According to the "2024 Doctoral Degree Student Admission Regulations" and the "2024 Doctoral Student Recruitment Implementation Plan" of Shenzhen University, the Political Communication program at Shenzhen University has specifically formulated the recruitment methods of "Integrated Master's and Doctoral Program" and "Application-Assessment System" for enrolling doctoral students (second round), which are announced as follows:
I. Basic Principles
(I). To select optimally, ensure quality, and prefer shortage over excess.
(II). To foster an intrinsic motivation for quality enhancement through moderate competition between supervisors and academic disciplines.
(III). To ensure transparency, fairness, and justice throughout the entire process.
II. Recruitment Discipline and Planned Number of Students
For the second recruitment round, there is a plan to recruit one student under Professor Zhou Lingang, specializing in the sub-discipline of "Political Communication and Governance," which is outside the standard catalog of doctoral programs in Political Communication.
III. Application Conditions
(I) Applicants must meet all conditions specified in the "Shenzhen University 2024 Doctoral Degree Student Admission Regulations "
(II) Foreign language proficiency must meet one of the following conditions:
1. Passed CET-4 or CET-6 with a score of at least 425.
2. TOEFL score of at least 75 (or 550 for the paper-based TOEFL).
3. IELTS score of at least 6.
4.PETS-5 certification.
5. GRE score above 1200 (or 310 in the new system).
6.Have obtained a Master's or Doctoral degree from an English-speaking country or region.
7. Have published an academic paper in English as the first author (or with the supervisor as the first author and the applicant as the second) in an international journal.
(III) Application requirements for the Integrated Master's and Doctoral Program in Political Communication (all requirements must be met):
1.Meet the requirements specified in (I) and (II).
2. Candidates are full-time master's students in their second year (enrolled in September 2022) at our university, in a field related or similar to the doctoral discipline applied for; must have passed all prescribed courses in the first academic year with excellent grades, showing strong academic research capability and potential for innovative results, with consent and recommendation from their master’s supervisor.
3.Candidates must participate in the mid-term assessment during their master’s studies.
(IV) Application requirements for the "Application-Assessment System" for the Doctoral Program in Political Communication (all requirements must be met):
1.Meet the requirements specified in (I) and (II).
2.Applicants must have earned a Master's or Doctoral degree, or be recent Master's graduates (must obtain the Master’s degree before enrolling in the doctoral program). Holders of Master's degrees from foreign universities must have their degree certified by the Ministry of Education's Service Center for Overseas Study and submit the certification report.
3. Except for applicants who have graduated from a top 200 university in the world (according to the latest QS rankings), candidates must have at least one formally recognized achievement in their field of study. This could include published works, patents, or other outcomes that have been publicly validated and acknowledged by the community, excluding thesis or dissertation works.
Achievements should have independent, complete content and be presented in diverse forms, including but not limited to the following:
(1) If the achievement is an academic paper, it should be formally published (including online publications that have appeared in print) in academic journals relevant to the discipline or related fields. This includes conference papers from major organizations such as the Chinese Society for the History of Journalism, and international professional associations like the International Communication Association (ICA), the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the National Communication Association (NCA), and the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). -
Applicants must be among the first two authors listed on the publication. If the applicant is the second author, their graduate advisor should be the first author. For papers published with joint first authors or corresponding authors, the count of publications is calculated by dividing the total number of such publications by the number of joint contributors (one publication per number of joint first authors or corresponding authors).
(2) If the achievement is an invention patent, it must be a granted foreign invention patent, PCT, or domestic invention patent, with the applicant as either the first or second inventor (advisor as the first inventor).
(3) If the achievement is an academic book, it must have been formally published with the applicant as one of the authors, and the applicant must have independently written at least 10,000 words.
(4) If the achievement is a think tank report, it must have received affirmative directives from authorities at or above the municipal level (including municipal level), with the applicant as the first or second author (advisor as the first author).
(5) If the achievement is a research award, it must be a prize issued by a governmental body at or above the municipal level (including municipal level), and the applicant must be listed among the top six awardees (including the sixth position). The awarding body must be a nationally recognized professional association such as the Chinese Society for the History of Journalism (a first-level society and its second-level branches); international professional associations include the International Communication Association (ICA), the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the National Communication Association (NCA), and the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).
