Behavior and Cognition

PhD studies in BeCog


Research topics

Research in BeCog spans a wide range of topics, from the social behavior of nonhuman primates to neurocognitive studies involving human subjects. Research areas are mainly defined by the interests of our PIs who are listed alongside their research foci here.

Integration in Faculty/Research Groups

BeCog Dr. rer. nat. students are members of the Faculty of Biology and Psychology and BeCog Dr. phil. students are members of the Graduate School of Humanities (GSGG). BeCog doctoral students join the research group of their primary supervisor.

The Thesis Committee

Students are supervised by a three-member thesis committee (TC), appointed by the BeCog Program Committee. The TC meets regularly, with the first meeting occurring within six months of the PhD start date and subsequent meetings held at least once a year. Students are encouraged to schedule meetings at key points in their project timeline, such as before fieldwork or after completing an experiment, to maximize the effectiveness of supervision and ensure meetings are held at critical stages of the research process.

A minimum of 1.5 hours should be reserved for each TC meeting. Meetings are arranged by the student approximately three months in advance with their TC members. Students must send a brief progress report (1-2 pages in length) to the TC members about one week prior to the meeting. Each meeting begins with a short (approximately 30 minutes) presentation, during which the student provides an overview of their project, including methods, results (if applicable), and the latest developments. The subsequent discussion primarily focuses on scientific content, but time is also allocated to discuss the student's progress toward fulfilling credit requirements, alignment with the overarching timeline, and any career-related matters. It is recommended that students discuss the details of the report, the presentation format, and other specifics with other students in their research group (as structure and content may vary), and consult with their supervisor before organizing their first meeting. Additionally, it is highly recommended that the student and advisor meet individually with the other TC members after the meeting, to discuss their perspectives on the project's status and address any concerns.

The student is responsible for taking meeting minutes, which must be signed by all TC members. These signed minutes, along with the progress report, must then be sent to the BeCog Coordination Office. Additionally, students must ensure that they obtain a signature from all TC members on their "Checklist for PhD Students" after each meeting.

Modules

In addition to their research, students must earn 20 ECTS credits across five different modules, with a minimum of 4 ECTS credits required per module. These modules are designed to prepare students for a wide range of future careers and a diverse job market. The details of each module are outlined below.

Module 1: Acquiring knowledge of and reflecting on research
Participants learn to critically evaluate their projects and their field of research, as well as to present their discipline in brief presentations. Credits are earned through active participation in colloquia, seminars, and journal clubs. In addition to the BeCog seminar series, students may attend other relevant seminar series. Department-specific journal clubs and seminars are also accepted.

Module 2: Technical and methodological basics
Participants are introduced to methodological approaches and techniques relevant to their own research. Again, students are not restricted to courses offered at the University of Göttingen - courses organised by other universities may also be accepted.

Module 3: Scientific teaching
Participants contribute to teaching during their PhD. All candidates either assist with lectures and seminars or supervise Bachelor and Master’s students. The workload and specific responsibilities should be discussed with the supervisor and thesis committee.

Module 4: Scientific communication
In this module, participants learn how to present their work to an international audience. PhD students are required to participate in at least two scientific conferences, presenting their research either as a talk or a poster.

Module 5: Key competencies
This module provides students with the opportunity to acquire key skills that will be valuable for their future professional careers, both within and outside of academia. Key qualification courses are offered by the Göttingen Campus. In addition though, students are able to earn credits for courses from other universities. It is mandatory for students to complete a course on good scientific practice within their first year and provide proof of attendance. Other than this, students are free to choose courses according to their interests, but should consult with their main supervisor before finalising their selection. Participation in courses is either confirmed by supervisors and lecturers via a signature on the checklist or by provision of a certificate.

PhD duration

The program is designed to allow students to complete their PhD within three years. If needed, students may apply for an extension of up to two additional years. Extension requests must be approved by the Thesis Committee and submitted to the Program Committee via the BeCog Coordination Office every six months (the extension form can be found in the right-hand column). Students must remain continuously enrolled at the University of Göttingen for the entire duration of their PhD.

Dissertation

A publication-based dissertation is the preferred choice of the majority of our students. it is however, also possible to submit a monograph dissertation. Information on formatting and the submission process can be found on the GAUSS and the GSGG websites (see links below).



BeCog Dr. rer. nat. and BeCog Dr. phil. students should contact the BeCog Coordination Office c. 3 months in advance of submission for advice and to check that all submission formalities are complete.

Defense

In addition to submitting a written dissertation, students are required to defend their project in the form of a public presentation. Students are provided further information about the defense format at the following links:



Rules & regulations

The regulations associated with the respective programs are provided below. English translations, where provided, are a courtesy to international students and applicants; Reliance in law may only be placed upon the official German documents. All BeCog students must abide by the Rules of good practice for doctoral supervision and the Rules of good scientific practice.

BeCog Dr. rer. nat. program:
Doctoral degree regulations (RerNat-O) valid since April 2018 (DE)
Translation of the doctoral degree regulations (RerNat-O) valid since April 2018 (EN)

BeCog Dr. Phil. program:
Implementation of the doctoral programme Behavior and Cognition, Off. Ann. I no 51, 2018, pp. 1189-93 (DE)
1st amendment to the doctoral programme Behavior and Cognition, Off. Ann. I no 7, 2023, pp. 147-149 (DE)

Conflict:

In cases of conflict, students can contact their primary supervisor, their Thesis Committee, the BeCog Coordination Office or the BeCog Program Committee.

In addition, BeCog Dr. rer. nat. students are welcome to contact the GAUSS-appointed 'person of trust for doctoral students' - Prof. Dr. Ina Kersten, and BeCog Dr. phil. students can reach out to the GSGG Omsbudpersons. All cases are treated with the utmost confidentiality.