The PhD training program combines mandatory elements that are required for all doctoral candidates within GEAS with courses and skill provisions that are based on individual doctoral candidates' training needs in the context of their dissertation research.

The scientific focus of the program, of course, also determines the curriculum which is offered to you and is designed to support your research. The core courses of the GEAS graduate program are two methods seminars — Theory Design in East Asian Studies and Research Design (Social Scientific Methods) — taken in the first year, together with research seminars in your area and your discipline. These courses give doctoral candidates a solid theoretical and methodological foundation for the study of East Asia.

In the course of the program, doctoral candidates will encounter different phases of work, ranging from periods where doctoral candidates will work in larger or smaller groups to phases where they will predominantly focus on their own research projects. While doctoral candidates will receive 30 credit points from course work during their training at GEAS, the amount of course work will be the highest in their first year in the program and decrease gradually over their second and third year to allow doctoral candidates to focus on their dissertations.

An advisory committee formed by three advisors will guide doctoral candidates. One advisor will be in a candidate's country specialization within East Asian Studies. To secure firm theoretical and methodological grounding in a discipline, at least one of the members of the advisory committee will be from the candidate's specialty discipline in the social sciences, history, humanities, business and economics, law or anthropology.

Advisors and doctoral candidates will sign a supervisory agreement that stipulates the rights and obligations of advisors and doctoral candidates as well as the procedures in case of non-compliance and the conditions for withdrawal from the program.

A framework of regular meetings and periodic progress reports at each stage of the training program forms the basis for interaction. In the course of the research work, advising and related mentoring is divided into three segments: research design (June paper) (year one), problems of ongoing research (fieldwork) (year two) and presentation of research findings (year three).

Doctoral candidates will have to submit progress reports for the first year, present in the Summer Symposium, the second year, present in Homecoming Symposium, and present a chapter draft in the third-year colloquium.

It is highly recommended to at least annually sign a meeting minute sheet provided by the Dahlem Research School. The meeting minutes will help both supervisor and supervised researchers to remember their meetings and to help and assure a good supervision quality. The Link below provides a short guideline and template for such meetings.

Requirements: Curricular planning (as of 2026)

First year (semesters 1–2)

• Methods Seminar I — Theory Design in East Asian Studies (3 CP)
• Methods Seminar II — Research Design / Social Scientific Methods (3 CP)
• Research Seminar (Area) (3 CP)
• Research Seminar (Discipline) (3 CP)
• Colloquium I and Colloquium II (2 CP each)
• Good Research Practice / Research Integrity (1 CP)
• (voluntary) Language Training (up to 1 CP)

Milestone 1: 28 February — Literature Review

Milestone 2: 1 July — “June” paper (evaluation report)

Milestone 3: Presentation at the Summer Symposium (July)

Second year (semesters 3–4)

• Research Stay Preparation Workshop
• Mobility Phase / Fieldwork / Archival Research (up to 4 CP)
• GEAS Summer School (up to 4 CP)
• Transferable Skills I (2 CP) — e.g. Graduate Conference organisation, BUA skills courses

Milestone 4: Fieldwork or Progress Report (evaluation)

Milestone 5: Presentation at the Homecoming Symposium (December)

Third year (semesters 5–6)

• GEAS Colloquium III (2 CP) — plus an optional colloquium in semester 5
• Transferable Skills II (1 CP) — e.g. MAGEA co-teaching, DRS/BUA skills courses

Milestone 6: Chapter discussion at the Colloquium

Fourth year (semesters 7–8)

• Writing Phase
• (optional) Transferable Skills — e.g. writing workshops, disputation training

Defense of the thesis (Disputation) — Thesis submission