(6) If the achievement is in the form of a prize from an academic competition, it must be a first-place award in a graduate-level, discipline-related national competition at least at the third-place national level or second-place provincial level or higher.
(7) Other representative achievements can be submitted for discussion and verification by the doctoral admissions review panel.
4. Admission category is non-directed, and the category cannot be changed once admission is preliminarily decided; before admission, organizational affiliations and personnel files must be transferred to the Graduate School of Shenzhen University, and full-time study is required after admission.
IV. Selection Process
(I) Individual Application
Applicants must contact the doctoral supervisor they wish to apply under, submit their application, and can only proceed with the supervisor's approval.
1 Online Registration: Eligible applicants must register online at the China Graduate Admissions Information Network from May 16 to May 27, 2024.
2.Submission of Documents: Applicants must send the required documents by May 27, 2024, via EMS or SF Express to the Political Communication office (Address: Room B210, Shouzheng Building, Lihu Campus, Shenzhen University, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province; Contact person: Teacher Jiang, Phone: 0755-86939537). The following documents are required for both Integrated Master's and Doctoral Program and "Application-Assessment System" applicants, unless specified otherwise:
(1) Doctoral Degree Graduate Student Online Registration Information Form (Applicants must register online at http://yz.chsi.com.cn/bsbm, print, and sign the form to confirm).
(2) Applicants for the integrated Master's and Doctoral program must submit the "Shenzhen University 2024 Integrated Master's and Doctoral Program Application Form," while applicants for the "Application-Assessment System" must submit the "Shenzhen University 2024 Application-Assessment System Doctoral Candidate Application Form."
(3) Applicants for the integrated Master's and Doctoral program and current Master's graduates must submit the "Shenzhen University 2024 Doctoral Student Political Assessment (Current Performance) Document," filled out by the Party Committee of their respective school (this item can be initially omitted during application, but must be submitted as per form requirements after passing the re-examination);
(4) Photocopies of degrees and academic transcripts (current Master's graduates must provide a proof of enrollment from their graduate school or academic administration department, while current students at our university do not need to do so); applicants for the integrated Master's and Doctoral program must submit photocopies of their student ID (including personal information, photo, and registration details);
(5) Original transcripts of Master's courses (must be stamped by the academic achievements management department), integrated Master's and Doctoral program applicants must submit the original printout of the first year's performance from the Graduate School;
(6) Master’s thesis (recent graduates may provide a summary and table of contents, not required for integrated program applicants);
(7) At least two written recommendations from professionals within the relevant discipline, holding at least the title of associate professor or an equivalent professional title (recommendations must follow the template provided by our university);
(8) A research proposal for the intended doctoral studies (no less than 3000 words, as per application form);
(9) Proof of English proficiency (certificates from the National School English Test Levels 4 and 6, new TOEFL score report, IELTS score report, degree certificate from an all-English taught program, academic papers in English, etc.);
(10) Photocopies of award certificates, publicly published academic papers, patents, and other proofs of original achievements;
(11) A health certificate issued by a Grade A tertiary hospital (not required for integrated Master's and Doctoral program applicants).
(12) Photocopies of both sides of the second-generation ID card;
(13) Other relevant documents required by the specific program of application.
Applicants are responsible for the authenticity and accuracy of the submitted documents. Provision of false or misleading information will result in disqualification from the examination and admission process.
3.Applicants must log in to the "2024 Shenzhen University Doctoral Candidate System," register using the number from the Online Registration Information Form, and follow system prompts to fill out and upload application documents (electronic versions). For applicants with multiple registration numbers, the registration number used for the final submission of application documents will be used. It is crucial that applicants complete these steps on the doctoral candidate system.
(II) School Qualification Review
After receiving the application documents, the school will organize a panel of at least three members to review the applicants' qualifications against the admission criteria and reports the review results to the Graduate Admissions Office. The Graduate Admissions Office may randomly check these results, and the school will publicly announce the review outcomes.
(III) Supervisor Recommendation
The school presents the applicant's documents to the supervisor under whom they have applied. The supervisor reviews these documents, provides a recommendation, and ranks the applicants.
This step respects the autonomy of the supervisors in recruitment, recommending applicants to the discipline point in a ratio not exceeding 1:3 for advancement to the next phase.
