Ph.D. program in Geology
In the Ph.D. program, candidates are awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Science (Dr. rer. nat.).
If you are interested in applying to the Ph.D. program in Geology, the best way to do so is by first contacting the faculty member with whom you would like to work. It is also a good idea to send this faculty member your CV, the names of 2-3 individuals who are willing to write a letter of reference for you, and exam transcripts and all prior degrees (providing translations alongside the originals if these are not in English or German). For the initial evaluation copies/scans of documents and translations made by yourself are sufficient, but before final acceptance into the program you will be asked to supply the originals and the certified translations.
All work should be done in English, as publication of papers must be on international journals. Master-level courses and workshops that Ph.D. students may also want to attend are in English. In most cases students can also interact in German and in a couple of other languages with professors, staff and fellow students.
There are no deadlines for applications and, once accepted, you can start the program at any time.
The standard duration of the program is 3 years. The program is research-oriented, with no mandatory course requirements. Most candidates however will define a course plan together with their advisory committee and Ph.D. candidates are expected to regularly attend seminars. Ph.D. candidates are also expected to perform teaching assistant duties for at least one semester, in order to get teaching experience.
The Ph.D. will be awarded only after defense of a thesis, which should be a collection of at least three papers published or accepted for publication.
LINKS
PhD rules and regulations (German)