Structured Ph.D. Programme at the Berlin Graduate School for Global and Transregional Studies

The Cluster of Excellence and the Graduate School

The Cluster of Excellence SCRIPTS investigates the loss of confidence in the liberal order and the ability of core institutions of contemporary liberal societies to provide solutions to an array of challenges,
which lie at the heart of prominent domestic and international conflicts in the 21st century. Putting this phenomenon in a broader historical, global, and comparative perspective, the cluster aspires to find
out who contests and to what end, whether there are alternative proposals to the liberal script, what causes the liberal script to lose attractiveness and which consequences arise from these contestations.
The Berlin Graduate School for Global and Transregional Studies (BGTS) is the full-time PhD programme of the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” (SCRIPTS) at Freie Universität Berlin in cooperation with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Hertie School and others. As the Cluster’s hub for doctoral fellows, the BGTS offers a rigorous and dynamic Englishlanguage PhD programme for exceptionally talented and motivated graduate students in the field of global and transregional studies, bringing together a broad spectrum of disciplines and methodological approaches.

The PhD programme
The three-year English language doctoral programme at the BGTS provides state-of-the-art theory classes, solid training in research methods and research design, soft skills courses, and individual
supervision. The programme focuses on contemporary contestations of the liberal script from historical, global, and comparative perspectives with a particular interest in global and transregional
processes. Apart from social science and historical approaches, we explicitly encourage students of area studies, gender studies, philosophy, and education studies to submit their proposals. Research at
the BGTS focuses on the structures, risks, and opportunities of cross-regional interaction at various levels and we particularly welcome critical perspectives. PhD researchers with excellent university
degrees should be knowledgeable with regard to the various theoretical and methodological approaches in the disciplines relevant to the cluster. They should be open to interdisciplinary collaboration. We also expect excellent command of English in writing and speaking. Find out more about SCRIPTS’s overall research agenda here: https://www.scripts-berlin.eu/. Applicants should also familiarise themselves with the research interests of BGTS faculty members (https://www.scriptsberlin.eu/birt/bgts/bgts_people/faculty-members/index.html) and indicate one or several potential
supervisors in their application.

SCRIPTS positions
Four PhD positions (E13, 65%) are funded by the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” (SCRIPTS), linked to its four respective Research Units (RU): Borders, Orders, (Re-)Allocation and Temporality. PhD researchers are expected to participate in regular meetings and events of the Research Units and to contribute to the dissemination of research results through publications and
participation in workshops and conferences. Applicants should express their interest in the topics of their preferred RU. Ideally, the PhD researchers should link their research proposal with the main
research questions of one of the respective research units. More information about the Research Units: https://www.scripts-berlin.eu/research/research-units/index.html.

Funding through (external) scholarships

• Two scholarships for international applicants funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, DAAD) are available. DAAD scholarship applicants must not have resided in Germany for more than 15 months prior to the nomination and the final exam (Master Degree or equivalent) must have taken place no longer than six years ago;
• As there is only a limited number of PhD positions available, candidates who are not offered a scholarship can be admitted to the programme provided that they secure their own external funding. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to apply to other sponsors/foundations at the same time of your BGTS application.

Requirements for application

• Excellent Master’s degree, qualifying for PhD studies in the social sciences, history, economics, law, or area studies;
• proof of C1-level English language skills or the equivalent;
• most recent CV;
• letter of motivation (600 words maximum);
• research proposal (5,000 words maximum) with a timeline for your project;
• two letters of reference from professors at universities or research institutions.

Application procedure
All applicants are required to apply online HERE:

For more information about the BGTS and the application procedure, please visit: scripts-berlin.eu