Career Entry & Prospects
- Did you enjoy scientific work as part of your studies?
- Did you find tutoring fun?
- Would you like to delve deeper into the topic of your Master’s thesis?
Then a doctoral degree and possibly an academic career might be right for you. Working in research and teaching offers a wide range of prospects and is generally open to anyone who meets the corresponding requirements. On this page, you will find some selected information on Ph.D. programs and doctorates, the job profile of a professor and the opportunities that a research career can offer you. At the bottom of the page, we have put together some FAQs for you as well as an overview of the people to contact.
Job profile of a professor / scientific career
“I am very curious, find many topics inspiring and enjoy exploring things in greater depth. As a professor, I especially appreciate the freedom to pursue my own research interests and work with great co-authors in the process, who can always teach you something new. Besides that, as a professor I can contribute not only to shaping my specialist field but also to the continuous development of our understanding and our society through teaching and practical projects.” (Professor Simone Wies, Department of Marketing)
“We are in a phase of radical technological and economic transformation. As part of a doctoral degree at Goethe University Frankfurt, you will learn how to deal with the challenges of using new technologies such as artificial intelligence from a business perspective while at the same time keeping goals such as sustainability in mind.” (Professor Oliver Hinz, Department of Business Informatics & Information Economics)
Experience reports by doctoral candidates at the faculty
“I decided to undertake doctoral studies because, after a rather broad-based degree in economics, I wanted to have more time again to work intensively on a specific topic and acquire more in-depth knowledge. Beyond that, science represents an attractive transition after graduation, with a lot of flexibility, independence and exchange. When I faced the decision of whether to embark on the path towards a doctoral degree, it was clear to me that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – either now or never.” (Erika Bognar, M.Sc.)
“What convinced me was the flexible and autonomous working environment that doctoral studies allow. I have an opportunity to work intensively on fascinating topics, attend high-quality courses for doctoral candidates, brainstorm with colleagues about current scientific developments and participate in numerous seminars and events where I can meet international scientists and further develop my professional skills.” (Linus Büttner, M.Sc.)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In general, a Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis is the final exam achievement in the respective degree program and usually written in the form of a monograph. Students should use the skills they have acquired during their studies to work on a scientific (possibly practice-oriented) question as independently as possible. The Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis can be regarded as preparatory work for an academic career. This then begins with the writing of a dissertation, which is generally far more extensive than a Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis. The dissertation, in turn, is often cumulative, i.e. takes the form of several specialist articles that each address individual sub-questions. Both in relation to the autonomy of the work and to the methods used, the requirements are higher than for a Bachelor’s/Master’s thesis. This is one of the reasons why doctoral degrees are accompanied by compulsory colloquia and methods courses at some universities.
In principle, a doctoral degree can make sense for all graduates who enjoy academic work and would like to explore a chosen topic more closely. The requirements vary depending on the type of doctoral degree and are usually defined in the respective doctoral regulations. At the Faculty of Economics and Business, for example, a degree in economics from an academic university with a grade of at least “Good” is required. There are many factors that influence the success of a doctoral project and most of them differ from person to person, e.g.:
- Initial experience in research and teaching as a student assistant / tutor
- Successful time management, e.g. regular time periods reserved for working on the dissertation
- Regular participation in specialist events, e.g. for networking with other researchers
- Proactively gathering and integrating feedback in everyday work
Basically, at the Faculty of Economics and Business / the Graduate School of Economics, Finance and Management (GSEFM) there are two options: a “traditional” doctoral procedure, either as a research associate in one of the departments or as an external doctoral candidate, or participation in a structured Ph.D. program. If you are interested in a traditional doctoral procedure, which usually leads to the degree “Dr. rer. pol.”, we recommend that you consult the website of the respective department to see which professors are working on the topic that interests you and ask them whether they are interested in supervising a doctoral degree or whether a position as a research associate is currently vacant. If you are interested in a structured program (usually leading to a Ph.D.), you can apply to the Graduate School of Economics, Finance and Management (GSEFM) within the corresponding deadlines. The GSEFM offers several graduate / Ph.D. programs with various foci.
If you are interested in undertaking a doctoral degree at the faculty, the first step is usually to find a suitable supervisor. To do this, you can consult the websites of the respective departments or the faculty’s publication database to find out whether one of the professors is currently working on the topic that interests you. You can also search here in the university’s job portal for research associate vacancies. When contacting a professor, we recommend that you prepare some initial ideas for possible research questions, a CV and a selection of suitable literature, e.g. in the form of an exposé. As soon as you have found a supervisor, you must submit the respective forms and documents to the Doctoral Studies Office. Once you have been accepted as a doctoral candidate, you will work on your dissertation, usually a cumulative one, and complete the courses required as part of doctoral studies. The time needed to complete the dissertation varies greatly from candidate to candidate (on average around 3-5 years at the Faculty of Economics and Business). You can obtain further information on the procedure from the Doctoral Studies Office or find it in the respective doctoral regulations.
A doctoral degree offers a wide range of career prospects, for example an academic career at universities or research institutions in Germany and abroad. The path to a professorship is generally via a post-doc phase and perhaps habilitation, but it can also be possible directly after the doctoral degree, depending on the circumstances and the type of university. A doctoral degree also offers advantages outside research and teaching, e.g. a career in management or as an expert in commercial practice.
Contact & Advice
Doctoral studies at the faculty
You can find further information on the “Doctoral Studies” page (here) and at the Doctoral Studies Office:
Doctoral studies at the GSEFM
You can find further information about the Graduate School of Economics, Finance and Management (GSEFM), contact persons and the programs offered under the following link (here).
Training measures and support
You can find further information on workshops, coaching, career support, etc. on the website of GRADE (Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers), the (post)graduate academy of Goethe University Frankfurt (here).
