Application documents
1. Necessary documents to apply for a project scholarship:
The online application portal will be opened as soon as the call for applications has been published in autumn. The portal offers further assistance and explanations, so please create an account early. Please prepare the following documents as PDFs:
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an exposé presenting the idea for the dissertation project (three to five pages in German or English);
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a one-page summary of your dissertation project;
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a work sample (e.g. from the bachelor’s or master’s thesis, but no longer than 15–20 pages, please do not submit term papers);
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a CV (no photo or information on the applicant’s age required);
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a letter of motivation that describes why you are applying at FSGS and what you want to contribute to the success of the school (in German or English, two to three pages);
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copies of certificates: university entrance qualification; university degrees;
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language certificates for German and English (one language at least at level C1, the other at least at level B2), unless these languages are your native languages.;
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contact details of two experts in the field (generally university faculty) who are willing to write a letter of recommendation for you. The letter of recommendation is uploaded directly by the reviewers to the online application portal. The persons you specify will receive an automated email from the system. Please explain the procedure to them when you contact them in advance of your application and ask for the letter of recommendation. Letters of recommendation can be uploaded up to seven days after the application deadline. Please communicate this date to the people you are asking for a letter of recommendation well in advance.
2. Necessary documents to apply for an Einstein fellowship:
The online application portal will be opened as soon as the call for applications has been published in autumn. The portal offers further assistance and explanations, so please create an account early. Please prepare the following documents as PDFs:
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an exposé showing that the dissertation is an innovative, independent and theoretically sound research project (ca. ten pages in German or English);
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a one-page summary of your dissertation project;
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a work sample (no longer than 15–20 pages);
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a CV (no photo or information on the applicant’s age required);
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a letter of motivation that describes why you are applying at FSGS and what you want to contribute to the success of the school (in German or English, two to three pages);
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copies of certificates: university entrance qualification; university degrees;
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language certificates for German and English (one language at least at level C1, the other at least at level B2), unless these languages are your native languages.;
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contact details of two experts in the field (generally university faculty) who are willing to write a letter of recommendation for you. The letter of recommendation is uploaded directly by the reviewers to the online application portal. The persons you specify will receive an automated email from the system. Please explain the procedure to them when you contact them in advance of your application and ask for the letter of recommendation. Letters of recommendation can be uploaded up to seven days after the application deadline. Please communicate this date to the people you are asking for a letter of recommendation well in advance.;
3. Necessary documents to apply for a PhD position:
The online application portal will be opened as soon as the call for applications has been published in autumn. The portal offers further assistance and explanations, so please create an account early. Please prepare the following documents as PDFs:
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an exposé showing that the dissertation is an innovative, independent and theoretically sound research project (ca. ten pages in German or English);
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a one-page summary of your dissertation project;
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a work schedule and time schedule outlining the three-year project;
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a work sample (no longer than 15–20 pages);
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a CV (no photo or information on the applicant’s age required);
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a letter of motivation that describes why you are applying at FSGS and what you want to contribute to the success of the school (in German or English, two to three pages);
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copies of certificates: university entrance qualification; university degrees;
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language certificates for German and English (one language at least at level C1, the other at least at level B2), unless these languages are your native languages.
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letter by the first supervisor that supports the application at FSGS.
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proof of external funding (e.g. research assistant position, funding through a foundation) or proof of a submitted application to external sponsors (e.g. confirmation of receipt).
4. Necessary documents to apply for a DAAD grant for international students of German literature and culture:
The online application portal will be opened as soon as the call for applications has been published in autumn. The portal offers further assistance and explanations, so please create an account early. Please prepare the following documents as PDFs:
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a summary of the dissertation project (max. one page)
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an exposé showing that the dissertation is innovative, independent and theoretically sound (ca. ten pages in German or English);
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a work schedule and time schedule outlining the three-year project;
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a work sample (no longer than 15–20 pages);
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a CV (no photo or information on the applicant’s age required);
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a letter of motivation that describes why you are applying at FSGS and what you want to contribute to the success of the school (in German or English, two to three pages);
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copies of certificates: university entrance qualification; university degrees;
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language certificates for German and English (one language at least at level C1, the other at least at level B2), unless these languages are your native languages.
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contact details of two experts in the field (generally university faculty) who are willing to write a letter of recommendation for you. The letter of recommendation is uploaded directly by the reviewers to the online application portal. The persons you specify will receive an automated email from the system. Please explain the procedure to them when you contact them in advance of your application and ask for the letter of recommendation. Letters of recommendation can be uploaded up to seven days after the application deadline. Please communicate this date to the people you are asking for a letter of recommendation well in advance.
5. Necessary documents to apply for a position as a research associate at the Cluster of Excellence 2020 “Temporal Communities: Doing Literature in a Global Perspective” (EXC TC) in conjunction with a PhD position at the Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School (FSGS):
The online application portal will be opened as soon as the call for applications has been published in autumn. The portal offers further assistance and explanations, so please create an account early. Please prepare the following documents as PDFs when applying for a PhD with your own project in the context of an EXC TC research area or for a PhD in the context of an EXC TC project:
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a writing sample (max. 15–20 pages: a recent academic paper, e.g. a published article or a chapter from your master’s thesis; no term papers, please);
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a list of publications (if relevant; having published is not a requirement for the application);
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CV (in German or English, max. four pages, photo and information about your age are not mandatory);
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a letter of motivation which presents your academic and professional background, outlines why you are interested in joining EXC 2020 / FSGS and what your qualifications are (with regard to prior work, methodology etc.).
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copies of certificates: university entrance qualification, university degrees;
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language certificates for German and English (one language at least at level C1, the other at least at level B2), unless these languages are your native languages.
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contact details of two experts in the field (generally university faculty) who are willing to write a letter of recommendation for you. The letter of recommendation is uploaded directly by the reviewers to the online application portal. The persons you specify will receive an automated email from the system. Please explain the procedure to them when you contact them in advance of your application and ask for the letter of recommendation. Letters of recommendation can be uploaded within seven days after the application deadline. Please communicate this date to the people you are asking for a letter of recommendation well in advance.
Candidates applying for a PhD with an individual research project in the context of one of the EXC TC research areas additionally have to upload the following documents:
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exposé which outlines the research project (abstract, hypothesis, state of existing research, theories and methods, preliminary work, bibliography) and that establishes the project as innovative, original, and theoretically sound (max. ten pages, in German or English). Special emphasis should be put on demonstrating how the project will contribute to the cluster's research agenda and how it fits with the chosen research area.
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work plan and timetable outlining the three-year project.
Candidates applying for a PhD in the context of an EXC TC project additionally have to upload the following document:
- a short draft (one to two pages) of a dissertation proposal that relates to the selected cluster project in terms of methodology and content.
Please have the necessary documents ready as PDF files (respective maximum size: 2 MB). All entries to the online portal will be saved automatically and can be edited after login until the application is ready to be submitted.
