Structure & Content

 

Structure and Content
Admission Requirements and Application Procedure
Selection Procedure
Advising
Certification and Documentation
Obligations
Degree

Structure and Content

The Doctoral Program Environment and Society is an interdisciplinary structured program overseen by an Academic Board. All doctoral students in the program have a dual affiliation: with the RCC and with the LMU faculty of their chosen discipline. The primary supervisor of the doctoral project must be a member of the faculty of the doctoral student’s chosen discipline. Doctoral students defend their dissertation in the faculty of this discipline. After fulfilment of the requirements of the Doctoral Program Environment and Society the doctoral students also receive a certificate and a transcript listing all the academic activities completed during the program.

The Academic Board members represent the following academic disciplines and fields:

Academic Disciplines / Fields	Academic Board members
Environmental Humanities; Environmental History; Landscape History; Urban History; American Cultural History and Transatlantic Relations	Prof. Dr. Sonja Dümpelmann Prof. Dr. Uwe Lübken
American Literature	Prof. Dr. Kerstin Schmidt
Art History	Prof. Dr. Hubertus Kohle
Economics	Prof. Dr. Karen Pittel
Geography	Prof. Dr. Henrike Rau Prof. Dr. Gordon Winder Prof. Dr. Imke Hoppe
History of 19th and 20th Century Europe	Prof. Dr. Kiran Klaus Patel
Literary Studies	Prof. Dr. Juliane Prade-Weiss
Philosophy, Ethics	Prof. Dr. Monika Betzler
Social and Cultural Anthropology	Prof. Dr. Eveline Dürr PD Dr. Martin Saxer
Theology, Social & Environmental Ethics	Prof. Dr. Markus Vogt

 

Students in the Doctoral Program Environment and Society (Proenviron) must fulfill the requirements for a doctorate in their chosen discipline. These requirements are determined by the relevant University faculty and vary according to the discipline. They often involve attending a graduate seminar (Oberseminar or equivalent) and other courses. Students are responsible for checking and clarifying the requirements with their primary advisor. Proenviron provides a structured environment for doctoral study at LMU doctoral studies, however, it is essential that students connect with their primary advisor independently of Proenviron and its requirements. Proenviron members who fulfill the requirements of the structured program will receive a special certificate in addition to their doctoral qualification.

 

In order to receive a Proenviron Certificate, members are required to:

 

• attend the interdisciplinary Lunchtime Colloquium series, Tuesday Discussions, Works-in-Progress, or similar RCC activities (a minimum of 60 sessions is required over the course of the program). Students should try to start attending the Lunchtime Colloquium in the first semester of their doctoral studies. The Lunchtime Colloquium provides insights into the field of environmental studies, facilitates networking with experts from all over the world, and ensures that doctoral researchers are a part of the wider academic community. Tuesday Discussions are offered to connect the academic community of the RCC to environmental practitioners. Works-in-Progress (WiP) will help doctoral candidates conceptualize their dissertation. The WiP is organized by RCC fellows, and each week participants discuss some of their own writing.

• take part in two or more doctoral workshops (Doktorandentage, doctoral retreats) organized by the program. The aim of these workshops is to provide an opportunity for networking and to give candidates a platform to present their research to fellow students, members of the wider RCC community, and other interested parties. Proenviron members will need to present their work at one of the Doktorandentage (or retreats).

• participate in the doctoral meetings (jour fixe), organized by the program coordinator once a month during the semester. The aim of these meetings is to exchange information about the program, strengthen the academic skills of the students, share research, get feedback, and promote the interdisciplinary dialogue between the program members.

• present their research at least once at a scholarly event (conference or similar), held outside of LMU.

• once a semester, candidates are required to submit a semester report to the Office Manager (1–1.5 page report).

 

The following are not program requirements, but are highly recommended and supported within the program and can be recorded on the final transcript of program activities:

• it is strongly recommended that candidates attend as many Doktorandentage as possible to form connections, collaborations, and networks within the program.

• candidates are encouraged to attend at least one soft skills workshop (e.g. Academic Writing in English, Didactics, Project Management, etc.) offered by the LMU Graduate Center, LMU Center for Leadership and People Management, or other provider.

• candidates are strongly encouraged to assist in organizing one or more Doktorandentag or similar academic event, including inviting guest speakers.

