Since winter 2007, the IEE has been offering the structured and interdisciplinary PhD programme in International Development Studies in cooperation with the Faculties of Geography, Law, Social Science, and Economics of Ruhr University Bochum. The PhD IDS combines training through research and coursework. Research training consists of working on individual PhD projects with supervision from experienced professors, regular exchange within the framework of one of the IEE's research cluster and includes an individual field research period of up to 6 months. Participation in coursework aims at contributing to research and transferable skills. IEE's traning offers are supplemented by offers of other departments of RUB and other cooperation partners.
The standard period of study is 3 years. The average time required to complete the programme including all examinations is around 4 years. Excellent candidates from all over the world can apply for the the programme annually.
KEY FACTS
3 years standard study period
(average duration until completion including exams is around 4 years)
up to 6-months
field research period
31 March each year
in November each year
Programme Structure
The PhD in International Development Studies combines working on individual PhD research projects with participation in taught modules. The variety of modules offered allows for tailor made qualification for each PhD candidate. Modules offered by the IEE itself, other faculties at RUB or external cooperation partners deal with developmental issues from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Interdisciplinary workshops on research related competencies and research management skills as well as a broad career preparation program are offered by the RUB Research School . Offers include a wide range of transferable skills courses in Research Related Competencies (Scientific Writing, Scientific Presentation and Professional (Scientific) Communication), Career Preparation, and Research Management Skills. These offers are complemented by funding opportunities for international research activities.
Adding to this, PhD candidates regularly report on the progress of their own research projects during meetings of the IEE Research Clusters .
A detailed overview of the structure of the PhD IDS is provided in the curriculum . The Doctoral Statutes (offical German and translated English version ) are also available.
Schematic illustration of programme structure
| course work | individual research projects | ||||
| 1st term | seminars according to |
exposé | theory and preparation of field research | ||
| 2nd term | |||||
| 3rd term | |||||
| 4th term | field research | ||||
| 5th term | curriculum | completion of PhD Thesis |
|||
| 6th term | |||||
| 6th term: Viva | |||||
Financing Options
DAAD-GSSP Scholarships
The IEE successfully applied for the “Graduate School Scholarship Programme” (GSSP) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and therefore has the opportunity to nominate two excellent international applicants of the PhD IDS for a DAAD-GSSP scholarship.
Criteria for nomination:
- Excellent academic profile
- The last final exam (Master Degree or equivalent) must have taken place no longer than six years ago prior to the nomination.
- The applicants must not have resided in Germany for more than 15 months prior to the nomination.
Scholarship benefits:
- a scholarship instalment of currently € 1,200 per month;
- travel allowance;
- payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover;
- a research allowance of currently € 460 per year (for scholarship holders from emerging countries), or € 230 per year (for scholarship holders from industrialized countries);
- Field studies/stays abroad will be funded provided the overall period abroad does not exceed 25% of total funding period and provided that the field study/stay abroad does not take place at the beginning of your studies.
Only international applicants selected as a PhD IDS candidate can be nominated for a GSSP scholarship.Therefore, candidates need to apply for the PhD IDS until the regular application deadline via the online application portal which opens in autumn each year. They need to enter “GSSP” under “Scholarship donor” and must use and submit a specific template for academic recommendation letters.
Further detailed information is available in the "How to apply" section. If you are interested to find out more about the GSSP programme, have a look at the DAAD website.
Other scholarship options
Applicants are requested to contact relevant institutions directly for further information but keep us informed about any scholarship applications.
Self-financing applicants
A good source of information to estimate costs of studying and living in Germany is provided by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Additional information is provided by the International Office of Ruhr University Bochum.
How to apply
The link will be provided here, once the application period started.
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. It is the applicant's responsibility to check that the application is complete!
Minimum Entry Requirements
- Qualified university degree (Master or equivalent) in Law, Social or Political Science, Economics, Development Management or related subjects from all over the world with an overall grade equivalent to 2.7 (fully satisfactory) in the German grading system after completion of relevant studies with a duration of at least 4 years.
