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Overview of the doctoral degree programmes at the individual graduate schools

Graduate Schools

All PhD students at the University of Göttingen are member of a graduate school. The four graduate schools are tailored to the respective cultures of Humanities, Social -, Agricultural and Forest- as well as Natural Sciences and Mathematics (GSGG, GGG, GFA, GAUSS). The schools cooperate closely as Göttingen Interdisciplinary Graduate Schools (GIGS) to offer services for all doctoral students in doctoral programs and research training groups as well as for doctoral candidates working individually.

The main tasks of the graduate schools include further development of structured PhD programs in cooperation with the faculties, supporting PhD students and networking, integrating international PhD students, qualifying PhD students as well as providing services and support programs.

Graduate School of Humanities Göttingen (GSGG)

The Graduate School of Humanities Göttingen (GSGG) was founded in 2005 as a joint institution of the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Theology. The main objective of our work to provide all our graduating members with a fundamental structure to their doctoral phase as well as the most specific support possible. The GSGG relies on the mutual commitment of its graduating and supervising members who research and teach at one of the more than 40 institutes and centres for Humanities at the University of Göttingen. Currently, 450 doctoral candidates are members of the GSGG, most of whom work towards their doctorate individually.

About 40 members are working within one of four doctoral programmes.

Göttingen Graduate School of Social Sciences (GGG)

The Göttingen Graduate School of Social Sciences (GGG) was founded in 2005 and provides counseling for PhD students and supervisors of Social Sciences at the Faculties of Law, Social and Economic Sciences plus parts of the Faculties of Agricultural Sciences, Forest Sciences, and Forest Ecology. At GGG professional skills for a career path in academia and society are highly focused as well as the development of diversity-competence while supporting the heterogeneous PhD students.

Currently, 786 doctoral students are working towards a doctorate in 12 doctoral programs under the umbrella of the GGG.

However, an application must be placed at the respective faculty, not at the GGG.

Graduate School of Forest and Agricultural Sciences Göttingen (GFA)

The GFA was established in 2015 to complete the Göttingen model of Graduate schools with the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences as well as the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology. The Graduate School provides assistance for the PhD students beginning with the admission to doctoral studies and ending with completing the degree "Ph.D.", "Dr. forest.", "Dr. sc. agr.", "Dr. rer nat", or "Dr. rer. pol.".

Currently, about 500 PhD students study and teach in one of the doctoral programs of the GFA.

Georg August University School of Science (GAUSS)

The GAUSS graduate school of mathematics and natural sciences was founded in 2005 by the five faculties of Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Geoscience and Geography, and Biology and Psychology. In addition to the five founding faculties, the Faculty of Medicine, the Max Planck institutes for Solar System Research, Biophysical Chemistry, Experimental Medicine, and Dynamics and Self-Organization as well as the German Primate Center and the German Aerospace Center - Göttingen site, are also involved in GAUSS.

Currently, over 1.650 doctoral candidates are working towards doctorates in 30 programs at the GAUSS graduate school.

Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB)

Part of the Georg August University School of Sciences (GAUSS) graduate school is the Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB), which was founded in 2007. The center is based on a joint initiative of four faculties of the University of Göttingen (Biology, Chemistry, Medicine, Physics), the Max Planck institutes for Biophysical Chemistry, Experimental Medicine, and Dynamics and Self-Organization as well as the German Primate Center (DPZ). It currently includes fourteen doctoral programs and over 430 doctoral students. The GGNB was successful in the first and second rounds of the excellence initiative of the German federal and state governments. Four International Max Planck Research Schools are part of the GGNB.

International Max Planck Research Schools in Göttingen

The International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS) are an excellent example for the cooperation between the University and the local Max Planck Institutes, providing young scientists with excellent research conditions to promote their individual careers. Five International Max Planck Research Schools are located on the Göttingen Campus: