HONEST PhD CHATS // things i DIDN'T know about the German PhD system

This week I had a bit of a curveball hit me when I was told some things I didn't know about the German PhD system. Better late than never!
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I am 25 years old and come from Auckland, New Zealand
I am married to the LOVE of my life, Luke :)
I moved to Germany in Dec 2021 for my PhD. I study Medieval History at the University of Tübingen
We are currently living in Stuttgart, Germany
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[@bigernie9433]

It is clearly one of the drawbacks if the German university system, particularly for foreign students, that you are expected to be a self-starter in lots of ways whereas US universities, to use an example I am acquainted with, take care of students by continuously providing a vast amount of academic advisory. The grading of your German PhD thesis should not be too much of a worry unless you are targeting "summa cum laude" which is tough. The vast majority receive "magna cum laude" or, more rarely, at least "cum laude". The "rite" which is the German 4 is hardly ever given in reality. (I know such a case but the candidate in question really messed up in major fashion) A good working relationship with your professor and continuous academic efforts will certainly do the trick for you.

[@michaelajaneruth]

My supervisor is so lovely and very helpful so I feel in good hands thankfully! Thank you for explaining all this. I am definitely going to try my best but thankfully I have time to figure it all out!

[@Iluvyourchannelhehe]

Hi Michaela I love how you talk so openly about your struggles in this video. I'm from Australia, studied 6 months of my undergrad in Germany, and finished my Masters in Australia. I'm researching doing my PhD in Germany or London, but its such a stressful and emotional process especially given the pressure of thinking about the future! I remember my first two months in Germany were the hardest in terms of acquainting myself with my academic and physical environment, overcoming my loneliness and finding really great friends. I would love to hear an update on this video, you should rewatch this and do a reflection on how things have changed! Best wishes, Anastasia

[@michaelajaneruth]

Thank you for your message ♥️ i definitely will be doing an update later on but the process is just so up and down. Sometimes I feel so on top of things and other times i feel so lost!

[@SethinBerlin]

Hi Michaela. I'm currently a masters student in global history at Freie and Humboldt in Berlin. Thank you for this video! I am wanting to pursue a PhD as well. Keep up the good work and keep the videos coming

[@michaelajaneruth]

Hey! Nice to meet you. :) I hope you are enjoying Berlin. We haven't had a chance to go there yet but I am super excited. I hope you are enjoying the MA program?

[@Tom-hz1kz]

The "Doctoral degree regulations of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Tübingen" says in section 18 (4): "The obligation to publish and distribute the doctoral thesis is met either by proof of publication in a journal or in a publication series or as an individual publication via the book trade by a commercial publisher with a minimum print run of 150 copies". This means you do not have to actually sell 150 copies, you just have to find a publisher (usually by paying them) that prints 150 copies and makes them available for distribution so that book stores can order the book. Since this is a standard requirement for a PhD in Germany there are countless publishers who offer this service.

[@michaelajaneruth]

Yes I have since read these! My greatest shock just came from the fact that this is all so different to the New Zealand system! I knew about the publishing requirement I just didn't realise it was so much! I am sure I'll figure it out :)

[@setsrepus2778]

Many German universities allow to just hand in a handfull of copies if you publish the thesis online. You should double check if there is such an option or if your department is also stuck in the medieval with respect to its rules.

[@misterprogressive8730]

You dont have to have to do all of that. Just talk to your professor and you will get all the information you need. Doktoranden is considered as a job in germany and the proffesor is like your boss and he or she is responsible for your entire progress. Here in germany doktortitel is not uncommon and i dont know anyone who has to sell 150 copies!

[@peter_meyer]

I also highly doubt the "selling 150 copies" thing. I work in a book bindery and we would have had hundreds of requests for producing dissertations. We don't. The usual requests are for 3-5 copies to hand out to the Uni and for themselves.

[@michaelajaneruth]

Thank you both!! Yes, I am definitely going to look into it all some more. It was such a surprise to hear this, but my supervisor is great so I am sure I will figure it all out!

[@iliaskafih7761]

Hello Michaela,thank you for the information. I really enjoyed the video. I want to apply for a Ph.D. in Finance, both myself and my wife. I was wondering if it is necessary to meet our supervisor in person every time. The reason I ask is that we want to live together, and we would like to know if it's possible to pursue our Ph.D. degrees in different cities. Can we enroll in different universities, or do we have to be in the same city or even the same university? I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

[@michaelajaneruth]

No it is no necessary! Especially in the post-covid times so many meetings happen over zoom. Plus a lot of people actually live in a different city to where the study and either commute or work remotely. The main thing to think about would be how involved you want to be. It is a lot harder to attend university events and department meetings when you don't live there. But it is absolutely possible and lots of people do it!

[@iliaskafih7761]

@@michaelajaneruth thank youuu ❤️❤️