Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS), Erasmus University Rotterdam

IHS is a cooperative institute of the Erasmus School of Economics and the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR).

Since its foundation in 1958, IHS has grown to be one of world's leading research centres in the field of urban development and governance. The institute prides itself with considerable resources and well-established international research infrastructure.
Together with IHS' partner universities and its over 8,000 alumni from more than 140 nations, the institute has built a strong international network of urban professionals. In addition, IHS has strategic alliances, partnerships and framework agreements with international organisations such as the World Bank, United Nations, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, and the European Union.

Undertaking a PhD degree at IHS, Erasmus University Rotterdam is a unique chance to benefit from these international collaborative efforts. In a small class environment candidates are supported by high profile international supervisors with many years of experience in the urban development and governance industry.

PhD on Urban Development and Governance
IHS' PhD programme on Urban Development and Governance fuses urban management with governance; a solid, relevant and academically unique combination. The programme is divided into six clusters of research. Researchers working within these fields actively collaborate with each other in order to create a truly multidisciplinary research environment.

Research clusters:

- Strategic Urban Planning and Policy
- Urban Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change
- Infrastructure and Green Cities
- Urban Economic Development and Resilience
- Urban Housing, Equity and Social Justice
- Urban Land Governance for Sustainable Development

Flexible tailor-made PhD programme

The PhD trajectory takes four years on average, and requires a minimum stay of three months per year at IHS to ensure a solid foundation for supervision. While at IHS candidates enjoy a quiet private working location on campus. The candidate is free to return to their home country to conduct research throughout the rest of the year. The programmes can be designed in consideration of the individual candidate's needs and requirements.

Graduate School
The IHS PhD programme is part of the Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities (EGSH) located at the modern campus Woudestein. This offers candidates the opportunity to follow courses and workshops, and attend conferences, all geared towards enhancing their research and networking skills. Moreover, researchers can interact with PhD candidates from other Erasmus University faculties and, in return, look beyond their own projects.

Application & Admission
Erasmus University has two types of PhD candidates: 'internal' with full employment status and 'external', or self-funded, candidates. External PhD candidates have their own research proposal and are able to secure funding for their project through private resources or grants, for instance scholarships from national or local governments. IHS welcomes external PhD candidates.

Lear about the admission procedure here. Apply now