Doctoral Studies Before You Start
Eligibility
Welcome to the Faculty of Biosciences
The Faculty of Biosciences offers a vibrant and interdisciplinary research environment, encompassing all major areas of modern life sciences - from molecular and cellular biology to plant sciences, neurosciences, developmental biology, biochemistry, physiology, infectious diseases, and biomedical research.
Application and Admission
We welcome applications from qualified candidates worldwide. The minimum requirement is a higher education degree from an accredited institution, such as a university or college. Eligible backgrounds include:
- A Master's Degree (such as an MSc, based on a five-year course of study with an experimental research thesis) in biology, a related field (e.g. biochemistry, biophysics, human biology, cancer biology, infectious diseases), another natural science (e.g. chemistry, physics) or bio-engineering.
If this master degree is not closely related to biosciences, your prospective supervisor must confirm that you have sufficient expertise in the relevant area. - A state examination/licence (= Staatsexamen) in pharmacy or equivalent.
- A degree in a four-year program in biosciences or a related field with an experimental research thesis or documented experimental research experience, such as an MSci, a BSc or a BA. The decision on acceptance is always made by the doctoral committee depending on the individual case.
In certain cases a Qualifying Assessment may be required.
Next Steps
If you meet one of the above requirements, your next step is to identify a supervisor in one of our participating institutions or to contact one of our structured PhD programs (see links on the right for contacts and open positions). These PhD programs will be happy to help you identify possible supervisors. Once a supervisor agrees to support your application, you may continue with the Registration.
Graduate Academy
Please visit the websites Doctoral studies in Heidelberg and Graduate Academy for further information about your Ph.D. in Heidelberg. The Graduate Academy provides services and support on many essential topics about your doctoral studies, for example:
- Good Scientific Practice (GSP): The aim is to support Ph.D. students with a general understanding of the good scientific practice and scientific misconduct (e.g. plagiarism). In the course, we discuss critical conflict areas and possible causes of misconduct. Furthermore, questions regarding data management, documentation, ownership, and topics such as the correct use of references and problem areas in the publication process are addressed. Please see the Graduate Academy's course program.
- Academic Writing Support: This service offers individual consultation and tutoring to Ph.D. students writing in English. The service is free of charge and aims to improve the language proficiency of Ph.D. students during the early stages of their doctoral training. You may submit your own text passages, which are then revised and commented on by native English speakers. Please see the writing support services website.
- Funding: Information and advice on doctoral fellowships and other funding opportunities for Ph.D. students is available on the website of the Graduate Academy, in the information brochure for Ph.D. students (International and German), or in person during the Graduate Academy office hours.