Supervision of PhD projects by Prof. Dr. Schlumberger

The relationship between doctoral candidates and a PhD supervisor is a special one that usually lasts several years. It thus has to be ensured that they get on well with each other. Therefore, you, as a prospective doctoral candidate, should thoroughly reflect your choice for a PhD supervisor. Likewise, I need to consider well whom I am able and willing to supervise as a doctoral candidate. If you are planning to choose me as your supervisor, please consider the following information:

General Requirements

You should have completed a Masters degree in political science (grade 2,0 and better). Very good english skills are essential. Apart from a synopsis, you should hand in an undited writing sample (term paper or similar) and a current CV.

Your PhD proposal (max. seven pages) should contain:

• Research qeustion and its justification
• Research design
• Proposal methodology
• Time horizon and tentative work plan
• Possible results
• Tentative list of core references (min. one page)

Potential Topics

You should ensure that in your PhD thesis you want to work on a subject that broadly falls within the key research areas of our Tübingen research group on Comparative Politics / Middle East Politics. It is within this thematical scope, that I can guarantee the most competent supervision.

Your Synopsis

You should hand in a written synopsis of seven pages (no more!). In this synopsis, please outline a clear research question you want to address in your project, its academic (and, if applicable: practical) relevance, the proposed methodology, as well as potential results and strategies to address your research question.

Interview

After a first check of your synopsis, you will be informed about whether or not I can imagine supervising your PhD project. Before a final decision and registration of you PhD project, I will invite you to an interview in which we can discuss your plans in greater detail.

Application for Admission at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences

After agreeing on the supervision of your PhD project, you have to submit a formal application to the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences in order to be admitted as a doctoral candidate. In this application, you also have to give the name of a second supervisor / reader.

PhD Project Agreement

Once you are formally accepted as a doctoral candidate, you and me will sign a so-called “PhD project agreement” that defines our mutual responsibilities and duties.

Participation in the Research Colloquium

As a doctoral candidate at the research unit, you are obliged to participate regularly in the research colloquium (FFMO); exceptions for external candidates need to be agreed upon in the PhD Project Agreement. Furthermore, you should present the progress of you PhD project there once a semester.