Strukturiertes Promotionsprogramm Psychologie

There is no application procedure; in principle, formal acceptance as a doctoral candidate at the Faculty is a prerequisite for participation in the doctoral programme, and the same approval requirements apply as for independent doctorate/PhD studies! The admission procedure to the programme differs essentially in a few additional documents that must be attached to the registration. Central to this is the supervision agreement and a planning document for your individual doctoral programme.  In this document you record your individual doctoral programme, which you put together within the regulations and according to your project-related interests in consultation with me as your supervisor. Your participation in the structured PhD programme will be noted on the supervision agreement

The programme is designed in such a way that it does not place an additional burden on you, but rather helps you to organize your doctorate/PhD studies. Although there are 480 hours on paper, the majority of the LP-relevant activities correspond to what doctoral students in psychology do anyway (e.g. conferences, teaching, publishing, supervising theses). In short: the steps within the framework of an independent doctorate/PhD studies are sufficient for the successful completion of the doctoral programme. Of course, there are no upper limits to how you use the other offers of the programme and how much time you invest. The workshops can be chosen flexibly so that they can be easily integrated into your everyday research life. You decide which offers make the most sense for you and to what extent you would like to take part. Our aim is to support you, not to overwhelm you. The only thing that really comes on top is the mentoring programme, which, with the framework programme (kick-off, interim review meeting, and degree) and the minimum number of hits with your mentor (6 over 3 years), comes to a total of approx. 30 to 40 hours.

The mentoring programme is a central component of our doctoral programme and offers you valuable support during your doctorate/PhD studies. Of course, you will not be excluded from the programme if you do not participate. But to be honest, it would be a missed opportunity because it is precisely in mentoring that you benefit from personal support and important impetus for your research and career. It's there to make your path easier, so why not make the most of this offer?

The biggest difference is the structured support that you receive with us. In independent doctorate/PhD studies, you are often solely responsible for organizing your doctoral process. Here you have the opportunity to receive continuous support through workshops, mentoring, and, above all, exchanges with other doctoral candidates. This means that you are not isolated, but part of a lively scientific community.

Our programme is flexible and adapts to your individual situation. No element is compulsory, only the requirement to complete a total of 18 CP within the regulations is a prerequisite for successful completion of the programme. If, for example, you do not have time due to research stays or other commitments, you can postpone or suspend participation in programme offerings that are of interest to you. The important thing is that you feel well supervised within the programme without additional commitments becoming a pressure factor."

The workshops cover a wide range of topics - from methodological training and scientific writing to career development and self-management. Each workshop is designed to advance your doctorate/PhD studies and prepare you for an academic career. In addition, you can decide for yourself which offers you would like to take advantage of, depending on your interests and needs. As part of the programme, there will be regular demand surveys so that appropriate offers can be included in the programme. You can also register your requirements at any time and the programme coordinator will check whether these would also be of interest to other participants and can be included in the programme.

The doctoral programme itself does not offer direct financial support, but it does help you to find suitable contact points for scholarships or funding. There will also be workshops on acquiring third-party funding and funding applications to help you secure funding for your research.

The network activities in the programme are mainly coordinated via a digital exchange platform on which all participants can create their own profile. Via this platform, doctoral students can easily get in touch with each other, communicate independently in topic-specific or open forums, find common interests, and take part in discussions. In addition, we offer regular co-working sessions dedicated exclusively to the doctoral thesis. Each participant names their own work goal and summarizes their progress in an exchange round after the work phase. This sponsors direct exchange and creates opportunities for mutual support. With the Coffe & Content format, the coordinator of the doctoral programme regularly invites all programme participants to get to know each other and exchange ideas over a cup of coffee. There is also a short keynote speech with information on changing topics. Another highlight should be our planned interdisciplinary colloquium, where doctoral students present their research and receive valuable feedback. All of this is complemented by the mentoring programme, which offers targeted meetings and moderated group discussions to deepen the exchange and discuss individual challenges. These diverse offerings help you to progress both professionally and personally and to build a strong network within the community.

You can join the programme at any time, as many offers are organized on an ongoing basis and there is no mandatory curriculum. However, we recommend taking part as early as possible to benefit from the support and networking opportunities from the start date.

There are two central contact points where you can find the offers of our doctoral program: Firstly, on our homepage, where you will find a selection of event-related offers as well as information on activities without an event character - such as participation in committees or networking offers. On the other hand, you will find an overview of all activities with an event character, such as colloquia, seminars, and workshops, in the electronic course catalog. Both platforms complement each other to give you a comprehensive overview of the opportunities in the programme. In addition, we encourage you to search for suitable activities at other locations and departments that can enrich your doctorate/PhD studies. Our program offers the flexibility to integrate such external offers in order to optimally support your research project.

Your academic achievements in the programme will be documented by original certificates or comparable evidence. For each participation in events such as workshops or seminars, please submit a certificate of participation. Activities that do not have the character of an event - such as participation in publications - should be recorded in the template "Proof of other activities in the doctoral program". Please state the date or period of the activity and have the proof countersigned by your supervisor. For network activities, such as regular exchange meetings or advisory activities, use the document "Evidence of network activities". These various documents help you to record all relevant activities in a structured manner.