Graduate school •

Description/content

A Structured PhD Programme Within a Cutting-Edge Research Environment

At the GCSC, you will actively participate in a research-intensive environment from the start, with support available for organising, planning, and carrying out your dissertation projects. You will have the opportunity to join several interdisciplinary research groups to discuss interesting texts for your fields and develop collaborative projects. Your participation in workshops and master classes will ensure that you are up to date with current academic discourses and will give you the chance to discuss your own ideas with renowned international scholars.

In addition to the GCSC, Giessen’s many research centres, such as the Giessen Graduate Centre for Social Sciences, Business, Economics and Law (GGS), the Giessen Centre for Eastern European Studies (GiZO) and the Centre for Media and Interactivity (ZMI), welcome involvement.

A PhD with International Conference and Publication Experience

The GCSC encourages you to present and publish your work early on. Assistance is available through workshops and coaching sessions on academic writing and conference presentations. Our e-journal KULT_online and our Open Access journal On_Culture offer first publication opportunities. Our network’s symposia and summer schools give PhD students the opportunity to gain conference experience. We not only provide advice but also frequently cover travel costs associated with attending external conferences.

The GCSC is also part of numerous international networks. Together with partners from top-ranking European and American universities, we organise international summer schools and conferences, offer exchange programmes, and host renowned visiting fellows. A growing number of our doctoral students pursue their doctorates in Giessen and at a partner university, receiving a cotutelle degree awarded by both institutions.

A PhD with Prospects

Our alumnae and alumni prove that after obtaining a PhD at the GCSC, you will have excellent career prospects both in and outside of academia. Our Career Service and our Teaching Centre offer comprehensive support, complemented by our alumnae and alumni network.

PhD scholarships will be advertised in December 2023 for the October 2024 entry (deadline for applications: 1 February 2024). Moreover, self-sponsored memberships are available, and the GCSC offers support in applying for external funding. Deadlines for applications for memberships are in March and October. For more information, please visit our website.

Faculties

• English and American Studies
• German Studies
• History
• Sociology
• Applied Theatre Studies
• Art History and Art Education
• Classics
• Educational Studies
• Musicology and Music Education
• Political Science
• Protestant and Catholic Theology
• Romance Studies
• Slavic Studies
• Turkology

Course language

English and German

Financial support

Yes

Structured research and supervision

Yes

Research training / discussion

Yes

Career advisory service

• Career service
• Key skills development
• Individual counselling
• Alumni_ae network
• International networks
• Job advertisements

Support for international students and doctoral candidates

• Welcome event
• Visa matters
• Specialist counselling
• Buddy programme
• Cultural and linguistic preparation

List of doctoral programmes and other offers

GCSC research areas cover the following topics:

• Cultural Memory Studies
• Cultural Narratologies
• Cultural Transformation and Performativity Studies
• Visual and Material Cultural Studies
• Media and Multiliteracy Studies
• Cultural Identities
• Global Studies and Politics of Space
• Cultures of Knowledge, Research, and Education
• Ecology and the Study of Culture

In addition, the following research groups are currently dedicated to emerging topics in the Study of Culture: Migration and (De)coloniality, Religion in the Study of Culture, and Interfaces of the Study of Culture and Life Sciences.

Justus Liebig University Giessen
GCSC building © Jennifer Kappe

Founded in 1607, Justus Liebig University Giessen is one of Germany's top research universities. It is not only rich in tradition but also highly innovative. Another unique feature is JLU Giessen's extraordinarily broad range of subjects. Additionally, JLU Giessen's 26,500 students and its ever-growing student community substantially contribute to making Giessen the city with the highest student ratio of all university towns in Germany. This singles out JLU Giessen as a key player in the region. However, with 40% international doctoral students, an international student community of around 11%, high-profile international partnerships, and two top-class international research facilities funded by Germany's nationwide Excellence Strategy, JLU is also a very active and highly attractive networking partner worldwide.
Internationalisation is at the heart of JLU's institutional self-concept, and its internationalisation strategy with the motto "future through internationalisation" is a critical success factor for research and teaching as well as the personal development of its members. Excellent basic research combined with socially relevant application, the exploitation of interdisciplinary synergies, support for outstanding next-generation scholars, first-class university teaching, and an explicit international orientation define JLU Giessen in the fifth century of its existence, making it fit for the future.

100 Number of doctoral students
50 Percentage of international students
University location

With around 92,000 inhabitants, Giessen is Germany's most student-dominated city and its two universities with their "extra population" of 40,000 students provide a unique college-town atmosphere. The city centre offers plenty of diversion for students, including film theatres (with student concession tickets), the municipal theatre with its experimental studios, swimming pools and sports and workout facilities, and a wide variety of pubs, restaurants (continental and ethnic), and night life venues. Therefore, you can add lots of flavour to your studies. The great thing about Giessen is that it's an easy place to navigate and, when the mood takes you, to escape into the picturesque surrounding countryside or the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, which is about 60 kilometres away.

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