Obtaining a doctorate in Oriental Studies
General
The Faculty of Humanities at the University of Bamberg offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Dr. phil) research degree. Supervision can be offered in the following disciplines and subjects at the Institute of Oriental Studies: General Linguistics, Arabic Studies, Iranian Studies, Islamic Art and Archaeology, Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies and Turkology.
Requirements
Enrollment in a doctoral program at the University of Bamberg requires a prior degree with at least an overall grade of "good" (or an equivalent rating from a foreign university) and a written confirmation of supervision from the appropriate professor. Therefore, before enrolling for a doctoral degree, applicants must first of all contact the university professor with whom they wish to do their doctorate. In a detailed consultation it can then be clarified whether there is a basis for confirming the supervision. In the case of doctoral students from abroad, an application for admission (Zulassungsantrag) must also be submitted and approved prior to enrollment. There are two application deadlines a year: January 10th and July 10th. The forms for the application for admission, information about the language test and all other information can be obtained from the university's international office. Theses can be written in German and English.
Advice
At the beginning of your doctoral studies, please get the information flyer for doctoral students, which is available from the dean's office of the faculty. A link on the website of the doctoral committee (Promotionsausschuss) will also lead you there. It gives you information about the formalities that you have to complete for admission to the doctorate and later admission to the oral doctoral examination (Disputation). Please note that some of these formalities have to be dealt with when starting the doctoral studies and not just when submitting the dissertation. Some of these formalities are only necessary in certain special cases, for example if a change of subject is intended for the doctorate or for doctoral students coming from abroad who require recognition of their academic achievements at the university of origin and, if necessary, additional requirements must be decided by the doctoral committee (e.g. in the form of additional seminar certificates to be acquired). In such special cases, an application must be submitted to the doctoral committee. At the beginning of your work on the dissertation, please consult with supervisor if such a special case applies to you. If necessary, your supervisor will be happy to help you with the application. Please familiarize yourself with the current doctoral regulations (Promotionsordnung, only available in German) as soon as you commence your doctoral studies.
Bamberg graduate school of Near and Middle Eastern Studies (BaGOS)
Doctoral students at the institute of Oriental studies can also become members of the Bamberg graduate school of Near and Middle Eastern Studies and partake in its academic program. The graduate school does not offer scholarships.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Your dissertation can be written in German or English.
Even if you do not write your dissertation in English, at least a basic knowledge of German is needed for dealing with university administration and some German-only official documents. German language proficiency also opens up the German academic literature in your research area. The events of the BaGOS are also held bilingually, therefore a solid knowledge of German is very useful for communicating with other researchers.
Your supervisor will likely be the one who most closely covers the research area that your dissertation falls into.
You will determine the topic of your dissertation in consultation with your supervisor.
In the agreement on supervision (Betreuungsvereinbarung) you and your supervisor will draw up a schedule for your dissertation project. This will likely also depend on the kind of funding you can procure.
An exposé or synopsis is a short summary or outline of your prospective thesis, containing central arguments, your methodology and other research you refer to. It should not exceed four pages.
As of now, there is a project room open to doctoral students. However, desks are not allotted permanently but are shared.
The Trimberg Research Academy and several graduate schools regularly offer workshops on different researchs methods, data management etc. Your supervisor will be your main adressee for all matters concerning your thesis. The International Office can help with administrative tasks connected with your stay at the university.