The PhD Programme
Supervision | Active in Research
General
The PhD programme comprises three years of study, starting in September of each year. The bulk of the workload for candidates in the programme takes the form of independent dissertation research. Apart from their independent research, all programme participants are required to take part in content-oriented survey courses, colloquia on research methods, and multidisciplinary skills workshops. For more information, view the curriculum and admissions pages.
The PhD programme comprises three years of study, starting in September of each year. The bulk of the workload for candidates in the programme takes the form of independent dissertation research. Apart from their independent research, all programme participants are required to take part in content-oriented survey courses, colloquia on research methods, and multidisciplinary skills workshops. For more information, view the curriculum and admissions pages.
Supervision
The BTS aims towards high standards of structured supervision. In accordance with their research topics, PhD students are supervised by a team of three supervisors. The first supervisor is a faculty member of the BTS. One of the other two co-supervisors can be external to the cooperating institutions (FUB, HSoG, or WZB). In frequent meetings, supervision is carried out along a previously agreed upon work plan. The work plan contains a timetable of when to submit parts or chapters of the PhD thesis and indicates supervision meetings accordingly. Also, work plans function as a track record of changes and amendments to earlier versions. The goal is to identify students' strengths and weaknesses and to develop strategies to support the students by completing the thesis. Additionally to this individual supervision, the BTS offers training in the field of professional development. This includes training in research management, knowledge transfer and education, publication strategies, and middle-, as well as long-term strategies for career planning. Altogether, the goal of the BTS is to promote its students to successfully finish their PhD projects within three years while being prepared for the next steps of their careers.
The BTS aims towards high standards of structured supervision. In accordance with their research topics, PhD students are supervised by a team of three supervisors. The first supervisor is a faculty member of the BTS. One of the other two co-supervisors can be external to the cooperating institutions (FUB, HSoG, or WZB). In frequent meetings, supervision is carried out along a previously agreed upon work plan. The work plan contains a timetable of when to submit parts or chapters of the PhD thesis and indicates supervision meetings accordingly. Also, work plans function as a track record of changes and amendments to earlier versions. The goal is to identify students' strengths and weaknesses and to develop strategies to support the students by completing the thesis. Additionally to this individual supervision, the BTS offers training in the field of professional development. This includes training in research management, knowledge transfer and education, publication strategies, and middle-, as well as long-term strategies for career planning. Altogether, the goal of the BTS is to promote its students to successfully finish their PhD projects within three years while being prepared for the next steps of their careers.
Active Research
PhD students are given the opportunity to cooperate with Associate Research Centres and projects. This includes the DFG-Research Centre 700 "Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood", the Center for Area Studies at FUB, the Berlin Center for European Studies (BEST), the Research College "The Transformative Power of Europe", the Centers for "Transnational Relations, Foreign and Security Policy" and "European Integration" at the Otto-Suhr-Institute of FUB, the research projects carried out at the HSoG, and the Research Units "Transnational Conflicts and International Institutions", "Migration, Integration, Transnationalisation", and "Democracy: Structures, Performance Profile and Challenges" at WZB.
PhD students are given the opportunity to cooperate with Associate Research Centres and projects. This includes the DFG-Research Centre 700 "Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood", the Center for Area Studies at FUB, the Berlin Center for European Studies (BEST), the Research College "The Transformative Power of Europe", the Centers for "Transnational Relations, Foreign and Security Policy" and "European Integration" at the Otto-Suhr-Institute of FUB, the research projects carried out at the HSoG, and the Research Units "Transnational Conflicts and International Institutions", "Migration, Integration, Transnationalisation", and "Democracy: Structures, Performance Profile and Challenges" at WZB.