Getting into a doctorate

Welcome to the Leuphana Graduate School — the central institution for academic training at Leuphana University!

We are pleased that you are interested in a doctorate at Graduate School! Graduate School is your central point of contact for all questions related to your doctoral studies: we provide information, guidance, training, and networking opportunities for early-career researchers.

Every doctorate is also an individual process, because in Germany there is no single path to a doctoral degree. Rather, depending on your research interests, field of study, educational background, and career goals, there are various options for beginning and completing a doctorate. For example, you can pursue your doctorate full-time or part-time, and collaborations with companies are also possible.

If you pursue your doctorate at Leuphana, however, you are always part of a doctoral research group. Leuphana’s doctoral research groups consist of fellow doctoral candidates and supervising professors and serve as a forum for feedback and academic exchange. Another unique feature at Leuphana are the doctoral courses, which help you refine your research ideas, develop methodological skills, and consciously shape your role as a scholar.

On the following web pages, we provide information about the requirements and the first steps toward earning a doctorate in one of our doctoral programs—from choosing a topic and exploring funding opportunities to the formal admission process.