Frequently Asked Questions

This page provides you with answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Can students attend courses at the Graduate Academy?

Students interested in doing a doctorate can attend certain courses that explicitly allow student participation, such as ‘Improved Reading’ or ‘Writing the Exposé for the Thesis’.

Are courses provided in English?

The courses are held in English or German, corresponding to the language of the course description. A preliminary survey usually determines the language for the course.

Will I receive a certificate of attendance for Graduate Academy courses?

Yes, you will receive a certificate of attendance at the end of the workshop.

Will I receive a final certificate with the names of the courses I attended?

Yes, after you have terminated your membership of the Graduate Academy or completed your doctorate, you will receive a certificate that lists the workshops, seminars and events that you attended. Please request this via email to graduiertenakademieuni-greifswaldde, indicating whether you require the certificate in German or in English.

Which information is included on the Graduate Academy’s certificate?

After completing their doctorates or the expiration of their memberships, doctoral students and postdocs can request a certificate from the Graduate Academy. The certificate lists all of the workshops, seminars and events that were attended as part of the Graduate Academy’s Qualification Programme.

If you would like a certificate, please write an email to the Graduate Academy with

  • a list of the courses you attended as part of the Graduate Academy’s Qualification Programme
  • and an indication as to whether you would like the certificate to be in German or in English.
How can I become a member of the Graduate Academy?

To become a member of the Graduate Academy, you require

  • Signed membership application for the Graduate Academy, including the supervision agreement with your team of supervisors.
  • Proof of admission as a doctoral student by your faculty (applies to all faculties, apart from University Medicine).

Postdocs can apply for membership of the Graduate Academy for an initial period of two years. The membership can be repeatedly extended. Please apply for an extension in good time prior to the expiration of your two-year membership.

Who can be contacted for questions regarding good academic practice?

The University of Greifswald considers observing the rules of good academic practice as a basic requirement for productive, academic and publicly relevant research. Correspondingly, the University has appointed Ombudspersons for Questions of Academic Misconduct and the Ethics Commission to provide institutionalised contacts for all issues concerning proper academic behaviour.

Where can I apply for a grant to publish my thesis?

Depending on the subject area, doctoral students can apply for funding to cover publishing costs of the thesis.
Here is a selection of possibilities: 
www.fazit-stiftung.de [de] 
VG Wort (but only if the mark ‘summa cum laude’ has been achieved in all individual assessments).
www.vgwort.de [de]
Publishing house Dr. Kovac (max. € 500)
www.verlagdrkovac.de [de]

Further information can be obtained from the members of staff at the Research Support Centre.

Which financial support mechanisms are available for doctoral candidates?

Financial Support for Doctoral Candidates

Doctoral students are usually financed by

  1. a position as a research and/or teaching fellow (often part-time), paid for by budgetary or third party funds
  2. a scholarship

List of Support Possibilities for Early Career Researchers

Scholarships Database

Scholarship Database of the German Academic Exchange Service

List of Scholarships

Scholarships for students and doctoral students from the organisations for supporting young talents.

Service Point for Electronic Research Support Information

 

Lots of scholarships are only available for students starting their doctorates. If you need follow-up funding for your doctorate, you can contact the following foundations:

Fazit Stiftung

Candidates should be under 28 years of age

Stiftung Bildung und Wissenschaft

Focus on topics related to literature studies, applicants should be under 30 years of age

Offers at the University of Greifswald

University Medicine: Gerhard Domagk Funding Programme for Early Career Researchers

Bogislaw Scholarship

  • www.uni-greifswald.de

Funding from the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

State Graduate Funding

This is based on the Landesgraduiertenförderungsgesetz (State Act on Graduate Funding)
Landesgraduiertenförderungsgesetz (State Act on Graduate Funding)

Support from the Bohlen und Halbach Foundation for Scientists in Community Medicine

Other Kinds of Funding

Association of German Foundations

KOWI - European Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations

The Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations provides information and advice on doctoral and postdoctoral funding programmes from the European Union and organises local information events. 

Federal Funding Advisory Service ‘Research and Innovation’

The Federal Funding Advisory Service ‘Research and Innovation’ is the central point of contact for any questions regarding research and innovation funding.

Does the University have a staff development concept for early career researchers and members of academic staff?

The training and support of early career researchers is one of the central tasks for a university. The University of Greifswald has produced the Staff Development Concept to underline its special responsibility towards its early career researchers and members of academic staff. The Staff Development Concept was drawn up in accordance with the ‘Guidelines for the Advancement of Early Career Researchers in the Post-Doctoral Phase’, based on a corresponding recommendation made by the German Rectors’ Conference in 2014 and passed by the University of Greifswald’s Academic Senate (2017). The Concept can be accessed on the HR Department’s password-protected documents page: https://www.uni-greifswald.de/universitaet/organisation/verwaltung/dezernat-personal-und-finanzen/personal/