The Graduate School Digitality and Education (GSDE) is a structured, interdisciplinary doctoral program for doctoral candidates whose research addresses questions related to digitality and education.
Application process
Applicants who are not yet enrolled as doctoral candidates at the University of Bern must complete the following steps:
Step 1: Prepare and register for doctoral studies at the University of Bern
Before applying to the GSDE, prospective doctoral candidates must:
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Find a doctoral supervisor
Applicants must identify a professor at the University of Bern who is authorized and willing to supervise their doctoral project. Applicants should contact potential supervisors directly with a curriculum vitae and a sufficiently developed research proposal.
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Secure funding
Applicants are responsible for securing adequate funding for their doctoral studies before applying to the GSDE. Admission to the GSDE does not include a scholarship, salary or employment contract.
Funding may be secured through:
- a funded doctoral position at the University of Bern;
- a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship, subject to the applicable eligibility requirements, deadlines and separate competitive selection procedure;
- another external scholarship or research grant; or
- private funding.
Funded doctoral positions are advertised on the University of Bern job portal. Applicants interested in a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship should consult the official scholarship information and begin the application process well in advance.
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Register for admission to doctoral studies
Once supervision has been agreed upon, applicants must register for admission to doctoral studies through the Admissions Office of the University of Bern. The applicable admission requirements depend on the faculty in which the doctorate will be undertaken.
Applicants whose qualifying university degree was awarded outside Switzerland must undergo a formal assessment of their degree and submit the required documentation. They should consult the University of Bern’s current admission requirements, application procedure and deadlines and allow sufficient time for the assessment process.
Step 2: Apply to the GSDE
After applying for admission to doctoral studies at the University of Bern, candidates may submit a separate application to the GSDE.
Admission to the GSDE can only be finalized once the candidate has been admitted and enrolled as a doctoral student at the University of Bern. Applicants must therefore provide confirmation of enrollment before their admission to the GSDE becomes effective.
The documents required for the GSDE application and further information about the selection procedure are available under Admission Process.
Membership categories
The following doctoral candidates are eligible to apply:
- Doctoral candidates from all faculties of the University of Bern, as well as doctoral candidates based at PHBern or Bern University of Applied Sciences who are enrolled at the University of Bern, may apply as regular members.
- Doctoral candidates based at PHBern or Bern University of Applied Sciences who are enrolled at another university in Switzerland or abroad may apply as associate members.
Different enrollment requirements apply to associate members. Please contact the GSDE coordination office if you are uncertain which membership category applies to you.
Important information for prospective applicants
The GSDE coordination office can provide information about the doctoral program and advise whether a proposed project fits the thematic profile of the GSDE. However, it cannot:
- admit applicants to doctoral studies at the University of Bern;
- guarantee or arrange doctoral supervision;
- award a scholarship or provide private funding; or
- guarantee a funded position at the University of Bern.
Prospective applicants should therefore contact the GSDE only after developing a doctoral research proposal and familiarizing themselves with the University of Bern’s doctoral admission and funding requirements.
