Acceptance into a doctoral programme requires meeting certain admission criteria. One primary requirement is identifying a professor who agrees to supervise your thesis, and will need to provide documentation confirming this agreement (Supervision Agreement).

If you would like to become a doctoral candidate, one option is to become a research associate. In this case, you work for a professor and in addition to your research, take on responsibilities such as teaching and supervising seminar papers as well as bachelor and master theses. Vacancies for research associate positions are advertised by the respective professorships. If you are hired as a research associate, the respective chair holder becomes your doctoral supervisor.

In addition to working as a research associate, it is also possible to become a doctoral candidate by joining a Research Training Group (RTG) or a doctoral programme that is financed by a third party, such as the German Research Foundation. In a Research Training Group there are usually no teaching duties, but you may be expected to supervise students' seminar papers and theses. Vacancies for positions in RTGs are advertised publicly. For an overview of current RTGs and doctoral programmes of the Göttingen Graduate School of Social Sciences (GGG), click here.

You also have the option of doing your doctorate alongside your (external) job or financing your doctoral studies with scholarships from organisations and foundations, for example. In this case, too, you need the approval of a professor to supervise you as well.