Qualification and Career Development

As Karlsruhe University of Education, we support our researchers with a wide range of services at all career stages. Academic staff development is aimed at supporting researchers in their tasks and duties in research, teaching and academic self-governance as well as in their professional development.

Within the framework of academic staff development at our university, we regularly offer qualification programmes for researchers. These include, in particular, programmes in the fields of research and methodological competences.

Early-stage researchers have the opportunity to pursue a doctorate in the subjects taught at our university. After completing their doctoral thesis (Dissertation) and either an oral examination (Rigorosum) or the oral defense of their dissertation (Disputation), they will be awarded a doctoral degree in Educational Sciences (Dr. paed.) or in Philosophy (Dr. phil.).

As a rule, international doctoral candidates must provide proof of a sufficient level of German or English language proficiency. The language in which the dissertation is to be written is decided on a case-by-case basis. Currently, more than 130 early-stage researchers are pursuing their doctorates at our university. Our subject-specific graduate programmes provide many doctoral candidates with the perfect environment for their research projects and personal development.

Please see our Regulations Governing the Doctoral Dissertation (only available in German) for all important information on the applicable regulations and the doctoral dissertation process:

The Ateliergespräch format (structured conversations, including elements of counselling, coaching and mentoring) has been developed by the Department for Research Methods in Educational Sciences. With this format, the department provides an interdisciplinary forum for the presentation and discussion of research projects across status groups. The talks are intended to promote the open exchange of ideas on a specific research topic, which is presented at the beginning and discussed afterwards.

Since the summer semester 2018, Ateliergespräch discussions have been taking place on a wide range of topics at our University. Members of the university can find more information on the pages  for university staff and/or students.

The interdisciplinary research colloquium (interdisziplinäres Forschungskolloquium, ifko)  provides  the opportunity for a lively exchange on academic questions and individual projects, even across disciplines. Anyone holding a university degree who is willing to participate on a regular basis and present their own research work for discussion is invited to take part in the ifko.

The idea is that all participants show the same openness and willingness to learn that is required of pupils and students. The colloquium is less about presenting the research work done as perfectly as possible, but is rather geared towards bringing along and putting up for discussion precisely those parts of your work that is still in progress, on which you are still in doubt or about which you have questions. The participants from other disciplines then take on the role of "active thinkers" and "lay people asking questions", whose thoughts and questions will encourage you to look at your own work from a different perspective and sometimes even to question what previously seemed self-evident or at least to find completely different explanations. This approach often results in the further development, deepening and clarification of the topics the participants have brought with them, and for the "active thinkers" it often provides important impulses for solving the problems they encounter in their own work.