- Qualified degree with an overall grade equivalent to 1.3 (still very good) in the German grading system after completion of relevant studies with a duration of at least three years plus preparatory studies for the PhD of usually three semesters.
Admission
Admission to the PhD IDS is based on a competitive selection process.
The major criteria are:
- Quality of research proposal
- Supporting academic references
- Relevance and overall grades of previous studies
- Proficiency in English
Required documents
- Application letter describing the motivation of your application for the PhD in International Development Studies.
- Research proposal of the planned PhD project of max. 5 pages (following the guidelines for writing a research proposal).
- Full Curriculum Vitae (please use the Europass CV tool).
- Higher education degree certificate(s) and full transcript(s) of records, including an explanation of the grading system of all previous studies. Certified translations are required if original documents are not available in English or German.
- School leaving certificate that shows all single marks and entitles the candidate to study at a recognized institution of higher education in the home country.
- Official certificate confirming applicant's English language proficiency equivalent to CEFR level C1 (e.g. IELTS Band 7 or TOEFL iBT 94 or above). If English has been your language of instruction since your secondary education, a proof of your English language proficiency is not compulsory but nonetheless highly recommended.
- Two recent academic recommendation letters including the official letterhead of the institution and the signature of the referee. At least one of the letters has to be provided by a lecturer of the study programme which qualifies for the PhD application, e.g. Master or equivalent. Applicants for the DAAD GSSP scholarship must use the DAAD template for recommendation letters.
SUPERVISION
All supervisors of the PhD candidates hold professorial posts and are well trained and skilled experts and professionals, having far-reaching experience in teaching, mentoring and research. The decision about supervisors is part of the application and selection process. It is therefore not necessary for applicants to contact potential supervisors before they apply. The table below provides an overview about current and past supervisors involved in the PhD IDS.
RUHR UNIVERSITY BOCHUM
Prof. Dr. Thushyanthan Baskaran
PD Dr. Christian Gudehus
Prof. em. Dr. Uwe Andersen
Prof. Dr. Dennis Dijkzeul
Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Heintze
Prof. Dr. Pierre Thielbörger
Geographic Institute
Prof. Dr. Matthias Kiese
Jun. Prof. Dr. Andreas Rienow
Institute of Work Science
Prof. Dr. Uta Wilkens
Ongoing PhD Projects
| Emmanuel Monyei |
|
| Entry: | 2023 |
| PhD Project: | Climate Displacement in Sinking States: Nationhood Loss and Protection Praxis in International Law - the Case of Maldives |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Heintze (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| David Lefor |
|
| Entry: | 2023 |
| PhD Project: | Peace Education in Protracted Refugee Settings: Examining Resilience Development and Power Dynamics within Thailand's Refugee Camps |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Dennis Dijkzeul (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Ricarda Rahn (assoc.) |
|
| Entry: | 2023 |
| PhD Project: | The inclusion and function of NGOs in the German supply chain law: Legal analysis of possibilities and boundaries in the textile industry |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Markus Kaltenborn (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Phillip Riedel |
|
| Entry: | 2023 |
| PhD Project: | Development within a corridor: Urbanization und the Belt and Road Initiative |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Löwenstein (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Simon Rahn |
|
| Entry: | 2023 |
| PhD Project: | Normative Agency of Regional Organizations in the Politics of Poverty Reduction |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Christof Hartmann (UDE) |
| Abstract | |
| Leonie Grunau |
|
| Entry: | 2023 |
| PhD Project: | Knowledge Sharing in Development Cooperation between Mexico and Germany |
| Supervisor: | tba |
| Abstract | |
| Ricardo Paris |
|
| Entry: | 2021 |
| PhD Project: | Assessing the influence of urban planning and territorial strategies on regional food systems |
| Supervisor: | Jun-Prof. Dr. Andreas Rienow (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Camilo Ucrós |
|
| Entry: | 2021 |
| PhD Project: | The Political Ecologies of Reintegration Processes in Colombia |
| Supervisor: | PD Dr. Christian Gudehus (RUB) and Prof. Dr. Sabine Kurtenbach (German Institute for Global and Area Studies, GIGA) |
| Abstract | |
