The Department of History and Cultural Studies offers the possibility of individual and structured doctoral studies. For an individual doctorate, you need to contact potential supervisors directly and discuss the possibility of taking up a doctorate with them. For a structured doctorate, you must apply to graduate programs for acceptance into their study program. In structured programs, the selection committee assigns supervisors during the selection process. Once accepted by a supervisor or accepted into a structured program, it is necessary to apply for admission to the doctoral program. Once admitted, you must enroll as a doctoral student. When submitting your dissertation, you must provide information about the committee's composition; details are regulated in the doctoral regulations of the departments.

The formal requirements are specified by the respective doctoral regulations - in general, you should have completed your studies with at least a good grade. You should be able to demonstrate English language skills at the level C1 of the CEFR. When you are admitted to a doctoral program, the programs will check whether your qualifying degree fulfills the professional requirements for a doctorate in your desired discipline. Accepted candidates usually have obtained a corresponding degree in the discipline of their doctorate. In case of doubt, a look at the M.A. study regulations of the respective subjects can help you check whether the degree meets these requirements. You can contact the doctoral office or the graduate programs directly for further questions.

You can do a doctorate with a BA degree in Fast Track - however, you must have completed your studies with the highest grade and fulfill further requirements of the doctoral regulations. In structured programs, the study regulations may stipulate further requirements, such as a period of study abroad.

programs, places in the program are usually announced publicly about a year before the start of each program. You can find more information at the respective program websites. In structured programs, invitations for acceptance to the program will be given first, on the condition that the later application for admission to the doctoral procedure is successful.

Should you want to pursue an individual doctorate, you can register for the procedure at the respective doctoral (PhD) office after having found a supervisor. Admitted doctoral students must usually register as doctoral students.

For more information, see the FAQ pages for the graduate programs: