The Berlin Graduate School for Transnational Studies (BTS) is based upon a cooperation agreement between the Freie Universität Berlin (FUB), the Hertie School of Governance (HSoG) and the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB), who serve as the sponsoring organisations. The PhD programme is offered jointly by the partnering institutions drawing on their faculty and ongoing research projects, facilities and services.
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Winner in the Excellence Initiative
Freie Universität Berlin is a leading research institution. It is one of nine German universities that was successful in securing funding for for its institutional development strategy.The Freie Universität can thus consider itself an "international network university" in the global competition among universities. Its institutional development strategy is focused on three strategic centres: cluster development, international exchange, and graduate studies. The development and assessment of research projects takes place within three major focus areas: area studies, humanities, and life sciences. The university's performance in the Excellence Initiative has moreover lead to funding for several new graduate schools and multidisciplinary research clusters: in founding the Dahlem Research School (DRS) the Freie Universität has set up a comprehensive platform that supports the development of innovative PhD programmes and coordinates already existing initiatives on an interdepartmental level.
The Hertie School of Governance (HSoG) was founded in 2003 as one of the first German professional schools for public policy. The HSoG prepares exceptionally talented students and young professionals for leadership roles in today's rapidly changing world. Globalisation, the changing role of states, and many other factors are redefining the issues of modern governance at a tremendous pace. As a result, any meaningful understanding of contemporary leadership demands new approaches. Thanks to its innovative teaching and research programmes, the HSoG is uniquely positioned to address the complexities of an increasingly globalised world.
The Hertie School of Governance is a project of the Hertie Foundation.
About 150 German and international sociologists, political scientists, economists, legal experts and historians work together at the Social Science Research Center (WZB). They conduct research into the basic problems facing modern society. The main focuses of research are Western societies, Central and Eastern Europe and China, with particular emphasis laid on questions of globalisation.
The WZB's main fields of research are:
- Education, skill formation and labour markets
- Social inequality and the welfare state
- Democracy and civil society
- Intercultural and international conflicts
The WZB was founded in 1969 on the initiative of members of the German Parliament from all major political parties.