The Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS) awards up to six four-month start-up scholarships to international MA graduates who would like to pursue a doctoral degree in history, sociology, anthropology, or political science at the BGHS.
Recipients receive the opportunity to prepare a persuasive proposal for a dissertation project. Subsequently, they may apply for the doctoral degree programme at the BGHS and/or for scholarships, doctoral positions and funding programmes in Germany or worldwide.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants should hold a Master's degree or equivalent in sociology, history, political science, social anthropology or gender studies; applications from related disciplines are welcome. We strongly encourage women to apply.
Graduates from abroad who wish to pursue a doctoral degree in history, sociology, anthropology or political science may apply for a start-up scholarship. We welcome applications from pre-doctoral researchers. Applicants should speak either German or English fluently.
Neither German nationals nor foreigners with a tertiary education from a German university may apply (Bildungsinländer/innen). The start-up scholarships are meant to further networking with scientists at the BGHS, therefore no prolonged archival or research trips should take place during this period.
By the end of their stay the candidates present their developed projects to the BGHS community and submit a final report. To ensure that your project fits with the BGHS profile, you should take a close look at theAreas of research covered by the BGHS. Your project should be relatable to those areas.
Offered Benefits
The scholarships will be awarded for the Summer Term of each year (1 April until 31 July) and include a stipend of EUR 1,200 per month. This amount will be supplemented by an allowance for children if applicable.
Upon application, travel costs can also be covered by the Graduate School. Moreover, the BGHS will offer a study programme tailored to the particular needs of international MA graduates. Scholarship holders will participate in workshops on German academia as well as on writing a project description and will be supported intensively in finding a funding for their research project. Frequent exchange with peer researchers, BGHS staff, and professors facilitates guidance and support during these four months. Scholarship holders will also take part in a German or English class at PunktUm.
