Doctoral degree at the Faculty of Biology
Here we collect info about various aspects of a doctorate at the Faculty of Biology at Uni Freiburg. You might also want to check out various links to other websites which might be of interest to you.
Before your doctorate
Becoming a Doctoral Student
- Generally, check out all the info on the Faculty website - especially this file is very helpful and it is always good to know requirements you have to meet and doctoral degree regulations
- IGA does also provide important info on how to pursue a doctoral degree at Uni Freiburg
- Find a supervisor and a research topic - check out research groups at Faculty of Biology or at other institutions at Uni Freiburg. Even if someone is not officially entitled to supervise PhD thesis, it is often possible that s*he co-supervises with a PI who is entitled to do so (info about that on the Faculty website) - in case you have questions, ask the doctoral studies program office
- To start your PhD work, you have to fill in and sign a Doctoral Supervision Agreement (also called "Thesis Agreement") - that's a legally binding contract, so take your time to consider what you want and what you do not want in there. It is also an important to opportunity to reflect upon what you need and want from your supervisor and what you can offer to him*her throughout your doctorate. If you discuss those questions in the beginning of your doctorate, you prevent some future conflicts
- We collected tipps and information to consider before signing your thesis agreement
Funding
There are different possibilities for funding. Most positions are actual positions and you are employed at the "Land Baden-Württemberg" or Uniklinik. Most contracts cover a 50% or 65% salary according to TV-L 13, irrespective of being a Hausstelle or third-party funding. This is a State regulated salary which you can look up online, depending on how long you have been working for the State of Baden- Württemberg you get additional money. You can calculate your income according to TV-L.
- Hausstellen: With a Hausstelle, you are directly employed from your PI's budget, not over third-party funding for a certain project (e.g. DFG-funding).
- Third Party Funding: Mostly via DFG (Deutsche Forschungs Gesellschaft), which is the biggest scientific foundation in Germany. You have to have a doctoral degree (or equivalent) to apply for project funding there - but you could do this in cooperation with your PI.
- Scholarships and Graduate Schools / Research Training Groups: If you want to apply for your salary by yourself, have a look at the website of the IGA (International Graduate Academy). It provides an excellent overview on gradutate schools and fellowship programmes on each level, starting from undergraduate student funding, to PhD fellowships, PostDoc fellowships until even higher levels. Additionally, the IGA offers advice for how to apply for those fellowships.
- Note that scholarships, in contrast to positions, do not cover social security payments - so after three years of a scholarship, you are not eligible to unemployment money (Arbeitslosengeld I). Also, you need to organise your health insurance yourself (usually 150€ / month, depending on your insurance). If you have the choice between a scholarship and a position, maybe get into contact with official points of contact (e.g. IGA) to get advice which to chose
Enrolling as Doctoral Student
Nowadays, by applying as a doctoral researcher you are supposed to enroll as a student at the Service Center Studium. You have to actively cancel your enrollment at the Service Center Studium if you do not want to enroll as a student (which is only possible if you have an official employment contract with the University of Freiburg).
At the moment it costs 155,- € per half a year to enroll as a student, but you get benefits:
- You can elect and get elected into the Faculty Council and the Senate
- sometimes you get a discount at interesting events (student's discount, sometimes only until the age of 28)
- you get permission to obtain the student ticket (Semester Ticket) for public transfer in the Freiburg area (VAG area) (94,- €/ per semester = 6 months [12.06.2019])
- even without a Semester Ticket, all students are allowed to use public transport after 19:00 in Freiburg after printing out the '19-Uhr-Ticket' once per semester.
- Frelo: Bike Rental and Sharing in Freiburg. The first 30 min are free of charge.
- there is a student discount in all cafeterias belonging to the Studentenwerk (SWFR)
You find the registration desk for matriculation at the Student Service Center (Sedan Street Nr. 6, near the University Library).
International Students
If you are an international student, you can check this website here.
Your arrival in Freiburg
The University of Freiburg offers a Welcome Service that provides detailed information and advice, assisting the students with non-academic matters concerning your stay in Freiburg.
Finding accommodation in Freiburg
The International Office has all the relevant information here.
During your doctorate
Check out our info about
- What to do in case of conflicts with your supervisor?
- Mental health
- What are PhD Reps doing + maybe consider becoming one ;)
Courses – Language and others
If you are interested in learning German or improving it, you can find language courses, which are free of charge for international PhD students.
Besides the language courses, the Freiburg Research Services offers other courses and workshops per semester in German and English for all PhD students enrolled in the University of Freiburg.
Teaching and supervision
Depending on your contract you are not obliged to teach or to supervise students. However, we can highly recommend these opportunities to broaden your horizont and to upgrate your personal arsenal of skills. Please speak with your supervisor about this topic.
Student courses which can be supervised by PhD students are now also listed in the online course catalogue (HISinONE).
Same procedure as for the 'Oberseminare' (see below): Via "Fakultät für Biologie" -> "Promotion", you will find the list of all practical courses held at the upcoming semester.
Then you can get in touch with the respective organisers and arrange a course supervision.
To keep track of your teaching achievements, we highly recommend you to use the Record of Teaching Activities form. At the end of your PhD, you can hand this in at the Doctoral studies program office to receive an official certificate listing all your supervised courses. Nevertheless, keep your form, as some details like teaching workload or transferable skills will only be listed here.
Oberseminare / Advanced Courses
The lists for the current semester are also accessible via HISinONE.
At the buttom right of the start page you can switch to English. To search for 'Oberseminare' go to "Studies offered" -> "Show university course catalog". Via "Fakultät für Biologie" -> "Promotion" you will then find the "Advanced seminars in Biology". Check out also this link.
None of those seminars is suitable for you? Go ahead and organize your own Oberseminar - just follow the instructions!
Finishing your doctorate
How do I start the official examination procedure?
Once you have successfully fulfilled your PhD you can initiate the official examination procedure by filling out the form 'Initiation of the examination procedure for the doctoral degree' you can find under 'Submission of the thesis'. You also need to hand in some documents mentioned in that document.