You are interested in doing your doctorate in Göttingen
a) Individual doctorate: As a first step, you will have to find a supervisor willing to accept you as a doctoral student. Without a confirmation, you cannot be accepted as a candidate. You work on your project individually and usually do not need to attend any seminars or lectures. For further information on individual doctorates please click here. b) Structured doctorate: You apply with your dissertation project for a specific doctoral programme or graduate school whose research areas comply with your own. In most cases, those candidates who are accepted are awarded a doctoral grant or doctoral position. With a structured doctorate you will have to attend courses. For more information on structured doctorates please click here. The DAAD regularly calls for tenders. For more information on doing a doctorate in Germany please click here. |
Regarding possible supervision you will need to contact the professor responsible. You can find the necessary information on the respective institute's websites. Present yourself and your project to the eligible professors (attach your CV and an exposé of your project). Please bear in mind that professors get a lot of requests for supervision. It is therefore important that your request is well prepared. Impersonal e-mails starting with "Dear Sir/Madam" convey a lack of interest. Please also make sure to use the correct title/form of address. Prepare your e-mail carefully. The subject line should be informative and the text well structured and clearly formulated. Describe in detail which areas of research you are interested in and in what field you would like to do your doctorate (general statements like graduating in history or cultural sciences are too vague as to incite interest in your potential supervisor). Describe (in short) your (scientific) career and, if applicable, list references from your university teachers. It is very important that you are well prepared for the initial contact with your possible supervisor. There hardly ever is a second chance to make a good impression. Please refrain from copying several persons in cc or writing to different members of a faculty or examination office. Try to find out the person responsible for your concern and send your e-mail specifically to them. |
For an overview of the process of registration as a doctoral candidate in Göttingen please click here. For information on the requirements for graduating from the Faculty of Humanities please click here. For information on the requirements for graduating from the Faculty of Theology please click here. If you have any questions regarding formalities (documents, language requirements etc.) please do not hesitate to contact the examination office responsible. |
Most doctoral candidates either have a doctoral position or have been awarded a grant. In Germany, doctoral grants are not automatically awarded to candidates. You can apply for a grant at one of the foundations awarding them. For more information on providers of doctoral grants click here and here. It is advisable to ensure your doctorate is financed before you arrive in Germany. Please note that the GSGG does not award full-time grants. |