Obtaining a doctoral degree after the deep pursuit of an individual doctoral research project of typically three to four years duration is your entrance point for a career in science. Holding a doctoral degree in the natural sciences, a Dr. rer. nat. (the German equivalent of a PhD in natural and life sciences), is proof that you have developed into an independent and responsible scientist. The way to get there is not an easy one. On this way, you will be supported by your doctoral committee consisting of your direct supervisor and two additional mentors. They will assist you in all matters of your scientific project, and they are the first line of support in case of problems. If you pursue your doctoral project in the framework of a structured Graduate Program, there will also be additional support e.g. in the form of a study program offering training in specific skills. And in any case, we will support you by offering workshops to pertinent topics, in particular concerning your future career orientation. For all formal enquiries such as eligibility of your Master degree for acceptance into our doctoral program, the PhD examination office will be of assistance.
A team of young and experienced first class scientists and their internationally recognized research groups, close interdisciplinary interactions at the frontiers of science, state-of-the-art infrastructure in excellent high-tech laboratories, transparent structures for supervision and mentoring, individualized offers for scientific and translational skills, an international network of scientific collaborations with Universities, Research Centers and Industry throughout the world - these are just some of the highlights of pursuing a doctoral project in a group of the Faculty of Biology at the University of Münster. The city of Münster - award winning, medium sized, green and young, with its centuries old traditions and modern infrastructure, bicycling capital of Germany situated in the heart of Europe - provides the ideal setting for doctoral studies and training with a difference.
We make available to all doctoral candidates pursuing a Dr. rer. nat. the offers and advantages of structured doctoral programs without limiting the scientific freedom of the individual doctoral candidates, their research groups, and their supervisors. We offer workshops and trainings for scientific and translational skills as asked for by the teams and individual doctoral candidates or their supervisors. Our aim is to support all doctoral candidates in their individual career paths during and beyond doctoral research and training, whether this will lead them into Academia such as Universities or Research Centers, into e.g. biotechnological, biomedical, pharmaceutical, or chemical Industry, or elsewhere. We are proud of having successful alumni in a wide field of occupations, and we actively seek contact with them to support a strong network into the professional world to the benefit of our current doctoral candidates, their research projects, and their career options.
