International Dimensions of Doctoral Student Professional Socialization in Hungary

This article reports on findings from a study that explored the international and intercultural aspects of doctoral student professional socialization in Hungary, from the perspective of both domestic and international students. Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with 53 students from diverse national backgrounds that include students from Hungary, Nigeria, China and South-East Asia. Employing a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis, the research identified three key themes: (1) the role of scholarship programmes in enabling doctoral studies and the financial challenges linked to them, (2) cultural challenges experienced by international students in the academic environment, and (3) the influence of international experiences on doctoral students’ career aspirations. These themes align with international policy recommendations for doctoral training, such as the Saltzburg Principle (2005) or the European Commission (2011) recommendations for innovative doctoral training. Student narratives reveal a significant discrepancy between policy frameworks and the realities of national and institutional level practices. This policy-practice gap in the internationalisation of doctoral programmes directly impacts the academic and social experiences of doctoral students.