Freie Universitaet Berlin - China Scholarship Council Joint Program 2012

General Information About PhD Studies at Freie Universitaet Berlin

Very attractive for international students: along with the University of Heidelberg, Freie Universität Berlin is the preferred address in Germany for doctoral candidates from abroad.
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© Freie Universitaet Berlin / Ulrich Dahl As one of nine Germany’s leading universities Freie Universität Berlin offers high quality doctoral education. In the Excellence Initiative competition Freie Universität was awarded additional funding for its outstanding graduate programs to promote young researchers.

Individual Doctorate

The individual doctorate ("Apprenticeship Model") – independent research under supervision of a so-called “Doktorvater” or “Doktormutter” – is still the most common way to pursue a doctorate in Germany. This usually provides greater freedom as far as the choice of subject is concerned. An individual doctorate can principally be accomplished in any subject area represented by a professorship at Freie Universität Berlin. Requirement for acceptance as a doctoral candidate is generally a very good final degree. Individual doctoral students do not automatically take part in a qualification program.

Structured Doctoral Education

Pursuing doctoral studies in a structured doctoral program, selected doctoral candidates come together to work on projects related to a common interdisciplinary research topic. An accompanying study program prepares doctoral candidates for the research tasks. Currently, Freie Universität is offering structured doctoral programs in the framework of  Graduate Schools and Research Training Groups.

For the list of structured PhD programs please click here.

Doctoral Education at Dahlem Research School (DRS)

At Freie Universität Berlin particularly outstanding structured doctoral programs are comprised under the umbrella of Dahlem Research School . Doctoral candidates of DRS-member programs benefit from an interdisciplinary course program in which transferable skills applicable to a range of future careers in academia and beyond can be acquired. The Welcome Center offers special services to its international young researchers and hosts Orientation Weeks for newly admitted doctoral candidates.




Individual Doctorate
In Germany, the individual doctorate – independent research under supervision of a so-called “Doktorvater” or “Doktormutter” – is still the most common way to pursue a doctorate. Freie Universität Berlin as a leading research institution offers outstanding opportunities for doctoral students.

The individual doctorate under supervision ("Apprenticeship Model") usually provides greater freedom as far as the choice of subject is concerned. An individual doctorate can principally be accomplished in any subject area represented by a professorship at Freie Universität Berlin. Requirement for acceptance as a doctoral candidate is generally a very good final degree. Individual doctoral students do not automatically take part in a structured qualification program which includes courses and workshops.

The four phases of the classical doctorate are: applying to the department, research phase, completion of the doctorate, and career entry.

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Structured Doctoral Education
In recent years structured doctoral education has been gaining ground in Germany as an alternative to the traditional “apprenticeship model,” in which a professor supervises a candidate’s doctoral work on an individual basis.

One of the main features of pursuing doctoral studies in a structured program is the qualification program that accompanies the research phase. It is meant to support doctoral candidates in their research and in the development of their interdisciplinary competences. The curriculum therefore includes disciplinary courses on methods and theories or colloquia as well as interdisciplinary transferable skills.

Another feature is that the doctoral candidate will usually have a team of two or more professors and postdocs, who will act as supervisors or mentors. The doctoral program will assign at least the primary supervisor while considering suggestions of the doctoral candidate. Ideally, the supervisors should represent the interdisciplinary scope of the research project.

Frequent exchange with fellow candidates and intensive contact with the supervisory team help develop the project. Contact with the “academic community” is ensured at an early stage through conference participation and early publication. English is often used in courses and in everyday interactions. The normal duration of doctoral studies should not exceed three years. Beside a good degree, a successful application to a doctoral program is required.

The four phases of a doctorate in a structured program are: applying to a doctoral program, research and study phase, completion of the doctorate, and career entry.

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