(IV) Preliminary Review of Documents and Determination of Assessment List
An expert panel established by the school rigorously reviews the applicants' documents according to the specific implementation rules set by the discipline. The panel conducts a preliminary assessment of the applicants' research innovation capabilities and selects candidates for the re-assessment (interview) phase based on the supervisors' preferences and a certain differential retest ratio. Applicants without a supervisor's recommendation will not enter the interview assessment phase. The list of candidates entering the interview assessment phase will be publicly announced on the school website.
(V) Re-assessment (Including Professional Written Test)
The specific time and location of the re-assessment will be announced on the school website.
1.The assessment consists of four parts: foreign language proficiency, professional quality, research potential, and overall ability. It focuses on evaluating the applicant's ability for scientific innovation and their potential and qualifications for doctoral training in primary academic disciplines. The assessment also examines the applicant's comprehensive ability to analyze, solve problems, and innovate. The professional quality assessment includes a written test to evaluate the applicant's basic knowledge and professional skills. Additionally, the assessment also covers the applicant's ideological, psychological, and moral qualities. The total score for the assessment is 500 points, and candidates scoring below 300 points will not be admitted.
2. During the assessment, each candidate must present a personal introduction, academic achievements, research projects, scientific results, and their research plan for the doctoral period. Supervisors can provide additional information but must recuse themselves during the discussion and scoring.
3. The assessment process must be standardized, with the interview lasting no less than 20 minutes and including on-site recording of scores and comments. The entire process will be videotaped for review, and the Graduate School/Discipline Committee may send observers if deemed necessary.
4.The professional written test (professional foreign language, basic knowledge of the first-level discipline, and fundamentals of the second-level discipline direction) assesses the candidates' foundational knowledge and professional skills. Two sets of exam papers, A and B, are prepared, with one set randomly selected for the exam. The professional interview is generally conducted on-site. Interviews may be conducted in batches, with consistent assessment standards across different batches and ideally the same interview format within the same batch.
5.Before early June 2024 (subject to the specific implementation date), the discipline point will rank the candidates based on their total assessment scores and submits the proposed admission list to the university, along with the relevant documents to the Graduate Admissions Office (including application documents, assessment record forms with written exam papers, and audiovisual recordings).
(VI) Review by the University's Graduate Student Recruitment Leadership Group
The university's Graduate Student Recruitment Leadership Group will review the qualifications, application documents, supervisor recommendations, and assessment records of candidates who have passed the re-assessment. Within the quota limits for each recruitment discipline, candidates who pass the review are granted provisional admission status. These candidates are then publicly announced for ten working days in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s enrollment regulations.
V. Supervision Mechanism
(I) Information Disclosure: For the Integrated Master's and Doctoral Program and the "Application-Assessment System," according to the Ministry of Education's requirements for information disclosure, the process must collect information accurately, follow standardized procedures, and timely publish content. If there are changes to the provisional admission list during the public display period, these changes must be specifically explained, and the content of the changes must be publicly announced for an additional ten working days. Applicants not publicly announced cannot be admitted.
(II) Applicant Responsibility: Applicants must provide truthful application documents. If an applicant is found to have submitted false documents, cheated, or engaged in other disciplinary violations, they will be dealt with severely according to the severity of the offense, relevant national laws, regulations, and the Ministry of Education's stipulations. Any consequences resulting from these actions, including disqualification from admission, will be the responsibility of the applicant.
(III) Ethical Standards for Discipline Points and Interview Assessment Panel Members: Members must adhere to academic and professional ethical standards, ensuring recruitment quality, fairness, and integrity in their duties.
(IV) Reporting Channels for Recruitment Violations: The Graduate School and the university's Discipline Inspection (Supervision) Office have established contact numbers and email addresses for reporting recruitment violations as follows:
Supervision Phone: 0755-22671162 [Discipline Inspection (Supervision) Office], 0755-26536177 (Graduate Admissions Office)
Email: jiwei@szu.edu.cn [Discipline Inspection (Supervision) Office], szuyz@szu.edu.cn (Graduate Admissions Office)
VI. Additional Information
(I) Candidates who pass the application qualification review cannot apply for the next round of recruitment for the same specialty in the same year.
(II) For matters not covered here, refer to the "Shenzhen University 2024 Doctoral Graduate Student Recruitment Implementation Plan."
Shenzhen University School of Government
May 16, 2024
