The EDSD is an eleven-month program that is offered every year, with the goal to provide students in the first year of their doctoral studies with an appropriate high-level education in demography. Students will acquire a solid knowledge base on causes and consequences of demographic change, population data, statistical and mathematical demography, as well as modeling, simulation and forecasting. The School's courses are structured in such a way that the students work on precise formulation of a thesis topic and early steps of their dissertations. Many of the School's courses concentrate on strengthening the quantitative and programming skills of the students. The language of the School is English.

In the 2017-8 school year the School will be held at two different locations. The preparatory courses (from early September to mid-October 2017) will be offered at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany. The core courses (from mid-October 2017 until end of July 2018) will be held at MaxO--the Max-Planck Odense Center on the Biodemography of Aging. MaxO is located in Odense, Denmark and is a partnership between the Max Planck Society and the University of Southern Denmark.

The EDSD does not charge fees. Several European research institutes and universities provide full fellowships for all students accepted into the School.

Successful completion of the School results in a European Research Certificate of Demography provided under the auspices of the European Association for Population Studies (EAPS).

Please visit our website at http://www.eds-demography.org for more information on the EDSD curriculum and application instructions.