PhD / Doctorate •

Degree

PhD in Neuroscience

Teaching language

• English

Languages

Courses are held in English.

Programme duration

6 semesters

Beginning

Winter semester

Application deadline

End of January

Tuition fees per semester in EUR

None

Combined Master's degree / PhD programme

No

Joint degree / double degree programme

No

Description/content

Candidates will prepare a doctoral thesis in the field of neuroscience (project duration: three years). Research topics are olfaction, vision and acting, robotics, learning and memory, cortical and synaptic plasticity, neuron-glia interaction, signal transduction, cerebral asymmetries, clinical neuropsychology, neurodegenerative diseases, computational neuroscience and developmental neuroscience. For details on current research projects, see: http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/igsn .
The study programme includes a semester-wide neuroscience lecture "From Molecules to Cognition", oral and written thesis proposals, progress reports and a final report, semester-wide lecture series with external speakers, annual workshops and special symposia, a course in grant writing and technical training.

Course organisation

The thesis projects are developed and supervised by two professors. Methods courses give opportunities to learn and perform new techniques.
This programme cooperates with the Ruhr-Universität Research School: http://www.research-school.rub.de .

International elements

• International guest lecturers

Course-specific, integrated German language courses

No

Course-specific, integrated English language courses

No

Tuition fees per semester in EUR

None

Semester contribution

Students have to pay a social contribution fee of approx. 340 EUR per semester, including a semester ticket covering public transport in the entire state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Costs of living

Minimum of 950 EUR per month to cover personal and living expenses

Funding opportunities within the university

Yes

Description of the above-mentioned funding opportunities within the university

Students with outstanding academic performance who are involved in special social activities can receive 300 EUR per month for a year from the Ruhr-Universität Scholarship and a “Deutschlandstipendium”: http://www.rub.de/bildungsfonds/info-studierende/en/index_en.html .
International students with good to very good academic performance who need financial support during the final phase of study can receive a graduation grant of 400 EUR per month for four months from the International Office at RUB: http://international.rub.de/rubiss/finanzielles/iostipendium.html.en .

Academic admission requirements

• Master of Science or German Diplom, preferably in biology, chemistry/biochemistry, psychology, medicine, physics, engineering, or informatics
• neuroscientific knowledge and interest in an interdisciplinary research and study programme of the International Graduate School of Neuroscience

Applicants are selected by an entrance exam and an interview which usually includes an oral presentation of the research performed in the course of the Master's thesis.
For the BSc-PhD programme, applicants must hold a Bachelor's or equivalent degree in biology, chemistry, electrical engineering, mathematics, medicine, psychology, or other related fields and have completed an experimental thesis.

Language requirements

Fluent English (oral and written)

Application deadline

End of January

Submit application to

www.rub.de/igsn

Accommodation

In the city of Bochum, you can find a variety of affordable and pleasant accommodations. On average, students in Bochum pay approximately 350 to 400 EUR per month for a single apartment, which is below the average rent in Germany. A room in a shared apartment is available from around 270 EUR. 

About 5,000 students in Bochum live in 18 student halls close to the campus, which are run by the Akademisches Förderungswerk (AKAFÖ). In the halls, each student has his or her own single room and shares a kitchen and bathroom with other students. Alternatively, students can rent an apartment with a private bathroom and kitchen, or they can share an apartment with one or several flatmates. 

More information on the student halls can be found at http://www.akafoe.de  and https://studium.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/de/wohnen .

In addition, eight private and church-affiliated student halls accommodate up to 1,000 students: http://www.stuwo.de/wohnheim-region/bochum/ .

Structured research and supervision

Yes

Research training / discussion

Yes

Support for international students and doctoral candidates

• Welcome event
• Accompanying programme
• Visa matters

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