Application: Requirements and Process
Application requirements:You are eligible to apply to GGNB if:
1) you have an M.Sc. degree (or equivalent) in the life sciences, natural sciences, mathematics/informatics or related fields,
and
2a) you have already secured a doctoral position with a GGNB faculty member. You have to apply within 3 months after the start of the PhD project.
Make sure to include a confirmation by the supervisor that he/she has offered you a PhD position (see page Application process);
or
2b) you have successfully established contact to a GGNB faculty member who has expressed an interest in your application and who may be able to offer you a PhD position if you pass the selection process. You may apply up to 4 months before the possible start of the PhD project.
Make sure to include a statement by the faculty member who is interested in your application and may be able to offer you a PhD position, including details on funding and a preliminary project title. Important: without this statement, we will not be able to process your application.
If you are currently a student of the MSc programs "Developmental, Neural and Behavioral Biology" or "Molecular Life Sciences: Microbiology, Biotechnology and Biochemistry" at Göttingen University, please contact Dr. Kerstin Böse for details on the application requirements.
Application process:
I. Complete the application for admission. Please note that the Supervision Agreement (which is provided after filling the online application) must only be completed and signed after admission.
Important: there are two different registration portals, one for external applicants and one for applicants who have been enrolled at the University of Göttingen before.
Please have the following documents ready to upload them:
- Master's and Bachelor's certificates and transcripts
- Statement by (prospective) supervisor (see here (pdf) for further information)
- English proficiency certificates (min. level C1, i.e. IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 110),
- short abstract of your PhD thesis (1/2 to 1 A4-page) (only required for applicants to Molecular Biology of Cells, Cellular and Molecular Physiology of the Brain and Systems Neuroscience)
- optionally: certificates of other relevant examinations (e.g. GRE, reference letters, if available)
If your documents are in a language other than German or English, you will need to include copies of an official translation (into German or English) as well.
II. The GGNB office will check the formal requirements for admission upon receipt of the electronic application for admission:
- Master's degree with very good grades in the natural sciences or mathematics, including a Master's thesis with a minimum duration of six months.
Please note that due to the peculiarities of the German university system, medical degrees are not considered as equivalent to an MSc in the natural sciences.
In case of MSc degrees from abroad, it may be that the faculty requests the fulfillment of additional requirements before the admission to doctoral studies (e.g. an oral exam, a written progress report after 6 months, etc.).
- English proficiency / language requirements: Candidates have to be fluent in written and spoken English. Candidates whose mother tongue is not English can demonstrate sufficient knowledge of English e.g. by having completed MSc studies in English or by internationally recognized tests such as TOEFL or IELTS or equivalent achievements. During online application, applicants can indicate proven higher education in English or a reasonably long stay in an English-speaking country, if applicable. Knowledge of the German language is not required, but international students will be offered opportunities to take German courses.
- Optional: references: During online registration the applicant may upload reference letters if available. The application will also be processed if no reference letters are submitted.
III. Screening:
The admission board will screen the application reg. the qualification of the candidate and the thematic fit of the prospective PhD project.
IV. Admission panel:
After successful screening by the admission board, soon after starting the thesis project, the candidate will present his/her PhD (and in some programs MSc) project in front of the admission panel who will decide on the admission to the doctoral program.
V. Admission and Enrolment:
Upon admission, follow the steps as described in the Checklist after admission. All doctoral students have to be enrolled at the University of Göttingen for the entire duration of their PhD thesis project, until the date of their thesis defense. PhD students can enroll throughout the year, i.e. independent of deadlines.
For information on the enrollment procedure, see information provided by the Registrar's Office.
If you have any further questions, please contact Michaela Wasmuth-Kroker (ggnb@gwdg.de), or for the IMPRS Physics of Biological and Complex Systems and the IMPRS for Genome Science, Frauke Bergmann (imprs-pbcs@gwdg.de, imprs-gs@gwdg.de), or for Molecular Medicine, Dr. Werner Albig (sekretariat.molmed@med.uni-goettingen.de).