| Muhammad Saleh |
|
| Entry: | 2021 |
| PhD Project: | The Effects of Foreign Direct Investment and Official Development Assistance on Job Creation and Poverty Reduction (The research project is part of ADAPTED, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network project funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme which is coordinated by the IEE.) |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Löwenstein (RUB) and Prof. Dr. Rémi Bazillier (University Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, UP1 ) |
| Abstract | |
| Akua Martinson |
|
| Entry: | 2021 |
| PhD Project: | The effects of governmentally enforced minimum wages on formal sector employment (The research project is part of ADAPTED, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network project funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme which is coordinated by the IEE.) |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Löwenstein (RUB) and Prof. Dr. Rémi Bazillier (University Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, UP1 ) |
| Abstract | |
| Natalia Zakharchenko |
|
| Entry: | 2021 |
| PhD Project: |
Rights-based social assistance schemes (The research project is part of ADAPTED, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network project funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme which is coordinated by the IEE.) |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Markus Kaltenborn (RUB) and Prof.Dr. Galina Cornelisse ( Kooijmans Institute for Law and Governance, VU Amsterdam ) |
| Abstract | |
| Irene Among | |
| Entry: | 2021 |
| PhD Project: | Building coherent social protection systems (The research project is part of ADAPTED, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network project funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme which is coordinated by the IEE.) |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Markus Kaltenborn (RUB) and Prof. Dr. Andrew Fischer (Erasmus University Rotterdam) |
| Abstract | |
| Johann Langenbach |
|
| Entry: | 2021 |
| PhD Project: |
Cost/ Benefit of Climate Policies in the Context of Informal Economies (The research project is part of ADAPTED, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network project funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme which is coordinated by the IEE.) |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Mathilde Maurel (University Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, UP1), Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Löwenstein (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Luiza Leite de Queiroz |
|
| Entry: | 2021 |
| PhD Project: |
Mobilising International Law for Cross-Border Tax Justice (The research project is part of ADAPTED, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network project funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme which is coordinated by the IEE.) |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Galina Cornelisse (VUA), Prof. Dr. Markus Kaltenborn (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| María Moraga Fernández |
|
| Entry: | 2021 |
| PhD Project: |
Labour Regulation and Economic Performance in Sub-Saharan Africa (The research project is part of ADAPTED, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network project funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme which is coordinated by the IEE.) |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Rémi Bazillier (University Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, UP1), Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Löwenstein (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Petronilla Wandeto |
|
| Entry: | 2021 |
| PhD Project: |
Neopatrimonialism, Pockets of Effectiveness and Policy-Making for the Poor (The research project is part of ADAPTED, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network project funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme which is coordinated by the IEE.) |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Wil Hout (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Prof. Dr. Christof Hartmann (University of Duisburg-Essen) |
| Abstract | |
| Caroline Spanaus |
|
| Entry: | 2020 |
| PhD Project: | The Women, Business and Human Rights- Nexus - the effect of international law in creating an accessible business climate for women in Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Markus Kaltenborn (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Henrike Roth |
|
| Entry: | 2018 |
| PhD Project: | Structural Change in an Open Economy - the Transmission Channels between Trade, Growth and Poverty |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Löwenstein (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Anja Habersang (assoc.) | |
| Entry: | 2018 |
