Graduate school •

Description/content

The Graduate School of Economic and Social Sciences (GESS) at the University of Mannheim offers excellent opportunities for academically talented and highly motivated students with a quantitative orientation to pursue a doctoral degree in Business, Economics or the Social Sciences.

Benefit from an internationally recognised teaching and training concept, which will lay the foundations for a successful research career. Our focus is on empirical and quantitative methods and their application to Business Studies, Economics, and Social Sciences. Conduct research in a unique environment across the programme disciplines. Our courses are taught by distinguished and dedicated faculty members. Our excellent libraries will support you with your research.

Discover GESS:

• All PhD programmes in English
• Receive generous monthly scholarships
• Work on your research in collaboration with internationally recognised professors
• Enjoy access to major databases and excellent libraries
• Gain new insights from research stays with partner universities worldwide
• Work in a modern office space
• Receive your personal laptop and software
• Benefit from our structured course programme and skills courses in teaching, academic writing and presenting
• Boost your career options with a professional job market training
• No tuition fees – government funded first-class education

Application Deadlines:

• Early application deadline: 15 January 2024
• Final application deadline: 31 March 2024

Applications for the September 2024 intake will open from mid-November 2023. Applications received by the early deadline will be considered for early admission. Unsuccessful applications in the early round will be reconsidered with all other applications after 31 March. Only applications received via the online application tool will be considered.

Please find full application requirements here.

Faculties

• Business
• Economics
• Social Sciences

Course language

Courses are held in English.

Financial support

Yes

Structured research and supervision

Yes

Research training / discussion

Yes

Support for international students and doctoral candidates

• Welcome event
• Buddy programme
• Visa matters

List of doctoral programmes and other offers

Within our three doctoral centres, we offer 11 PhD programmes:

Center for Doctoral Studies in Business (CDSB)

• Accounting
• Finance
• Information Systems
• Management
• Marketing
• Operations Management
• Taxation

Center for Doctoral Studies in Economics (CDSE)

• Economics

Center for Doctoral Studies in Social Sciences (CDSS)

• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology

University of Mannheim
© Norbert Bach

For generations, the University of Mannheim has been preparing students to take on leadership roles in business, academia, and society. One of the university's strengths in this task is its profile, which is characterised by the economic and social sciences. It is in these fields that the University of Mannheim has repeatedly been ranked as one of the top 20 European research institutions.

Staff members at six schools and departments teach and carry out research in business administration, economics, the humanities, social sciences, law, business informatics, and mathematics.

Global Network

Researchers at the university collaborate with numerous national and international partners. The university has a particularly close relationship with the ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research, one of the leading economic research institutes in Germany, the GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, and the Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache (IDS). The Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES) is the largest research institution for social sciences at a university in Germany, and it is one of the leading institutions of its kind on the international stage.

International Campus

The campus surrounding Mannheim's baroque palace is a place where bright minds from across the globe come together to learn, discuss, research, and prepare to make their mark on the world. Every fifth student at the university comes from abroad to pursue a Bachelor's, Master's, or doctoral degree in Mannheim. Students of the Mannheim Business School also come from overseas to obtain a management qualification at one of the top 25 MBA providers in the world.

Research that Benefits Society

The University of Mannheim is known for its practical orientation and its knowledge transfer with society. Numerous researchers are members of national or international bodies, or they work at institutes or associations that have an advisory role in business, society, and politics. Students are also active in society. The many organisations and associations on campus give them the chance to help make the world a better place.

University location

Mannheim has more than 300,000 residents and is located in Baden-Württemberg at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Neckar. The city impresses with its diversity: a successful mixture of shopping districts, industrial and service centres, places of cultural interest, art nouveau buildings, the large baroque palace which houses the university, and several extensive recreational areas. The beautiful regions of Odenwald and Palatinate, both of which are very popular for walking and cycling, are close to Mannheim. The symbol of Mannheim is its water tower, a 60-metre-high sandstone colossus next to the city centre, which is characterised by its chessboard-style street grid that is unique in Germany.

Thanks to Mannheim's central location and extensive transport connections, a variety of charming towns are within easy reach, and France and Switzerland are only a relatively short journey away. Frankfurt airport can be reached by train within 30 minutes.

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