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You can finance your doctorate either by finding employment at a university chair or at one of the cooperating extramural research institutions, by means of a doctoral scholarship or by working outsidethe university.
Doctoral candidates can be hired as research assistants at the University of Potsdam or one of the cooperating extramural research institutions. These positions will be advertised as usual and require a normal application.
Most of these doctoral positions are subject to fixed-term and part-time employment contracts (about 50% of regular working hours). During the specified working hours, you will, for example, be required to do lab work, assist the research work of the Chair or perform other miscellaneous duties for the research project. You are supposed to spend the remainder of your time writing your dissertation. Tasks and working hours depend on the respective supervisor and subject-specific practices and are defined in writing.
You can find suitable job announcements here, for example:
Before starting a new job, non-EU citizens will sometimes have to provide a permit issued by the Foreigners’ Registration Office and/or the employment agency. The Welcome Center of the University of Potsdam will gladly advise you in this matter.
The University of Potsdam awards new Ph.D. scholarships every year and also offers many other seminars, advisory services and interdisciplinary exchange through the Potsdam Graduate School (PoGS):
Apart from that, external foundations and organizations offer a wide variety of scholarships:
There are specific bridging or completion scholarships for doctoral candidates who have almost completed their degree. You can look for these scholarships in the databases mentioned above. You can find the bridging or completion scholarships offered by the University of Potsdam here:
Printing or publication cost for the finalized dissertation can also be subsidized through scholarships:
If you incur travel expenses in the context of your doctoral project – for example, for traveling to conventions and conferences or research stays abroad – there are several funding options available. Some of the options are listed here:
You can also finance your doctoral studies by working outside of academia. You can find many job advertisements in Potsdam, Berlin and the surrounding area that offer part-time jobs or employment contracts on an hourly basis on the University’s Go Practiceplatform, for example (only for students that are enrolled at the University of Potsdam).
Here is a selection of other job platforms:
University of Potsdam
Division of Student Affairs
Am Neuen Palais 10
14469 Potsdam
Fax: +49 331 977-1065