Joint PhD Program With the University of Melbourne

Key Info

Basic Information

Target Group:
Doctoral Candidates
Direction / Place:
Outgoings
Institution:
 

In 2019, RWTH Aachen University and the University of Melbourne signed a partnership agreement to establish a joint PhD program. This program enables a select group of doctoral candidates from RWTH Aachen University and the University of Melbourne to obtain a doctorate that is jointly awarded by the two universities. An essential part of this program is a minimum twelve-month stay abroad, which the doctoral candidates will spend at the respective partner university.

The RWTH International Office awards travel allowances and scholarships to doctoral candidates at RWTH who wish to acquire a joint PhD with the University of Melbourne out of funds from the Universities of Excellence funding line. Scholarships can be used to fund the obligatory twelve-month stay abroad at the University of Melbourne.

If you are the supervisor of a doctoral student who would like to participate in the program and have some questions about the program, you are welcome to get in touch with Jan Müller, the program’s contact person at RWTH Aachen University’s International Office.

Please also see our "Frequently Asked Questions" further down this page.

Please also refer to the information about the program provided by the University of Melbourne.

 

Who Can Apply?

Doctoral candidates with RWTH Aachen University as the home institution who are participating in the Joint PhD Program with the University of Melbourne can apply for this funding.

Scholarship amount and funding period

  • A one-time travel allowance of 2,000 euros
  • A monthly scholarship of 1,500 euros for 12 months

If doctoral candidates can stay employed at RWTH Aachen University while pursuing a Joint PhD at the University of Melbourne, the following information shall serve as a guideline:

  • If they are to continue receiving 75 percent of their TVL-13 salary, they can be funded with a monthly payment of 1,000 euros + travel allowance
  • If they are to continue receiving 50 percent of their TVL-13 salary, they can be funded with a monthly payment of 1,500 euros + travel allowance.

Please note that the selection committee will determine the exact amount of funding based on the application documents submitted. It may thus differ from the above guidelines in individual cases.

Selection criteria

  • Participation in the Joint PhD Program with the University of Melbourne
  • Academic relevance of the research project and the candidate’s academic performance
  • A promising outlook regarding the establishment of a long-term research collaboration with the University of Melbourne based on the stay.

Application deadlines

Applications can be submitted up until March 31, or September 30, of every year, or in exceptions – but only by special arrangement – after those dates.

Application documents

  • Resume/CV with contact details (address, email)
  • Declaration of objectives with an outline of the research project, name of the supervisor, information on the duration of the stay, description of the expected results in the amount of 1 to 2 pages
  • Confirmation of supervision and letter of invitation from the University of Melbourne with reference to the joint project and the length of stay; if possible, information on the expected results and future prospects of the research collaboration.
  • Current list of publications
  • Transcript of Records of the completed Master program

Application

Please send all application documents merged into one PDF document by e-mail to .

Further funding possibilities

Doctoral candidates also have the opportunity to apply for a DAAD one-year scholarship or short-term scholarship for doctoral candidates and to have their stay abroad at the University of Melbourne (partially) funded in this way if they are successful.

 

The faculties are responsible for the doctoral procedures. The designated contact persons for this can be found on the websites of the respective faculties.

Please also note the Guidelines for Binational Doctoral Procedures ("Cotutelle de thèse"), which were drawn up by Division 1.5 - Examination and Statutory Law.

The sample research agreement can be accessed by contacting .

 

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ

How can I participate as a supervisor in the Joint PhD Program with the University of Melbourne?

In order to participate in the Joint PhD Program with the University of Melbourne, you as a supervisor should identify an academic project partner in Melbourne and work out a joint doctoral project with them, for which suitable doctoral candidates are already performing research at your institute or are yet to be recruited.

Can an existing doctoral research candidature be converted into a binational doctoral program ("Joint-PhD") with the University of Melbourne?

Yes, this is possible in principle, but should be discussed as soon as possible with the doctoral office of the respective faculty and Dr. Daniel Holder, the program’s contact person at RWTH Aachen University’s International Office. The candidate would need to apply for admission and become enrolled at Melbourne as soon as possible..

Do the doctoral candidates have to be enrolled at the University of Melbourne for the entire time it takes to complete their doctorate?

Yes, the doctoral candidates at RWTH Aachen University must be enrolled at the University of Melbourne for the entire time it takes to complete of the jointly awarded doctoral degree.

“Full-time enrollment" is required during the one-year stay abroad – for the time spent in the doctoral program at RWTH "part-time enrollment" is possible for doctoral candidates with RWTH Aachen as their home institution.

The maximum length of the doctoral program may not exceed four years of "full-time enrollment."

Do the supervisors from Melbourne also have to be physically present at the Oral Defence in Aachen?

Ideally, this would be the case. However, in special circumstances, it would also be sufficient for the Oral Defence to be conducted as a video conference. This must be repeated, however, if the Internet connection happens to break down during the defence.

I have been accepted to the program as a doctoral candidate. Where can I get the supervision agreement form?

Doctoral candidates from the University of Melbourne who come to RWTH please contact Jennifer De Gabriele or Petra van Nieuwenhoven. Outgoing doctoral candidates from RWTH who go to the University of Melbourne can obtain the supervision agreement from the Welcome Center for International Researchers or from Dr. Daniel Holder, the program coordinator.

Can I get administrative support as a doctoral candidate in this program?

RWTH students who wnat want to knoe more about the program please contact Dr. Daniel Holder. Once you have been accepted to the program, you can get in touch with the Welcome Center for International Researchers at RWTH. Your contacts at the University of Melbourne are Jennifer De Gabriele and Petra van Nieuwenhoven.

Contact

Team AROP

Advanced Research Opportunities Program