivation and patience, so I wish all PhD students the best of luck and good cooperation with your supervisor and colleagues! Good luck on your PhD journey!
Dean of the Department of Doctoral Studies Prof. Sandra Lejniece

Study Programmes

Programme	Programme Group Leader	Study type	Duration	State funded study places
Health Care	Ilze Konrāde	Full time on-site	4 years
Social Sciences	Una Aleksandra Bērziņa-Čerenkova	Full time on-site / Part time distance learning	4 years / 4,5 years	0

Doctoral studies academic calendar

Academic year 2024/2025

1st semester (22 weeks)
1 October 2024 – 28 February 2025	Studies
2nd semester (26 weeks)
3 March – 31 July 2025	Studies
1–29 August 2025	Break (summer holidays)
1–30 September 2025	Studies

Academic year 2025/2026

1st semester (26 weeks)
3 February – 31 July 2025	Studies
1–29 August 2025	Break (summer holidays)
2nd semester (22 weeks)
1 September 2025 – 30 January 2026	Studies

The RSU Alumni Association has created a research platform in cooperation with the RSU Student Union, which we invite you to use to foster more collaboration between students and researchers. Research supervisors can submit their research by filling in this form.

Regulations governing fields and sub-fields of Latvian research (in Latvian)