GAUSS PhD Programme in Computer Science (PCS)

Application

Application Prerequisites

To get a PCS admission, a master's degree in computer science, computer engineering, telecommunication engineering, communication engineering or an equivalent research direction is required. Normally, achievements in the following areas with the minimum amount of 120 ECTS credit points have to be proven by transcript:

  • Practical Computer Science
    (especially operating systems, distributed systems, software technology, databases and information systems, telematics)
  • Theoretical Computer Science
    (especially algorithms, logic design theory, complexity theory, coding and cryptology, formal logic and semantics, computer algebra, artificial intelligence)
  • Technical Computer Science
    (in particular expertise in the field of hardware)

If the prerequisites are fulfilled, you can choose a research area you are interested in and contact the head of the corresponding computer science related research group (see list of examiners). As first step, you need to discuss your funding issues with your future supervisor. Upon agreement on funding and supervision you can start with the formal PCS application.

Formal Application

There is no special application period for the admission as a PhD student so that you can apply at any time. For the formal application the following documents are required:

  • Cover Sheet: first page of the application
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Certificates and Official Transcript/ Record of Study: certificates such as B. Sc. and M. Sc. , detailed documentation of your academic work, i.e. list of courses at all colleges/universities attended; grades if applicable
  • The list of courses according to the GAUSS Doctoral degree regulations, Appendix 12 C (PCS specific regulations), proving 120 Computer Science credits. The list must be approved and signed by the main supervisor.
  • PhD Research Proposal: intended research area including your prospective contributions to the group, a proposal for a PhD work
  • PCS Admission Form: Please fill out this form in cooperation with your supervisor.
  • Graduate declaration

The following documents are not mandatory, but are recommended to additionally support your application.

  • Two Reference Letters: it is recommended to submit signed letters of two academic teachers who are able to evaluate your personality, academic experience, and intellectual merit e.g. of your Master's thesis supervisor
  • Financial Statement: approval of financial support in case of individual scholarship (see Funding)
  • Proof of Proficiency in English

The following should be taken into account when determining the composition of the Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC):

  • At least one TAC member should be from the Institute of Computer Science. This member and the main supervisor must be from the list of eligible examiners of PCS.
  • The second TAC member should be an eligible PCS examiner (if not yet, fill an EPB form to request for examiner status while submitting a PCS admission request), who has no direct employment or family relationship with the first TAC member.
  • The third TAC member can be anyone who has a PhD degree in related fields.

All documents must be in English or German. Please submit only one pdf file (max. 2MB) containing all of your application documents via email to pcs[at]informatik[dot]uni-goettingen[dot]de. Certified hard copies of documents are not required for the application procedure.

Enrollment at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

After a successful application and admission to the PCS programme, you have to officially enroll to the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen in order to become a PhD student. For enrolment the following documents are needed:

The formal university enrollment process can be found here: Enrollment

note: As student of the PCS programme, i.e. both, as internal or as external student, you need to be enrolled during the whole time from the beginning of your PhD studies to the final PhD defense.

Funding

In general, a PhD student in Germany needs to deal with the funding issues himself. There are several possible options for PhD students to receive funding during the PhD studies. The following table shows a short overview of possible funding opportunities:

Research Assistant Position

  • The PhD student gets a research assistant position at the university.

    • Additional tasks, besides writing the PhD thesis, may include: teaching assistance, administrative tasks at university, supervision of Bachelor's/Master's theses and student projects. The salary is sufficient for normal living expenses. Ask head of the research group, if such a position is available

Individual Scholarships

  • Funding by an individual scholarship (e.g. DAAD, Erasmus, etc.)

    • The applicant needs to take care of getting an individual scholarship, the supervisor normally assists in the process
Self-financing

  • If you can prove own resources, you may also be accepted in the PhD programme