Pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Vechta

As a first step, you should check whether you meet the requirements for a doctorate at the University of Vechta. The most important requirements (which can be found in the Doctoral Degree Regulations) are the following:

• Successful completion of a degree programme (Master, Magister, Univ.-Diplom, 1st Staatsexamen (state examination, St.Ex.) in Teacher Training for the Secondary Level II/Gymnasium, or a foreign degree recognised as comparable)
• Or having passed an entrance examination for doctoral studies (can only be carried out at the University of Vechta for a doctoral programme at the University of Vechta)
• The degree (see first item) must be "above avarage", i.e., it must have been completed at least with the grade "good" (alternatively, additional academic achievements in research and teaching can serve as proof of above-average academic performance)

Perhaps the most important aspect of a doctorate is the dissertation topic. You should formulate a dissertation topic that you like and you can imagine working on for a long time. At the University of Vechta, you can pursue a doctoral degree in the following subjects:

English Language and Literature; Biology; Design Pedagogy; Education Science; Geography; German Language and Literature; Gerontology; History; Catholic Theology; Art Pedagogy; Mathematics (Didactics); Music Education; Philosophy; Physical Education; Politics; Political Science; Psychology/Educational Psychology; Applied Social Studies (General Subject Didactics); Social Work; Sociology.

You can either choose a topic first and then look for a suitable supervisor who knows the topic well and is willing to supervise you or, if you have already identified potential supervisors, you can choose or adapt your topic according to their research interests. In any case, it is important that you can imagine working on the selected topic for 3-4 years.

Some doctoral programmes at the University of Vechta already specify subject areas (e.g. the doctoral programme in Gender Studies) or even precise topics (e.g. the doctoral programme "Digital worlds in villages - responsibility for and management of digital transformation. Opportunities and risks of digital change for villages."), or provide relevant literature to get ideas for an appropriate dissertation topic (e.g. doctoral programme "Empirical Security Reserch").

Once you have roughly defined a topic and a research question, you can start looking for a supervisor. You should only contact a supervisor after having defined the topic and read literature on the topic, to ensure that your research questions has not already been investigated through the same case study. You do not need to present a completed research proposal at this point, but at best, you already have a summary of the topic with a suitable research question. For example, you can visit the web page of the discipline you are interested in and peruse the research interests and publications of its faculty members.

You can also apply for one (or more) suitable qualification position(s) at the University of Vechta. In this case, you will work as a research fellow, i.e. you will be teaching and, at the same time, working on your own doctoral dissertation project. Doctoral students holding these positions are assigned to professors and are paid according to the collective agreement of the federal states. In this case, too, the topic your would like to work on as a dissertation project should be in line with the professor's focus of research. In some cases, dissertation topics or topic areas are already mentioned in the job advertisement. For current vacancies, please check the vacancies at the University of Vechta (please go to "Wissenschaftlicher Bereich") on a regular basis.

A further option is to apply for a doctoral programme, which provides a thematic and structural framework to your doctorate. For example, they offer regular meetings with the other doctoral candidates working on similar topics as well as continuous individual support. 

Currently, the University of Vechta features the following doctoral programmes:

Doctoral programme Gender Studies

This doctoral programme brings together gender researchers with different subject backgrounds and facilitates interdisciplinary exchange on gender-related issues. A doctoral thesis topic can be defined within the following subject areas:

Migration, gender, inclusion; biography, organisation and gender; gender and economy; historical travel literature research and gender; education, gender and intercultural competence; gender and religious education; power relations from the perspective of culture and gender studies; gender and cultural anthropology

Scholarships for the doctoral programme Gender Studies have been announced in recent years. Please check the web page of the doctoral programme and the vacancies at the University of Vechta on a regular basis to receive up-to-date information on possible scholarship announcements.

Doctoral programme Social Work

The doctoral programme was formed through a cooperation between the Institute for Social Work, Education and Sports Sciences (now section Social Work in the Department I) of the University of Vechta and the Faculty of Social Work and Health of the University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg/Ostfriesland/Wilhelmshaven (now University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer). This doctoral programme focuses on the subject area "Social Work: Deviance and Cohesion", within which applicants can define a dissertation topic. This doctoral programme, too, offers its doctoral candidates regular opportunities for exchange in an interdisciplinary environment.

Doctoral programme Empirical Security Research

The doctoral programme "Empirical Security Research" originates from a cooperation between the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hannover and the University of Vechta. In particular, the doctoral programme supervises and accompanies doctoral dissertations that deal with the subject area of "empirical security research" from a sociological, psychological or business-related perspective.

Doctoral programme: Responsible villages

The doctoral programme is funded by the State of Lower Saxony until 2020.

