PhD theses, doctorate

As a non-university research institution, the Thünen Institute itself does not have the right to award doctorates. This requires cooperation with a university or a university of applied sciences. In most cases, there is a supervisor at the Thünen Institute and, in addition, the university’s supervisor.

Joining the Thünen Institute as a doctoral student is possible in one of the following ways:

• As a PhD candidate within a research project financed by third-party funds
• In a doctoral position offered by the Thünen Institute
• With a PhD scholarship from one of the German scholarship organisations or another scholarship provider
• As a visiting researcher

Doctoral conditions and culture

• Doctoral agreement: clarity about the relationship and the framework conditions for the individual doctorate is provided by an agreement between the PhD student and the Institute’s management.
• Self-organisation: This takes place in the PhD researchers group (representation of interests, exchange, support among doctoral students) as well as in other subject-specific exchange formats, e.g. on quantitative and qualitative methods.
• PhD seminar: This interdisciplinary exchange with other researchers of the Thünen Institute of Rural Studies on ongoing doctoral projects is held three to four times a year.
• Policy advice series: In an internal lecture and discussion series, the diverse experience of the policy advice expertise available at the Thünen Institute of Rural Studies is presented and discussed using concrete examples.
• Further training opportunities: The Thünen Institute offers a wide range of opportunities for professional and personal development, e.g. attendance at conferences, summer academies, specialised seminars or methodological trainings, which can be organised internally or externally.

If you have any questions about joining the Thünen Institute of Rural Studies as a PhD student, please contact Dr. Johanna Fick and Dr. Annett Steinführer.

If you are interested in talking to doctoral students at our institute, please let us know. We will be happy to bring you in contact with them.