Background

The major goal of the PhD programme comprises the following:

• To establish a qualified level of advanced study beyond the level of a Master of Science / Diplome degree, preventing narrow specialization through a broad teaching programme.
• To define international research goals and carry out mutually determined research projects with partner institutes. Significantly better chances for joint activities are expected through the practical application of international co-operation, in marine research as well as in industry and economy, especially in light of the increased focus on European unity.

The PhD programme embraces the spirit of international co-operation by requiring an extended foreign residence for the PhD student, with teaching programmes geared toward complementary subject matter among the various participating countries.

The following curriculum is envisioned for the fulfillment of this expanded co-operative international training:

• Joint seminars for the presentation of research projects in the first and third years of the program.
• Special teaching series, offered in the form of lectures, seminars with exercises or as practical lab exercises. These events will be offered as block courses with durations of several days to two weeks each. Within a time frame of three years the PhD student will be required to attend and successfully complete at least three of these special offerings (preferably more).
• Residence (ca. 6 months) in a laboratory of a foreign working group. During the stay at the host institute special instrumentation and equipment should be used (laboratories, measurement devices, data archives, core repositories, etc). An additional important goal is the publication of joint professional articles.

Benefits for the PhD candidates and for the research groups

The suggested PhD programme is expected to have a positive effect on the development and quality of the PhD training.

a. Improvement of work quality

It is presumed that through the additional offering of special lectures, seminars and practical instrumentation exercises, the initiation of the PhD students into their respective areas of research will be made easier. This will become increasingly more important in the future, as a planned shortening of the training period will leave less time for in-depth special lectures in the curricula of the particular field of study. Till now the initial period for a PhD student to become familiar with his special research field can take a relatively long time (not uncommonly about a year), before the actual research work begins.

The seminar in the PhD programme should provide a forum for the student during his research work in which his concept, preliminary results, working hypothesis and further progress can be critically discussed. The best initial solutions for certain problems can surely be developed with the help of the international and interdisciplinary composition of the PhD candidate group. The students can gain insight into the problems and methods of the other institutes and thereby be encouraged to pursue international and interdisciplinary research projects.

b. International ties

Improvement of foreign contacts through the guest residence period (6 months over the duration of the programme) and participation in the seminars is seen as a special enrichment for the research and teaching of the individual marine study disciplines. The students will thereby have the chance early in their studies to make international contacts and to present their ideas to the general scientific community and/or be stimulated by exposure to research results from a wider group of workers. This exposure is becoming an increasingly important aspect of the job market both in industry and research areas.