Doctoral Schools

One or two day workshop on

Development and Evaluation of Doctoral Schools

The workshop is designed especially for university heads, faculty deans and directors of doctoral schools who are planning to establish a newly structured doctoral school or an umbrella graduate school. The workshop introduces into the advantages provided by newly structured doctoral schools and umbrella graduate schools in regard of systematically enhancing the quality of doctoral education and improving the university’s position and attractiveness in international competition. It discusses the worries and challenges on the way of jointly designing, implementing and deciding about newly structured doctoral schools, and it provides practical advice for establishing and managing them.

The workshop comprises

• an analysis of the concurrent situation, development and plans, the identification of development problems and potentials
• a review of the international development in designing and managing doctoral schools in order to learn from the experiences and benchmarks of outstanding concepts and best practice examples
• a comprehensive introduction into the structures, topics, tasks and challenges of doctoral schools and umbrella graduate schools
• an interactive working session for jointly elaborating concepts, tasks and plans for establishing a doctoral school, its regulations, working fields and programme areas
• advice and specialised tools for the doctoral school’s management

In case of need for a more intensive brainstorming and debate there is the option for extending the workshop concept to a two days retreat for analysing, designing and evaluating doctoral school concepts.