First Steps towards a Doctorate

Are you considering pursuing a doctorate at the University of Bern? The following checklist will help set your doctoral thesis project in motion:

1. Requirements

Admission to a doctorate is contingent on criteria of excellence, as well as individual qualifications and motivation based on a case-by-case assessment. There is no entitlement to pursue a doctorate.

The admission requirements for a doctorate are stipulated in the regulations governing doctoral studies of the respective faculty and (in some cases) of the respective graduate school. Find out about the terms of admission for your envisaged doctorate in the relevant regulations.

2. Finding a supervisor

Contact a researcher from your field of interest who is authorized to supervise doctoral candidates, and present your application to him/her, including an exposé of your research project. As a rule, the websites of the various institutes will provide a brief description of the most important research areas and/or a list of the respective institute’s publications and/or of the team members. Support may also be available from the administrative unit of the respective institute or department. The decision to take on the supervision of your doctoral thesis project rests with the researcher.

You will find our job vacancies on the University of Bern job portal.

3. Funding

Clarify the funding of your doctorate with your supervisor. As a rule, a doctorate is funded from the university’s own resources or through external funding (e.g., via project funding or career funding of the Swiss National Science Foundation). However, pursuing a doctorate at the University of Bern is not always tied to a corresponding employment position. When not tied to an employment position, doctoral candidates finance their doctorate independently.

4. General conditions

Discuss all further general conditions of your doctoral thesis project with your supervisor – e.g., duration of the doctorate, form of the doctoral thesis, ECTS credits to be acquired, workplace, taking on institute responsibilities if pursuing a doctorate with employment at the University of Bern (e.g., teaching activities, administrative tasks, etc.).

5. Registration

Register for your doctorate with the Admissions Office (ZIB) within the stipulated deadlines and complete the “Confirmation of Supervision” form applicable to you. Doctoral candidates must be registered at the University of Berne for the entire duration of their doctoral studies. Please also take note of the admission deadlines.

6. Graduate schools and doctoral programs

Following your registration for a doctorate, you can apply for admission to a graduate school or a doctoral program. Admission to graduate schools/doctoral programs often involves a competitive process. Find out about the respective admission requirements and procedures from the websites of the graduate schools and doctoral programs.

7. Doctoral Agreement

A Doctoral Agreement is drawn up between the doctoral candidate and the supervisor/s at the start of the doctorate. This agreement sets forth the process, duration, directives, milestones and goals of the doctoral thesis project.

8. Moving to Bern

Will you be moving to Bern for your doctorate? The Welcome Center of the University of Bern is here to provide you with information and advice to help facilitate your start in the Swiss capital.