PhD / Doctorate •

Degree

Dr

Course location

Hamburg

In cooperation with

German Electron Synchrotron (DESY Deutsches Elektronen-Synchroton)
Hamburg University of Technology (TU Hamburg)

Teaching language

• English

Languages

All lectures, workshops and colloquia in the curriculum of the doctoral programme are held in English.

Full-time / part-time

• full-time

Programme duration

6 semesters

Beginning

Only for doctoral programmes: any time

Application periods

This programme has no deadline listed.

More information on application periods

Please find more details on this website .

Combined Master's degree / PhD programme

Yes

Joint degree / double degree programme

No

Description/content

The "Understanding Written Artefacts" doctoral programme is offered at the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC), a research institute that investigates handwriting as a key cultural technique from a global perspective. Written artefacts are studied in an interdisciplinary setting of a broad range of subjects in the humanities, the natural sciences, and computer science.

Participating disciplines include:

• African Languages and Linguistics
• Ancient History
• Archaeometry
• Art History
• Assyriology
• Austronesian Studies
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Classical Archaeology
• Computer Science
• Ethiopian Studies
• Finno-Ugrian Studies
• Theatre Studies
• Indology/South Asian Studies
• Iranian Studies
• Islamic Studies
• Japanese Studies
• Jewish Philosophy and Religion
• Medieval and Modern History
• Mineralogy
• Musicology
• Physics
• Sinology
• Southeast Asian History
• Tamil Studies
• Thai and Lao Studies
• Turkish Studies

Research is currently organised thematically in 10 Project Groups (PG):

• Turning Rock into Pixels
• Writing in Colours
• Seeing inside Written Artefacts in 3D
• Parchment Panomics
• Gleaming Words
• Written Artefacts for Staging
• Navigating Multigraphic Written Artefacts
• Materiality and Textual Transmission
• Writing the Family
• Provenancing Plant-Based Writing Supports

as well as six Concept and Method Units (CMU):

• Material Choices
• Ethical Analysis
• Phased Transmission
• Navigating Crises
• Imprinted Handwriting
• Digital Twins

Course organisation

For doctoral researchers, the main focus is the work on their individual dissertation project, framed by one of the project groups (see description in the "Description / content" section).

This individual project is accompanied by a structured doctoral programme of six semesters:

• an introductory workshop (retreat)
• two alternating series of lectures (on histories and typologies of written artefacts)
• comparative and methodological workshops
• the doctoral colloquium with presentations of the project in the first, fourth and sixth semester

International elements

• Specialist literature in other languages
• Courses are led with foreign partners
• Projects with partners in Germany and abroad
• International comparisons and thematic reference to the international context
• Content-related regional focus

Description of other international elements

Research projects can be carried out together with international partners (e.g. libraries, archives, museums, collections abroad). Field research abroad can be integrated into the PhD programme. It is possible to have a PhD project co-supervised by a professor from a university abroad. In the structured parts of the PhD programme, we teach the study of manuscript cultures and inscriptions drawing on case studies from different regions of the world, both from a humanities-centred as well as a scientific perspective.

Teaching/work obligations or opportunities

Doctoral candidates with positions work in a specific project and are part of a research field.

There is no teaching obligation.

Special promotion / funding of the programme

• DFG (e.g. Research Training Groups)

Course-specific, integrated German language courses

No

Course-specific, integrated English language courses

No

Tuition fees per semester

None

Semester contribution

Enrolled doctoral students have to pay a semester contribution of approx. 384 EUR per semester. This includes a semester ticket covering public transport in the Hamburg metropolitan area.

Costs of living

Without additional costs for further insurances, private vehicles, etc., you ought to expect the following expenses:

• housing: approx. 400 to 700 EUR per month
• living expenses: approx. 500 to 700 EUR per month

Funding opportunities within the university

Yes

Description of the above-mentioned funding opportunities within the university

Doctoral candidates enter the doctoral programme with working positions as research associates or scholarships (self-funding is not possible).

Academic admission requirements

Academic qualification

Applicants must hold a degree (e.g. Master's degree, "Magister", "Diplom", state exam) from a university or equivalent higher education institution in one of the academic disciplines represented in the "Understanding Written Artefacts" Cluster. The performance in the subject that is to become the discipline of doctoral study has to be above average (at least "good" in the German system or equivalent).

Only disciplines from the Faculty of Humanities or the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences at Universität Hamburg can be chosen.

Fast-track option

Exceptionally qualified applicants can enter the doctoral programme directly with only a Bachelor's degree (that is materially relevant to the dissertation project). The corresponding Master's degree and the doctoral degree are then pursued at the same time.

German language skills

No minimum language level required

English language skills

B2 required, please provide an official language certificate, e.g.:

• Cambridge English Qualifications: B2 First
• TOEFL iBT (since 2026): 4
• Reading: 4
• Listening: 4
• Speaking: 4
• Writing: 4
• TOEFL iBT (before 2026): 72
• Reading: 18
• Listening: 17
• Speaking: 20
• Writing: 17
• telc English: telc English B2-C1 University
• UNIcert® English: UNIcert® II
• IELTS Academic: 5.5
• Cambridge English Qualifications Business (BEC) : B2 Business Vantage

Language requirements exemptions

Please find details on the course website.

Application periods

This programme has no deadline listed.

More information on application periods

Please find more details on this website .

Submit application via

Please check this website .

Accommodation

Are you searching for an apartment or a room? Although affordable housing in Hamburg is rare, please do not despair. Patience and luck will help you find suitable accommodation.

Start looking for accommodation as soon as you can. For more information on how to find accommodation, please visit: Finding accommodation in Hamburg .

For more information on how to find accommodation and how to plan your first steps in Hamburg, please see: https://www.uni-hamburg.de/piasta/beratung/doc/willkommen.pdf .

Structured research and supervision

Yes

Research training / discussion

Yes

Career advisory services and programmes for future professionals

Doctoral students benefit from soft skill trainings and mentoring schemes offered at the research centre.

Individual consultations provide orientation and help doctoral students plan their careers, be it within academia or in other sectors.

Career talks and workshops for developing professional skills are offered by the Hamburg Research Academy to doctoral and early career researchers.

The university's career centre helps with checking application documents. It also organises career days and job fairs.

Support for international students and doctoral candidates

• Specialist counselling

General services and support for international students and doctoral candidates

The Department of International Affairs offers comprehensive international student support. In addition to professional advising and counselling during all stages of the course of study, there is close cooperation with other advisory and counselling services at Universität Hamburg. International students will thus receive the necessary support and advice at any point during their studies.

Universität Hamburg’s Welcome Service supports international researchers, including doctoral researchers, who wish to stay for at least one month at Universität Hamburg. The Welcome Service provides information, advice, and help with several administrative issues such as: entering Germany, health insurance, the housing search, dealing with authorities, and even looking for a suitable kindergarten.

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