How do I become a doctoral student?

Acceptance into a doctoral programme requires meeting certain admission criteria. One primary requirement is identifying a professor who agrees to supervise your thesis, and will need to provide documentation confirming this agreement (Supervision Agreement).

The following web pages include information on individual chairs and research areas of professors:

If you would like to become a doctoral student, one option is to become a research associate. In this case, you work for a professor and in addition to your research, take on responsibilities such as teaching and supervising seminar and thesis papers. Vacancies for research associate positions are advertised by the respective chairs. If you are hired as a research associate, the professor of the chair becomes your doctoral supervisor.

In addition to working as a research associate, it is also possible to become a doctoral student by joining a Research Training Group (RTG) or a doctoral programme that is financed by a third party, such as the German Research Foundation. Typically, RTGs do not have a teaching requirement, but are generally expected to supervise seminar and thesis papers. Vacancies for positions in RTGs are advertised publicly.
For an overview of current RTGs and doctoral programmes of the Göttingen Graduate School of Social Sciences (GGG), click here.

You also have the option of doing your doctorate alongside your (external) job or financing your doctoral studies with scholarships from organisations and foundations, for example. In this case, too, you need the approval of a professor to supervise you as well.