Doctorates in Germany

The classical route to a doctorate

Germany does not traditionally have a system of Graduate Schools, Graduate Centres or Graduate Colleges that support and guide students to their doctorate in a structured programme; nor is there a binding curriculum that needs to be completed during the doctoral phase. The production of a doctoral thesis or dissertation is the core element of the doctorate. Students agree their topic with a supervising professor and then produce a thesis or dissertation as a piece of independent research work. Since there is no curriculum, there is also no set length for doctoral studies and no obligation to attend courses. The very liberal, traditional system has its advantages and disadvantages. However, it is always important that the doctoral student is very independent and personally motivated and that a good and trustful relationship exists with the academic supervisor.

Structured programmes, Doctoral Programmes at Colleges

Recent years have increasingly seen Graduate Schools, Doctoral Colleges, Graduate Centres or Graduate Colleges develop structured programmes - so-called “Doctoral Programmes”. Many of these programmes have an international focus. They offer doctoral students the following advantages:

• Flexible admission for foreign applicants, e.g. graduates holding a Bachelor's degree

• English largely used in courses and everyday work

• Arrangements for team-based doctorates, frequently involving joint research projects, which ensure that a constant process of exchange takes place with other doctoral students and supervisors

• A Supervision agreement between the university and the doctoral student which allocates at least two supervisors to each doctoral student

• Interdisciplinary approaches - through the participation of several faculties / departments

• Research at the cutting edge of science

• Intensive supervision under the institutional responsibility of the university

• Curricular programmes, both in core subject and cross-disciplinary fields

• Delivery of key skills, so-called "soft skills", such as presentation techniques and scientific writing

• Extra-departmental supervision and guidance, such as joint leisure activities, and assistance with everyday problems

Currently the following structured programmes are available:

• International postgraduate/doctoral programmes of the DAAD and DFG

• DFG Research Training Groups (Graduiertenkollegs – GKs)

• DFG Collaborative Research Centres (Sonderforschungsbereiche - SFBs)

• International Max Planck Research Schools

• Graduate Schools of Germany's Federal States

• Network of biological and medical PhD programmes

Further information here

How to Write a Research Proposal page 1 page 2
How to Find a German PhD Supervisor or Research Partner page 1 pagte 2