Doctoral programme: GINT- Learning in rural spaces

The doctoral programme originates from a cooperation of the Universities of Oldenburg, Hannover and Vechta and is coordinated by the University of Oldenburg. It is funded by the Ministry of Research and Culture until 2020.

Doctoral programme: Animal Welfare

The doctoral programme "Animal Welfare in Intensive Livestock Production Systems - transformation processes of intensive animal farming" is sponsored by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Research and Culture until September 2020.

Workshop group "Digitalisation in inclusive settings"

The Workshop "Digitalisation in inclusive settings" is part of the project "BRIDGES". BRIDGES aims to increase the quality of teacher education and promote theoretical and practical research on dealing with heterogeneity and inclusion. Doctoral students (and other faculty staff) from six different disciplines work together in the workshop "Digitalisation in inclusive settings", meeting for instance in doctoral colloquium to explore new structures and strategies in dealing with digitalisation in inclusive settings.

Doctoral programme "ProNaut"

The doctoral programme "ProNaut" allows successful graduates of Nautical studies to acquire a doctoral degree and pursue maritime-related research projects. The programme's official contact person is Prof. Corinna Onnen. General questions can be addressed to pronaut[at]uni-vechta[dot]de.

⇒Please note that this list is updated regularly, however it might not cover all doctoral programmes existing at the University of Vechta at all times. Please also check the websites of the research institutes of the University of Vechta for more information. 

If you are planning to pursue a doctorate abroad, one of the most important questions is how to finance the 3-4 years of your doctoral studies. In addition, if you have to apply for a visa for doctoral studies in Germany, you have to be able to prove a certain income (currently approx. € 10,236 per year; this amount is regularly updated).

Which opportunities are there for international doctoral candidates to finance their doctoral studies?

• as already mentioned, you can apply for a qualification position that matches your own doctoral dissertation project (see vacancies of the University of Vechta). In that case, you would be employed as a research fellow at the University of Vechta, which would basically cover your costs of living and social security. If you are not fluent in German at the beginning of your doctoral studies, you should discuss with the responsible professor whether classes can be taught and the doctoral dissertation can be written in English language. It is generally possible to write a doctoral thesis in English language at the University of Vechta.

• You can apply for a scholarship from the University of Vechta (scholarships are announced on the web page vacancies of the University of Vechta or the corresponding web page of the Graduate Centre). Please note that a scholarship for doctoral studies does not generally cover social security (health insurance, pension insurance, etc.), so that you will have to pay for it yourself. Further information on interdisciplinary scholarships of the University of Vechta can be found on the page funding opportunities for international researchers. 

• The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers scholarships for doctoral candidates from abroad for pursuing a doctorate at a German university, as well as various other funding programmes and general information for international doctoral candidates who would like to do research in Germany. With a DAAD doctoral scholarship, you will receive funding for the first year of your doctorate, which can usually be extended for a period of up to three years (for a total of four years) if certain criteria have been met at the end of the first year.

• EURAXESS also offers a platform to search for jobs and funding opportunities in research across Europe (you can select Germany on the menu).

• Finally, you can look for suitable positions or funding opportunities in Germany on the website of the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research). These last three platforms are of course not exclusively focused on the University of Vechta.

Living costs and student fees in Germany:

According to a social survey conducted by the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) in 2016, students in Germany spend an average of about € 819 per month on rent, food, clothing, travel, work materials, health, etc. Doctoral candidates, however, have to expect higher expenses for health insurance, so that this total will be a bit higher for them.
Rents can of course vary in different cities. In Vechta, the average rent (incl. additional costs such as heating) for a room in a shared flat can range from € 250 to € 300 per month, depending on size and location. A studio apartment is € 400 to € 450 per month on average, depending on size and location. Usually, electricity costs, internet costs and broadcasting licence fees (Rundfunkbeitrag) are not included. 

Please note that doctoral candidates will also be charged with semester fees for administrative costs, Student Services (Studentenwerk), the Students' Union Executive Committee (AStA) and the semester ticket (including regional rail transport throughout Lower Saxony and public transport in Vechta). The semester fee currently is € 321.

If you have secured a position and a supervisor for your doctorate at the University of Vechta, you should apply for admission to doctoral studies. You will find further information on this on the web page of the Graduate Centre of the University of Vechta. Once the application has been accepted by the Senate representative for doctorates and habilitations, the Admissions and Enrolment Office can start with the enrolment process. You will then automatically receive further information on enrolment.

If you have any questions regarding any part of this information, please do not hesitate to contact us at the Welcome Centre. If you are already in Vechta, we can arrange a consultation appointment with you. The Graduate Centre also offers advice on the various aspects of planning a doctorate, including completing the application form for funding.