APPLICATION

「Frequently Asked Questions」

Eligibility
01| Who is eligible for BAGSS?
02| I have not yet completed my degree. Can I still apply?

Application Formalities
03| How can I apply?
04| When can I apply?
05| What are the accepted types of documents?
06| Why do my application documents need to be saved as pdf in the following order?
07| Do I have to translate all my documents?
08| Do I have to choose one pillar?
09| Do I have to contact a potential supervisor before I apply?

Living and Studying in Bamberg
10| Is there any financial support?
11| Are there any tuition fees at BAGSS?
12| Is it possible to complete the doctoral degree entirely in English?

01| Who is eligible for BAGSS?

BAGSS welcomes applications from doctoral students fulfilling the following criteria:

• have a supervision confirmation from a faculty member of BAGSS, who serves as first supervisor. This is often only the case for doctoral students being already enrolled at the University of Bamberg.
• graduated in the fields of Sociology, Psychology, Education, Political Science, Labour and Educational Economics and Demography with an excellent GPA. Qualified graduates of related subjects with a strong Social Science background are also encouraged to apply.
• hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) in one of the aforementioned subjects or be very close to completion.
• have an excellent command of English. If English is not your native tongue, you will need to provide proof of English language proficiency?

02| I have not yet completed my degree. Can I still apply?

If the completion of your degree is imminent, you are welcome to apply. At the day of starting your membership you should, however, hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) in the fields of Sociology, Psychology, Education, Political Science, Labour and Educational Economics and Demography with an excellent GPA.

03| How can I apply?

Please, send your application documents saved as one single pdf (SURNAME.pdf) to admissions.bagss(at)uni-bamberg.de.

In your e-mail, please adopt the following subject line: "Application for doctoral membership without funding".

The following materials are required:

• A brief cover letter.
• Your CV (including full contact information, including your e-mail address, your affiliation (chair, institute), and how you fund your doctoral research).
• A copy or scan of your academic degree certificate(s) and a transcript of records. Please provide an English translation if these documents have not been issued in English or German.
• The Agreement of Supervision for Associate Doctoral Students (completed and signed at least by yourself and your first supervisor) as well as the IRTP (completed at least for the first semester). Please, do also include the working title of your doctoral thesis.

The Agreement of Supervision for Associate Doctoral Students & IRTP is available for download here:
Download "Agreement of Supervision for Associate Doctoral Students(194.8 KB, 5 pages) & IRTP(466.8 KB)"

Please, do not submit any documents other than those requested. Application materials can be submitted in English or German.
 

04|  When can I apply?

Doctoral members without BAGSS funding are admitted twice a year with the start of a new semester.
Therefore, applications for the summer semester (start 1 April) are accepted until 10 January and application for the winter semester (start 1 October) are accepted until 15 June every year.

05| What are the accepted types of documents?

We accept only applications saved as one single PDF (SURNAME.pdf). You can find a free pdf creator on the internet, e.g. the pdfcreator.

07| Do I have to translate all my documents?

Application materials can be submitted in English or German. Please provide an English translation if these documents have not been issued in either one of these languages.

08| Do I have to choose one pillar?

The pillar that your main supervisor is assigned to determines the pillar you will be allocated to.

09| Do I have to contact a potential supervisor before I apply?

If your are completing your doctoral degree at the University of Bamberg, then you have already found your supervisor. If that is not the case, then please contact the Graduate School office via admissions.bagss(at)uni-bamberg.de.

Living and Studying in Bamberg

10| Is there any financial support?

Doctoral members who have not applied for a Starter Scholarship are not eligible to receive funding from the Graduate School.

However, the Graduate School awards one-year Completion Scholarships to doctoral members of the Graduate School close to finishing their doctoral studies. Within this year, recipients are expected to complete and submit their doctoral thesis. Completion Scholarships amount a monthly stipend of 1,468.00 EUR.

11| Are there any tuition fees at BAGSS?

No. A small administrative fee has to be paid every semester when being enrolled; it currently amounts to 101.50 EUR and includes free public transport in Bamberg, reduced prices in campus cafeterias, and other student discounts. Since associate members are usually already enrolled at the university, they of course only pay this fee once.

12| Is it possible to complete the doctoral degree entirely in English?

You will complete your doctoral degree in the language that you chose with your supervisor. If that is in fact English, then it is possible to complete your degree in English.