PhD Germany with British conversion MSc IT I would like to relocate to Germany and obtain a PhD from a German University. I have a BSc(Hons) in Psychology, which is obtained from Edinburgh Napier University, and MSc in Information Technology from Aberdeen University. I really enjoy IT and I would like to stay in the field and combine it with academia and research. Specifically, I am interested in web development and human-computer interaction. My questions are:


where can I check if my qualifications meet German PhD admissions criteria?
are the PhD studies being paid in Germany? (I am married so I cannot afford lack of any salary)
To obtain a doctorate in Germany, you must have a qualifying degree from an accredited institution. Nowadays this is always a Master's degree with a thesis (Master's degrees without a thesis are effectively worthless if you intend to pursue a PhD). It should be in the field you are intending to obtain your doctorate in. If your degree is from an applied institution such as Napier, expect to have considerable difficulty finding a PhD program that will take you. (Though it is not impossible and things are changing.)


Don't expect the German system to be much like the British, as they are culturally and technically different. In Germany, you do not apply to a PhD program; you establish a relationship with a professor who is willing to supervise you, and the admission as a doctoral student follows from that. That is very difficult to do if you are coming in cold from outside the country. There are some EU-sponsored programs which explicitly solicit applications from other EU countries, but they are the exception.

How is your German? Anybody suggesting that you can get by in Germany without a decent command of German is not being totally honest with you. Even though PhD candidates here are often foreigners and the international language of many disciplines is English, you will be working in institutions in which the administrative language is German, and not being able to speak it will put you at some disadvantage. If nothing else, the competition will be much harder if you can only speak English as your second language, particularly if you are expected to teach.

Your best chance might be to apply to another academic M.Sc. program at a research university in Germany and get your foot in the door that way; this will expose you to professors and give you a chance to establish a relationship that could lead to a PhD.


The Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg long had a good reputation for computer science. There is also the Karlsruhe Institute für Technologie or the Leibniz-Universität Hannover. Freiburg is also an option. Note however, that these are the better institutions and the competition is strong. You may not be in a position to be too selective. Cast your net wide and look at all institutions with a computer science department.
PhD candidates are generally hired on as "WiMi" - Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter - on time-limited contract. Pay varies but 1500 €/month is typical. How far that takes you depends on where you are living. In Munich, it will barely cover your rent if you have a family. In some east German cities (Dresden, Leipzig, Halle, Magdeburg, Jena) you might yet support your family and live decently. The situation in Berlin is changing rapidly and while it is currently just affordable, it won't stay that way.