Doctoral training programme

Doctoral education at our School is guided by the Salzburg Principles. These recognise original research as the foundation of doctoral education and doctoral candidates as early-stage researchers. There is therefore no single, fixed path through the programme for everyone. Your starting point is the research problem you want to address, the nature of your discipline and the methods needed to achieve your objectives.

As your research progresses, you take increasing responsibility for planning your work, making decisions and ensuring the quality of your findings. Your supervisor supports you in developing your project and becoming an independent researcher.

Working on your doctoral dissertation develops your ability to formulate problems independently, plan complex projects, critically analyse information and data, communicate findings and collaborate with people from different fields. The HIRES-PhD framework identifies these as transversal skills that can be applied across a range of professional settings.

After your PhD, a research career is one of several paths you can take. According to the OECD, many doctorate holders go on to work outside academia. The skills you develop are valuable in research and development, industry, technology companies, consultancy and public institutions, as well as when developing your own business ventures.