Graduate School Changing living environments – perspectives from social and health sciences (LiWa)

The graduate school offers doctoral programs that fall within one of the center's three research areas:

• Health and well-being
• Digital transformation
• Social change (with a special focus on migration)

Individual doctoral topics are selected and assigned by the professors involved in the graduate school themselves, based on their areas of expertise.

The following professors will become members of the graduate school when it opens (in alphabetical order).

• Prof. Dr. Christian Bauer, IREM (Deputy Director), THWS Business School
• Prof. Dr. Harald Bolsinger, IREM, THWS Business School
• Prof. Dr. Christoph Bördlein, IFAS, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences (FAS)
• Prof. Dr. Peter Bradl, IREM (Director), THWS Business School
• Prof. Dr. Tanja Henking, IFAS (Director), FAS
• Prof. Dr. Tanja Kleibl, IFAS, FAS
• Prof. Dr. Rebecca Löbmann, IFAS, FAS
• Prof. Dr. Tanja Mühling, IFAS, FAS
• Prof. Dr. habil. Nicholas Müller, IDIS (Head), Faculties of Computer Science and Business Informaticsand Design
• Prof. Dr. Silke Neuderth, IFAS, FAS
• Prof. Dr. Hannah Reich, IFAS, FAS
• Prof. Dr. Ralf Roßkopf, IFAS, FAS
• Prof. Dr. med. Dr. habil. Stefan Sesselmann, MHBA, THWS Business School
• Prof. Dr. Dagmar Unz, IFAS, FAS (Dean)
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Wosch, IFAS, FAS

The graduate school only awards the degree Doctor rerum socialium, the German "Dr. rer. soc.".

Do you have further questions about a doctorate at the graduate school LiWa or admission as a professorial member?

Please contact the administration office:

promotionszentrum-liwa[at]thws.de

Please note: The graduate school is currently being developed and is not accepting new members at this time.

The requirements for admission to doctoral studies are set out in the doctoral regulations (see above).

There is no general answer to this question as various aspects must be taken into consideration:

• the doctoral degree regulations of the university you are currently enrolled at
• the doctoral degree regulations (Promotionsordnung) of the graduate school
• the regulations on the type and scope of the qualification programme and the guidelines on publication-based dissertations (cumulative dissertations)
• the progress of your doctoral project
• disciplinary and inter-disciplinary achievements which can be accredited for the intended qualification programme of the graduate school

It must be assessed for the individual case whether changing the institution it is formally possible, also whether it entails disadvantages for you that could influence your decision (e.g., time delay, lacking access to resources or required networks, etc.).

Please Note: Wait for the above documents to be published and discuss the matter with your supervisors before deciding on a change.

As part of the doctoral center, all doctoral candidates must complete a mandatory qualification program. This consists of a set number of compulsory and elective elements that must be completed in four different modules:

• Module 1: Fundamentals of Research Responsibility
• Module 2: Research Methods and Teaching
• Module 3: Networking and Cooperation
• Module 4: Science Communication

Further information on the qualification program will be announced in the guidelines on the nature and scope of the qualification program as soon as these are published.

The financing of doctoral projects in the graduate school does not differ from the financing of other doctoral projects. Here are your options:

• Employment as research associate with one of the three universities involved: For this, please check the job postings of the higher education institutions or contact potential supervisors directly. In general, this employment is financed through third-party funding, which the professors apply for with the funding parties.
• Funding by a doctoral scholarship programme: Students and research assistants at THWS can search for scholarships and awards in the ELFI funding database. Furthermore, the mystipendium.com portal contains an extensive collection of scholarships. Applications for scholarships must be submitted by the candidates themselves. 
• Extra-occupational doctorate (see next question)
• Financing by individual means (savings, family, ...)

Please note that application and admission to the Graduate School is not linked to financial support. However, no tuition fees are charged for the doctorate.

No, doctoral projects at the graduate school do not involve doctoral degree programmes. Hence no fees are to be paid.

Admission to the graduate school is based on a written application. The necessary requirements and the documents to be submitted are specified in the doctoral regulations.

Note: The graduate school is currently still in development, so no new members are being accepted at this time.

If you want to complete your doctorate with the graduate school, we recommend the following procedure. You can already start preparing, even if the graduate school is still in the process of being established. 

• Clarify the basic questions (motivation, framework conditions, doctorate at the graduate school or cooperative doctorate)

  • Information on doctorates in general
  • If necessary, initial consultation with one of our contact points

• Explore a topic and develop first ideas of a doctoral thesis topic
• Contact suitable professors of the graduate school and acquire them as supervisors/keep an eye on job postings at the same time (list of professorial members will be available soon)
• Narrow down the doctoral thesis topic
• Write a thesis proposal (The doctoral degree regulations contain corresponding information)

Once the application documents for the graduate school are available:

• Enter into a supervision agreement (a template will be provided as soon as an application is possible)
• Compile additionally required documents
• Submit the application for membership in the graduate school

With the launch of the graduate school, the professors involved in the application process with the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts become members of the graduate school.

Other interested professors from member universities can apply for membership after the graduate school has been launched. The requirements for this will be announced in the graduate school's statutes. 

The graduate school regulations will contain the criteria under which professorial members can supervise and review doctorates. Main and co-supervision are distinguished, the same applies to main and second evaluation.

The professorial members of the graduate school are expected to not only engage in supervision of doctoral candidates and evaluation of doctoral theses but to also contribute to the self-administration of the graduate school and to participate in networking events. One of the main quality assurance components of the center is regular exchange among the members.

• Scientific interim Direction: Prof. Dr. Tanja Henking

• Operative Management: Dr. Christian Lengl