• students may optionally organize (for themselves) a one semester study/research leave abroad as part of the doctoral program. Funding may be available through the DAAD, the EU (Erasmus Mundus, etc.), and other funding bodies. Longer stays abroad can be arranged if necessitated by the nature of the dissertation project. Study leave can also be replaced by work experience (secondment).

• students are also welcome to organize and participate in Proenviron excursions.

• teaching experience is optional but recommended.

_{Note: recommended/optional activities may be subject to availability}

 

Exemplary distribution of course components:

Semesters	1	2	3	4	5	6
Mandatory
Lunchtime Colloquium	X	X
Tuesday Discussion			X	X	X
Works-in-Progress or similar					X	X
Doktorandentag, participation (at least twice)		X		X
Doktorandentag, present work (at least once)			X
Present work outside LMU (at least once)				X
Jour fixe/doctoral meetings (monthly)	X	X	X	X	X	X
Submit semester report (once per semester)	X	X	X	X	X	X
Dissertation	Timetable	Outline	Outline	Submit chapter	Submit chapter	Submit dissertation
Recommended
Organize academic event		x		x
Attend office hours of coordinators	x		x		x
Undertake soft-skills training		x		x		x
Optional
Participate in excursions	x				x
Organize excursions		x		x
Teaching			x		x

^{Note: The timing of course component attendance is variable, and recommended/optional activities subject to availability.}  

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Admission Requirements and Application Procedure

Applicants to the Doctoral Program Environment and Society must hold a master’s degree or equivalent from a recognized university and show evidence of excellence in their chosen field of study. Applicants will be informed via email about the outcome of their application. All applications are handled via the online application portal. Candidates will be considered on the basis of the documents listed below by a selection committee made up of at least two academic board members. For more information on the admission requirements, please see our Application section.

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Selection Procedure

The selection of candidates will be made on the basis of the documents submitted and may additionally include an interview with a member of the selection committee. Interviews can be conducted via zoom/Skype.

The selection criteria include: quality and feasibility of the research proposal; general qualifications; communication skills; demonstrated willingness and ability to work on interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological questions.

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Advising

Doctoral students are advised by a dissertation committee. This committee is made up of one primary advisor and at least one additional advisor. The primary advisor has the main responsibility for supervising the student. The committee members supervise the dissertation process and advise the student on questions regarding individual career plans. At least one of the student’s advisors must be a member of the program’s Academic Board.

By the end of the first semester, the doctoral student and their main advisor sign an agreement regarding the details of the supervision relationship (Betreuungsvereinbarung).nach oben

Certification and Documentation

Doctoral students submit a report on their program-related activities once a semester. A copy is kept by the program coordinator. The students are responsible for keeping the original and may be asked to produce it at the time of completion of the program. The reports serve as the basis for the issuance of the certificate and the corresponding transcript.

Upon successful completion of the program, the candidate will be issued a certificate confirming their participation in the Doctoral Program Environment and Society as well as a transcript listing the completed program components.

Doctoral candidates who only fulfill parts of the requirements may be issued a transcript listing the completed program components.nach oben

Obligations

Doctoral students are obliged to adhere to the regulations for good scientific practice (see DFG [German Research Council], Proposals for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice).

The dissertation committee is obligated to provide regular academic guidance, to support early academic independence, to promote individual careers, and to provide quality control measures, i.e. regular checks on progress and the quality of work.

Doctoral students commit themselves to providing regular written updates on the progress of their work for the use of their dissertation committee, depending on the individual stipulations set in the supervision agreement.

If the student does not comply with the incumbent duties and program requirements, their primary advisor is to issue a written reminder with an acceptable deadline to complete the outstanding task. If the student does not complete the task within this time period, the advisory committee can unilaterally dissolve the supervision agreement without notice. This must be documented in writing, stating the reason for the dissolution. Before dissolving the supervision agreement, the doctoral program’s representatives should be asked to mediate between the candidate and their primary advisor. The dissolution of the supervision agreement also terminates the student’s participation in the structured doctoral program (Proenviron). The advisory relationship within the relevant doctoral regulations of the affected faculty, however, remains untouched.nach oben

Degree

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the program, one of the following degree titles can be awarded: Dr. rer. nat., Dr. phil., Dr. iur., Dr. oec. publ., and Dr. theol. The doctorate is awarded by the faculty of the candidate’s primary advisor. Additional outside judgement may be sought from a member of another faculty. nach oben