The doctoral courses
As well as producing a thesis, doctoral students at Leuphana University of Lüneburg engage in an active exchange with supervisors and fellow doctoral candidates, deepen their knowledge of methodology, reflect on scientific theories, discuss practical and ethical research questions and share their own research with the national and international scientific community.
The following four compulsory doctoral modules in German and English help you to acquire these important research and professional skills:
- Subject-specific Research Colloquium (two classes)
- Research Methods (one class)
- Scientific Practice/Ethics (one class)
- Philosophy of Science (one class)
The four modules are worth a total of 25 credit points. Coursework such as presentations or essays, which are not graded, is required to pass the modules.
Module content
Scientific Practice/Ethics: The module offers a practical introduction to "Doctorate Project", or more specifically to writing your thesis – from finding a topic to successfully presenting and publishing your paper. On a more abstract level, the module also explores questions of freedom and responsibility in science and research in general.
Philosophy of Science: This module addresses a range of perspectives on "the" science(s) and reflects on various epistemological principles and scientific methodologies, such as the relationship between theory and empiricism. You will also look at the (historical) development of the science(s).
Research Methods: This module familiarises students with a range of research methods from various different disciplines, such as historical, hermeneutic approaches; qualitative, interpretative methods (for example discourse analysis and expert interviews), and quantitative, empirical methods (for example experiments and statistics).
Subject-Specific Research Colloquium: Research colloquia bring together doctoral students and supervisors from your field to discuss the latest research questions and processes. Furthermore, you will present your own doctoral project (research issue, objectives and methodology) twice to at least two supervisors in the doctoral research group during the colloquia.
You can take a look at the current course catalogue for Leuphana University and the courses offered in previous semesters with guest access to the web-based platform myStudy. Personal myStudy login details will be sent to you once you have been admitted to a doctorate at Leuphana so that you can register for classes and access material.
Recognition of external credits
Under certain conditions, the recognition of equivalent external credits for the doctoral courses is possible.
For example, the seminars offered by the "PhD Network" can be recognised for the doctoral programme.
The PhD Network is a cooperation between German (including Leuphana) and Danish universities and research institutions, as well as the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik in Croatia.
An overview of the courses offered for doctoral students can be found in the link below.
You can find further information, e.g. the application for recognition of externally achieved achievements, in the section Organising Your Doctorate.