Graduate Center of DIW Berlin

Application and Admission

The Graduate Center welcomes applications from highly qualified and motivated postgraduate students from all over the world.


Degrees

Applicants must hold an MA degree or a diploma in economics or social sciences in order to apply for the socio-economic training program. Degrees from other related fields (such as civil engineering or statistics) also fulfil requirements for the program.


Application

The application for admission to the Graduate Center must include:

  1. a cover letter;
  2. the applicant’s statement of objectives;
    The statement of objectives should be stating the applicant's motivation for participating in the doctoral program as well as a short outline of their major research interests. The statement should have the length of 1 to 2 pages.
  3. The completed application form (see downloads);
  4. a detailed curriculum vitae;
  5. copies of academic transcripts and other certificates;
  6. two academic letters of recommendation (see downloads);
  7. a TOEFL-test if required (see Language Skills);
  8. a GRE-test if required;
    Applicants who did not graduate from an European or North American university must take the GRE test, which will indicate whether the candidate has a sufficient aptitude. Typically, the candidates' scores should be in the top 10 per cent in the quantitative and analytical sections of the test.

Please submit your application in English online. See below for more information.


Language Skills

Applicants whose native language is not English must verify English language proficiency unless they hold a degree from a university in an English-speaking country or can prove at least one year of studies at an English-speaking university. Sufficient evidence for a good command of English is a high score on the "Test of English as a Foreign Language" (TOEFL). Knowledge of German is not a necessary requirement for a successful application, but students are encouraged to learn and improve their skills.


Application Procedure

Applications for the Graduate Center 2012  (study beginning in October 2012) will start on January 2012.
The closing date for application is April 1, 2012. Please submit your application online only.

Any request can be sent to Gradcenter@diw.de.

Decisions regarding admission are taken by the Recruiting and Evaluation Committee of the Graduate Center, which bases its assessment on the quality of application submitted and on the research objectives stated.

Notices of acceptance are sent by May 15th each year. Candidates have to notify the Graduate Center of their decision until June 1st. The program will start on October 1st each year.


Online Application

Please make sure that you have all the required documents on hand. The attachments should not exceed 2MB. Online application