Doctoral Studies

The European University Viadrina offers several paths to your PhD – via individual or structured studies, funded by a position at a chair or by a fellowship, and as an internal or external PhD candidate. This article provides first information on these different models and application procedures.

In general, there are two ways to acquire a PhD in Germany: via structured or individual studies. Structured PhD studies are the hallmark of graduate schools, while individual PhD studies are pursued under the auspices of a single PhD supervisor at a specific chair.

• If you are interested in structured PhD studies, please research and directly contact our graduate schools.
• If you are interested in individual PhD studies, please carefully research chairs and professors specializing in the field of your planned dissertation topic. Once you have found a potential supervisor, please contact him or her directly.

    We recommend that you include the following items in your e-mail:

• A brief academic and professional C.V.,
• A short (2-3 pages) exposé of your planned dissertation project, including an introduction to the topic, the main research question, your methodological approach, and an approximate work schedule.

Once a professor agrees to serve as your doctoral supervisor, you will need to conclude a PhD agreement with him / her, which is the precondition to register as a doctoral student at the Viadrina.

You can then submit an application for admission as a doctoral student to the dean or the chairperson of the PhD admission board of your respective faculty.

Please find all legal regulations concerning doctoral studies at the Viadrina in the respective PhD Regulations (Promotionsordnung) of each faculty. Please study these carefully.

We recommend that you consider funding options for your PhD studies early on. For your orientation, please view our funding information.

The VCGS staff will gladly advise you on all procedural and general issues related to your doctoral studies. Please do not hesitate to contact us!

Additionally, we'd like to point you towards the Viadrina PhD/Postdoc Network (VPPN). This open network of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers at the European University Viadrina offers opportunities for networking and exchange, including regular meetings and events. 

You can find the VPPN website here: https://sites.google.com/view/phdpostdocnetwork/home.