ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the doctoral experience in the Faculty of International and Political Studies at Jagiellonian University, in Krakow, Poland, this being the most internationalized faculty of the university. Doctoral studies follow the “Bologna Process”. Some students have scholarships but many have to seek alternative ways of earning money, for example by working on research teams or teaching. Ten students and four supervisors were interviewed. Supervisors and students have different perceptions of the supervision process which may be a result of changes in numbers of students and their reasons for doing a doctorate. The process of study is itself seen as an international experience in which language competence plays a strong role. We conclude that a main feature of the investigation is the mismatch between supervisors’ and students’ expectations, and that doctoral study is very challenging for the present generations of students.
