Doctoral Studies at the Max-Weber-Kolleg

Depending on the disciplinary focus, doctoral students can obtain a doctorate in philology, politics or law within the framework of a structured research programme.

After successful application, formal acceptance as a doctoral student takes place via Docata - the web portal for doctoral students at the University of Erfurt. Docata provides a step-by-step wizard that guides you through the application for acceptance as a doctoral candidate. You can submit the application after registering online in Docata. You will then receive your personal access data with which you can log in and process your application at any time.

To the web portal for doctoral students at the University of Erfurt: https://docata.uni-erfurt.de

Documents required for your application

You must have the following documents (of your application) ready and submit them electronically:

  • Cover letter explaining your motivation for applying to the Max Weber College;
  • Curriculum vitae;
  • Copy of the first university degree and, if applicable, the doctoral certificate;
  • a copy of the final thesis or doctoral dissertation (summary in German or English, if in another language);
  • Expert opinion of a university lecturer;
  • Exposé of the research project (approx. 5-10 pages, the exposé should present the research question, the research status, the methodological approach and the leading hypotheses, and include a work plan and time schedule);
  • Declaration of consent for data protection 

Organisational issues

Doctoral procedures are carried out by the Max-Weber-Kolleg itself. Supervision takes place in the context of the respective research groups.

The supervisory relationship is regulated by a supervision agreement.

Graduates of a university of applied sciences also have the opportunity to do a doctorate.

A cooperation agreement exists with the Fachhochschule für öffentliche Verwaltung Nordrhein-Westfalen in this regard.