Justus Liebig University Giessen in Germany

Giessen University (the “Ludoviciana” or “Ludwigs-Universität,” and since the end of the Second World War “Justus-Liebig-Universität”) is one of the older universities in the German-speaking part of Europe. In the late Renaissance, students from Hesse generally had to go to the universities of Erfurt (founded 1392), Prague (1348), France or Italy to pursue their research and studies. After 1527, in the wake of the second great post-Reformation religious movement, it became possible to study closer to home in Marburg. As a result of religious and philosophical differences at Marburg, which turned Calvinist, the members of staff who remained loyal to the Lutheran faith moved in 1607 to the nearby town of Giessen, where Landgrave Ludwig V of Hessen-Darmstadt had created a new university. The rough-and-tumble of the Thirty Years War soon led, however, to a suspension of teaching at the “Ludoviciana” and re-location to Marburg (1624/1625). In 1650, the Peace of Westphalia rehabilitated Giessen University as a teaching institution.

Unlike many other educational systems at the tertiary level, study at German universities is not based on a tripartite structure (eg, B.A. or B.Sc.; then M.A. or M.Sc. then Ph.D.).A period of basic or junior studies (at least 4 semesters) is normally completed with a so-called intermediate exam (a non-degree exam) and is followed by a phase of advanced or senior studies (at least 6 - 8 semesters). After these advanced studies, students then take their first-degree examination in the form of their first state or university examinations.

The next level of study leads directly to the promotion(doctorate). There are only a few possibilities for non-doctoral studies after the first degree, such as German as a Foreign Language as an extension of the first degree in German Language and Literature; Informatics as an extension of a first degree, mag.

as an extension of law studies completed outside of Germany)Foreign applicants can be accepted as doctoral candidates only if the university degree(s) which they have obtained outside Germany can be judged as equivalent to a German academic qualification. This equivalence is determined by the "Promotionsausschuss" (Doctoral Committee of a faculty) upon application for admission.

In order to begin your doctoral studies, you need to find a professor at Justus Liebig University who represents your subject area and who is willing to become your official supervisor (you will need to present proof of this upon enrolment). The preparation of a doctorate in Germany normally involves the independent preparation of a substantial piece of written research (the dissertation; preparation time 2 to 4 years), and a subsequent oral examination or 'defense' of the dissertation.