A doctorate in Near Eastern Archaeology may be pursued at the Freie Universität by candidates who have completed their degree at another German or foreign university. You can find a list of ongoing and completed PhD dissertations here.

Prerequisites

Degree: MA or Magister degree in Near Eastern Archaeology or equivalent degree (“in a degree program relevant to the doctorate” (§ 3 (1) Doctoral Degree Regulations of the Department of History and Cultural Studies). The degree must have been awarded an overall grade of at least “good”. If necessary, the equivalence of the degree must be checked. In the case of foreign degrees, a certificate of equivalence must be obtained from the Central Office for Foreign Education at the Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany in cases of doubt. In addition, English at a B2 level, as well as basic knowledge of one ancient Near Eastern language are required.

Application Opportunities

The Freie Universität Berlin offers two options for completing a doctorate:

• An individual doctorate, which takes place in close coordination with the supervisor.
• A structured doctorate. This takes place within a graduate school or program. Freie Universität Berlin is part of the Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS), which offers five different doctoral programs, and works as central hub connecting Berlin’s universities in the field of ancient studies.

In both cases, an application is possible at any point, with no deadlines. In the case of acceptance, an individual doctorate would start immediately, whereas a structured doctorate would begin with the next following winter- or summersemester. Doctoral projects must be supervised by at least one habilitated member of the Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology, who is authorized to teach at the Freie Universität (professors, honorary professors, private lecturers, a list of members can be found here). Supervisors must be contacted directly by prospective supervisees prior to a formal application at the university and agree to take on the role. This is done by handing in a multipage project application, which is signed by the suggested supervisor.

Further information regarding the application process can be found here.

Application

You can apply for doctoral studies at any point, there are no deadlines. All relevant documents can be handed in to the doctoral office via Email.

After you have submitted the complete documents, the doctoral board of the faculty will check whether all requirements for an admission have been met. If this is the case, admission will be granted. If necessary, it can be combined with subject-specific conditions. In any case, you will be informed of the Doctoral Board’s decision by e-mail.

If you have been admitted, you will have to enroll as a doctoral student within one month of your successful admission.

Completion of the doctorate

The Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology accepts students pursuing either an individual doctorate or within a doctoral program in a graduate school (e.g. Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies / BerGSAS).

As a rule, the dissertation should be submitted after four years and the process, including the defense/viva/disputatio, should be completed after five years.

The dissertation may be written in German, English or, upon request, in another academic language. If the applicant's native language is not German and they have obtained their degree at a foreign university, proof of the relevant language skills must be provided (knowledge of German by passing the German Language Test for University Admission - DSH or equivalent proof; knowledge of English or another academic language at level C1 CEFR or proof of equivalent knowledge).

As a rule, candidates/students are expected to live in Berlin for the duration of their doctorate and to participate in the activities and events organized by the Institute. It is also recommended that you attend courses offered by your supervisor. In addition, the institute offers a weekly doctoral colloquium, where doctoral students can present their project and improve upon their studies with their peers. While an individual doctorate does not have a structured program and does not require you to acquire credit points, membership in BerGSAS (or any other graduate school or research training group) offers a structured program and requires the acquisition ofcredit points; structured programs offer numerous advantages, such as constant exchange and discussion with peers, interdisciplinary networking as well as numerous professionally relevant activities and qualifications (e.g. participation in and organization of workshops and conferences; specific courses for doctoral candidates; organized international exchange programs etc.).

When you start your doctoral studies, your supervisor will sign a supervision agreement with you, which is mandatory for structured graduate programs and is increasingly expected by scholarship providers for individual doctorates. This agreement must also be signed by the second supervisor. Second supervisors may come from a different scientific background, from a different university and from a different country; they should be selected early and carefully with certain requirements of the topic in mind (an interdisciplinary approach would be ideal to combine with an interdisciplinary team of supervisors, for example). Please make sure to follow doctoral degree regulations when selecting your second supervisor.

Funding and scholarships

The institute, the department and the university are not able to provide funds for the pursuit of doctoral studies. It is possible to pursue a doctorate with or without a scholarship or position. The responsibility to seek out funds in the form of a scholarship or position rests with the prospective candidate. Please find more information on the differen options below (“Funding”).

With funding secured through a scholarship or a position, candidates may apply for admission to the Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies, which offers structured doctoral studies in five different programs. Membership of the BerGSAS brings enormous benefits and is highly recommended and supported by our institute.

We would like to point out a number of doctoral scholarships that may be available to prospective candidates.

The scholarships of the Volksstiftung, Gerda Henkel Stiftung, as well as scholarships such as the Elsa-Naumann Sipendium are currently funding a number of doctoral students of Near Eastern Archaeology.

The BerGSAS scholarship is specifically tailored for BerGSAS programs, and therefore has a focus on doctoral candidates in Ancient Studies and related fields.

Elsa-Neumann Scholarship (Two application periods, always in November and April)

Gerda-Henkel Scholarships (Awarded on four Occasions every year)

Studienstiftung Scholarships (Awarded on four Occasions every year)

DAAD Scholarships (Especially for international students)

BerGSAS Scholarships (Scholarships are specifically advertised)

Further Scholarships

 

Contact PhD Office Cultural and Historical Studies

You can find the website and contact of the PhD Office of the Faculty of History and Cultural Studies here.

Documents needed for your doctoral studies

This Link will lead you to all the necessary forms and requests regarding your PhD within the Faculty of History and Cultural Studies. This includes the Application for Admission to Doctoral Studies, as well as any others.

Advice on structured and individual doctoral studies

The Dahlem-Research-School also provides advice on individual and structured doctoral studies if you have any questions, or if you are not sure whether an individual or structured study is right for you. You can find the link here.