PhD programme in Education and Educational Science
The doctoral programme in Educational Science belongs to the humanities and cultural studies.
Graduates are able to conduct theoretical and empirical research in education and educational science.
They contribute to the analysis and conception of problems in the field of education, develop questions further and publish nationally and internationally. Furthermore, they acquire the ability to teach in educational science and to act pedagogically in subject-relevant organisations and institutions. This includes, among other things, leading work teams, planning and analysing work processes and the ability to design, implement and evaluate educational measures or programmes.
Curriculum "Doctor of Philosophy"-Doctoral Programme Education and Educational Science
Education & Educational Science
Doctor of Philosophy
Doktoratsstudium
Before studies/start of studies
In order to enrol in the PhD programme, you need to have completed a relevant university diploma or master's degree programme. In any case, these are the following studies at the University of Innsbruck:
- Diploma programme in Education
- Master's degree in Education and Educational Science
- Master's degree in Secondary Education (General Education) Specialisation in Media Education
Studies of other universities or universities of applied sciences must be equivalent. The equivalence of the degree of a Master's programme at a university of applied sciences, a diploma programme at a university of applied sciences or a Master's programme similar to a degree programme at a university of applied sciences must be checked individually. This is done in the course of the application for the degree programme. A preliminary equivalence check is not carried out.
If the equivalence is basically given and only individual supplements to the full equivalence are missing, examinations can be set as a requirement, which have to be taken during the doctoral studies.
If you have any questions, please contact the Dean of Studies.
Before you enrol in the PhD programme, you should answer some questions for yourself and think about why you want to do a PhD programme. It is also worthwhile to consider possible dissertation topics before enrolling. The faculty has developed a self-questioning guide that you can use to ask yourself if a PhD programme is really for you and what resources are available to you.
The professional fields of activity after completion of a doctoral programme are at universities, research institutions, post-secondary educational institutions, research departments of private and public institutions, advocacy groups and NGOs, psychosocial institutions, educational and training institutions including the political and media sector, professional representations and administrations.
With the doctorate, you demonstrate the ability to work independently on a topic in education and educational science, and to contribute to the discourse of the subject community. Therefore, much of the work in research and on the dissertation will be done independently, accompanied by a supervisor and/or peers.
At the Faculty of Education, we organise regular get-togethers for PhD students so that they can get to know each other and network with each other. You can find the next dates here.
No. Employment at the University of Innsbruck is not necessary to start a PhD programme. Of course, an employment as a pre-doc is a very good possibility to write a dissertation, as the integration into the institute and other financial resources is helpful.
However, you can also obtain the necessary financial support to work on your dissertation through various funding opportunities and scholarships.
Funding opportunities at the University of Innsbruck:
- Scholarships and grants of the University of Innsbruck
- Announcements and awards of the Office for Research Promotion
In addition, there are various other scholarships that are awarded by funding bodies on the basis of exposés:
- ÖAW
- Grants.at
Please also talk to your (possible) supervisor about scholarships, they usually have further ideas or know of other possibilities!
In study
People who have completed their habilitation in the field of educational science can supervise a dissertation. A list of people and their subject areas will help you get in touch with the right people to supervise your dissertation.
At the beginning of your PhD studies, you will work on and revise your research proposal in several courses (the so-called dissertation seminars). By presenting the synopsis to your fellow students several times, you will receive important feedback to improve your research project. A separate checklist on how to write an exposé [LINK] will help you to find and narrow down your research topic.
In the course of your PhD studies, you will present your research results at various research congresses and conferences. By means of the confirmation of participation in the conferences and meetings as well as the conference programme, you can prove this elective module to the extent of 5 ECTS credits.
A publication on your research also counts as evidence in this module. Here, the supervisor confirms that the publication is related to the dissertation research and that the published results contribute to the professional discourse. This confirmation and the contribution are then annexes to the examination protocol.
Information and instructions for (further) credits can be found here:
https://www.uibk.ac.at/fakultaeten/bildungswissenschaften/studium/pruefungen-und-fristen/anerkennung-von-pruefungen-seite-2.html
At the end of the study
The dissertation programme is completed with a dissertation thesis and viva voce. Here, too, some deadlines must be observed.
- Submission of the dissertation to the Examinations Office, including the examination protocol and any attachments.
- Assessment of the dissertation: The dissertation paper is reviewed and evaluated by at least two reviewers. Only one of these may have previously been the supervisor!
Note: The legal deadline for the assessment/review of the dissertation is 3 months, but it can also be done in a shorter period of time. In their own interest, students are asked to coordinate their scheduling in consultation with the reviewers so that the written reviews reach the Examinations Office at least 1 month before the viva. - Receipt of the expert opinions and registration for the viva: The written expert opinions and the planned date of the viva must be received by the Examinations Office at least one month before the viva (the date of the examination must be arranged by the student with the Examination Senate).
Attention: The examination senate consists of three persons. As a rule, these are the two examiners (one of whom is a supervisor) and a third examiner, who usually takes the chair. Please note that this third person must not have been a supervisor before! - Confirmation of the examination date: At the latest 2 weeks before the viva is held, the examination date will be confirmed to the student by the Examinations Office via e-mail (provided that the registration requirements have been proven) and announced publicly (by the faculty).
When you hand in your dissertation, you will receive the form "Registration for the viva voce examination" from the Examinations Office. You only have to clarify the time and place of the viva with the three-member committee and hand in the form, signed by all participants, to the Examinations Office.