The idea of doctoral studies at a university of applied sciences is of great importance to the HNEE. In fact, the University is working to revise the law in the state of Brandenburg to allow professors at universities of applied sciences to provide primary supervision to doctoral students. This plan to revise the law is part of the ongoing “Hochschulentwicklungskonzept” or University Development Concept and the HNEE’s own strategic plan for the future. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to establish the HNEE as an institute capable of graduating doctoral students, as well as expanding the reputation of the University as a prominent location for scientific research and study.

In the process of trying to achieve these goals, various pathways have been used to graduate doctorate students. A couple of examples include: joint doctoral programs in collaboration with other universities (e.g. the ‘Climate Plasticity Nature Conservation’ programme) or doctoral collaborations as part of research projects.

The doctoral program of the “Department of Forest and Environment” has been supporting doctoral students with personal scholarships since 2007. From 2014 to 2019, the HNEE was also able to successfully raise funds through its ‘Female Professor Program (’Professorinnen-Programm’), and could thereby award doctoral positions, scholarships, and material resources to young researchers.

Currently, a group of young researchers from doctoral and post-doctoral studies in the TRANSECT project ("Agricultural Transformation & Social-Ecological Complexities - Local Bio-economy Scenarios in Central and South Asia", headed by Dr. M. Spieß) is investigating the social-ecological interactions of agricultural transformation processes in the regions of Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan.

Furthermore the HNEE has recently closed off an agreement with the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, which grants the right for primary supervision of doctorate students to HNEE professors. Together, the two universities will run a cooperative graduate school, focused on biodiversity and land use in biosphere reserves. The aim is to give young researchers all the necessary conditions to complete a high-quality doctoral programme.

Information for those interested in doing a PhD

Information for PhD students

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