Those who would like to pursue doctoral studies in the Department of Politics and Public Administration can do so through, either the Graduate School of Decision Sciences, or the Politics and Public Administration PhD program. The option of an “unaffiliated” admission is no longer available through the department.
The Graduate School of Decision Sciences is an interdisciplinary unit within the Excellence Initiative framework of the University of Konstanz. It is supported primarily through the departments of Economics, Politics and Public Administration, and Psychology. Associated departments include Computer Science, Sociology, and Statistics. The graduate school is divided into four different interdisciplinary research areas:
(A) Behavioral Decision Making
(B) Inter-temporal Choice and Markets
(C) Political Decisions and Institutions
(D) Information Processing and Statistical Analysis.
Eligibility Criteria
Admission to the Politics and Public Administration PhD programprescribes a subject-relevant MA degree from a German university or an equivalent degree from a foreign university, either of which should be completed with an overall grade of “good” (according to the German grade system the grade 2.5). The appropriate University office will verify the grade equivalence. In order to initiate the verification process, the submission of electronic copies of all relevant certificates and transcripts of records (the original and, where appropriate, in a certified translation) is required.
Furthermore, admission is only possible when you have identified a professor who is willing to supervise you. As a first step, you should contact a professor within the department with the intended research focus of your PhD project topic in order to ask her/him whether she/he is willing to supervise your project. In general, the professor will expect a written synopsis, as well as letters of recommendation from previous academic supervisors.
An overview of the professors within the Department and their areas of interest can be found here.
Once you have received a commitment, you can apply for admission as a doctoral student at the department. The application form can be found here (at the bottom of the page).
The completed admissions application is to be submitted to the Departmental Secretariat (Room C 300) along with a current CV and certified copies of your transcripts. Your supervisor should also sign the application.
Currently, there are no specific deadlines for doctoral study applications.
All doctoral students must be officially enrolled. As with all other University students, an administrative fee of 150 Euro is due per semester.