| PhD Project: | Globale Krisen und lokale Konflikte? Wechselwirkungen und Neupositionierungen am Beispiel von Landkonflikten in Chile und Argentinien |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Eva Gerharz (HS Fulda) |
| Abstract | |
| Corinna Land (assoc.) | |
| Entry: | 2018 |
| PhD Project: | Displacement and Reactions from below: Migration, Resistance and Adaption |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Eva Gerharz (HS Fulda) and Prof. Dr. Heike Greschke (TU Dresden) |
| Abstract | |
| Zena Mouawad |
|
| Entry: | 2017 |
| PhD Project: | UN-UN Inter-Organisational Relations: The Governance of the Decent Work Agenda |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Christof Hartmann (University of Duisburg-Essen) |
| Abstract | |
| UK Mong Marma |
|
| Entry: | 2017 |
| PhD Project: | Forced Migration and Land: An Expulsion in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Eva Gerharz (HS Fulda) |
| Abstract | |
| Om Ki |
|
| Entry: | 2017 |
| PhD Project: | A Theory-based Impact Evaluation of a Development Intervention in Myanmar |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Löwenstein (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Katharina Girndt |
|
| Entry: | 2017 |
| PhD Project: | Dealing with the Impact of Social Control: Strategies and Coping Mechanisms of LGBT+ People in South Africa |
| Supervisor: | PD Dr. Stefan Karduck (University of Cologne) |
| Abstract | |
| Ulemj Dovchin | |
| Entry: | 2017 |
| PhD Project: | Foreign Investment Protection and Human Rights |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Markus Kaltenborn (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Darina Pellowska |
|
| Entry: | 2016 |
| PhD Project: | Humanitarian Assistance and Conflict Economies: Analyzing Humanitarian Resource Networks in Darfur (Sudan) |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Dennis Dijkzeul (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Ruth Knoblich (assoc.) |
|
| Entry: | 2016 |
| PhD Project: | Rising Middle IP-Powers: National Interests and International Influence. South Africa as a Case Study |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Tilman Mayer (University of Bonn) |
| Abstract | |
| Andrew Boogaards |
|
| Entry: | 2016 |
| PhD Project: | Analyzing the Long Term Legacy of Corporate Social Responsiblity on Community Development |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Katja Bender (HS Bonn-Rhein-Sieg) |
| Abstract | |
| Laura Hofmann |
|
| Entry: | 2015 |
| PhD Project: | Cultural Heritage Preservation and Protection in Human Rights Law |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Pierre Thielbörger (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Salam Alhaj Hasan | |
| Entry: | 2015 |
| PhD Project: | The economic life of Syrian refugees in camps |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Löwenstein (RUB) |
| Abstract | |
| Maruf Lutfur |
|
| Entry: | 2013 |
| PhD Project: | Exploring the Socio-Cultural Impact of Migration: An Ethnographic Study of Migrant Workers from Bangladesh to Gulf States |
| Supervisor: | Prof. Dr. Eva Gerharz (HS Fulda) |
| Abstract | |
COMPLETED PHD PROJECTS
A practical approach to Refugee Protection in Southeast Asia
Fiza Lee Malhotra
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Heintze
Abstract
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS OF PHD IDS APPLICANTS
The only way to apply for the PhD IDS is via the online portal.
There are a number of student dorms around the university. You will also get a check list of organisational issues after being admitted which includes different options for the arrangement of accommodation. Our staff will assist you on request, but you can also apply for accommodation yourself online. See AKAFÖ for details.
Flat shares (“Wohngemeinschaften”, acronym “WG”) are a very common way for German students to find housing at affordable prices. Be aware that in most cases you need to be in the city in order to present yourself to your future flatmates. This guide can help you find your way through private house-hunting in Bochum.
You can change your accommodation after the expiration date of your contract. In the meantime, you can apply for a new accommodation at AKAFÖ or a private hostel. But have in mind that there is a waiting list and that you must wait about six months from the date you have applied. Most hostels offer semester contracts. Depending on your contract you have to inform the administration of the hostel 1-3 months in advance in writing that you would like to cancel the contract.
Downloads
Contact
Dipl.-Ök. Britta Niklas
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Institute of Development Research and Development Policy
Room 2.02, Universitätsstr. 105
44789 Bochum/Germany
Phone: +49 (0)234 32-25148
Email: ieephd@rub.de
