Doctoral Studies

Alongside writing a doctoral thesis, a doctorate at the University of Bern can be completed with or without additional coursework, depending on the respective faculty or academic field.

Graduate schools and doctoral programs

Graduate schools and doctoral programs offer research-based coursework that is specifically tailored to doctoral candidates and that complements their research activities (i.e., writing the doctoral thesis as the core component of their doctorate) with additional curricular elements. The focus of doctoral studies is on promoting conceptual, theoretical, methodological and transversal skills, as well as on supporting scientific socialization and network building.

The aim of this research-integrated coursework is to provide doctoral candidates with excellent qualifications for a research-centered career both within and outside academia.

Graduate schools and doctoral programs also contribute meaningfully to the visibility and profile-building of the University of Bern and its doctoral candidates at both national and international level.

Individual doctorate

Research activities – i.e., writing a doctoral thesis – are also at the center of an individual doctorate. However, doctoral coursework is less structured than at graduate schools or within a doctoral program, and is generally given less weight. That being said, depending on the faculty or the supervisor, mandatory curricular requirements may also be imposed within the scope of an individual doctorate.