Frequently Asked Questions

All information about the GSBC is provided on our homepage: www.gsbc.uni-jena.de.

Candidates may apply if they have (or will have) a master's degree or equivalent in one of the research areas the GSBC comprises, with a fully satisfactory final score. You can apply as well if you will finish your studies later this year. Please mention this in your application.
A BA degree alone does not fulfill the requirements.
Applicants' interests must fit in the general topic of the GSBC program.

Our application deadlines are March 31st and September 30th.

Before submitting any documents take a look at the GSBC' Faculty site for more information on the professors' work and projects. In your letter of interest, you should describe your research and career interests. On the online application form, identify (a) faculty member(s) with whom you would like to conduct your research.

Your application should be in English. Please use the application form. Your complete application for admission to the GSBC has to contain:

• Your filled out application form including your contact information, educational background, Curriculum Vitae (including academic training and professional experience)
• A letter of interest (max. 1000 words) stating your research interest, your interest in interdisciplinary approach, a possible research topic and how this topic is related to the research school
• Official transcripts/records of studies of all colleges/universities you have attended (scan or photocopy)
• Two letters of recommendation by mentors who know you well.

The assessment committee reviews all applications. We will inform you about the decision of the assessment committee as soon as possible.

Promising candidates are invited for a personal interview and each candidate is interviewed individually. The interview may consist of a short presentation by the applicant and a question-and-answer session. The presentation may focus either on the candidate’s past academic work (diploma or master thesis as well as PhD thesis), or on the planned dissertation project as well as the further research within the GSBC.

The GSBC does not charge tuition. However, the enrolment at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena comes with an enrolment fee entitling students to certain services. Presently, the fee is 230 € (January 2020) per semester (6 months). Enrolment entitles students to a public transportation ticket good on all local trains and buses (Semesterticket) and to many student discounts for cultural events and travel. Enrolment is not mandatory.

You can pursue a PhD in one of the disciplines of the GSBC, e.g. in economics, psychology, law, sociology, or geography. There are no interdisciplinary degrees. Therefore, by stating a member of the faculty you want to work with, please consider the department she/he is working at.

It is not possible to do a master’s degree in the GSBC.

Courses are held in English, a thorough knowledge of English is therefore inevitable. However, applicants don't need any certificate to prove their knowledge of the English language, since the application interviews are also held in English. Knowledge of the German language is not mandatory but recommendable.

No, that is not necessary. Writing example, letters of recommendation and transcripts of degrees can also submitted in German. CV, letter of interest and research proposal should be written in English.

We request references from at least two scholars familiar with your academic work (one letter should be from your M. A. thesis research advisor, if possible) who can judge your potential as a PhD student. If your first language is not English, your referees should as well comment on your ability to read, write, and speak English.

No, we don’t have a template.

No, there are no constraints.

Yes, it is possible, but the assessment committee will come to same decision when submitting the same documents. Therefore, we advise you to write at least a new research proposal.

Please apply. The assessment committee will decide about your eligibility.

Yes, that is also possible.

No, that is not necessary. You can submit the documents without signing it.

Please send us both degrees as pdf.

You can decide that on your own.

No, it is not necessary.

The research proposal should be an outline of your planned dissertation project (for doctoral students) or your further research programme within the GSBC (for post-docs). There are no constraints regarding length and content.

Your topic should fit the research fields of the school. Furthermore, as you will need a thesis advisor, you should have a look at the GSBC faculty site to find scientist(s) with similar interests with whom you could potentially work.

The GSBC is an international programme and open for people from all over the world.

At the moment, we cannot grant any financial support. But we can provide some information about funding organizations.

Every student must have health insurance. This is also a prerequisite for enrolment at a German university. The Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena does not pay any subsidies towards health insurance payments. You may also consider staying insured in your home country if the health insurance company covers you during studies in Germany. Of course, we will support you to find an adequate health insurance.

Fellows will actively and permanently participate in the study and research program of the Graduate School. Therefore, all fellows are expected to choose Jena as their place of residence.

A research visit abroad is not covenanted, but possible.

Do not hesitate to send an e-mail to: jenagraduate@uni-jena.de