Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies (BerGSAS)
Advertisement of 2 Scholarships for Doctoral Studies (October 2025 - September 2029) in the Doctoral Program “Landscape Archaeology and Architecture”
The Graduate School Scholarship Program (GSSP) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is offering two (2) doctoralscholarships to earn a PhD within the framework of “Landscape Archaeology and Architecture” doctoral program of the BerGSAS.
https://www.berliner-antike-kolleg.org/en/bergsas/index.html
We welcome applicationsfrom highly qualified graduates from the fields of:
- Ancient Oriental Studies
- Classical Archaeology
- Egyptology and Northeast African Archaeology with a focus on Landscape Archaeology
- Near Eastern Archaeology
- Prehistoric Archaeology
Applicants must hold an outstanding master's degree (MA, MSt, or MSc) or equivalent in one of the aforementioned disciplines or in a neighbouring field or be very close to completion.
Objectives of the doctoral program “Landscape Archaeology and Architecture”
The focus of the doctoral program "Landscape Archaeology and Architecture" https://www.berliner-antike-kolleg.org/en/bergsas/programme/laa/index.html is not on the archaeology of specific regions, or spaces, but rather on the spectrum of methods and research strategies applied in the study of landscape archaeology and architectural history. We encourage candidates whose doctoral projects would fit within this broad framework to submit their applications. We welcome projects that deal with the intertwining of landscape and economy, or focus on cultural anthropology and social archaeology.
Who can apply?
- The call is open ONLY to applicants who are not German citizens
- Applicants must not have completed a PhD previously
- The MA degree must not have been completed before March 1, 2019
- Applicants must not have resided in Germany continuously before December 1, 2023
Duration of the scholarship and funding
The doctoral scholarship is available from October 2025 (winter semester 2025/26) for four years, subject to a satisfactory annual progress review. In accordance with DAAD guidelines, the scholarship holders receive a stipend of 1,300 Euros a month, a travel allowance, payments towards health, accident and liability insurance cover, allowances for study and research (and, where applicable, rent and family allowances) as well as financial support for a pre-sessional German language course. Plus, material resources and supervision allowance of 1,000 Euros per year, administered by the BerGSAS.
Application process
Applications must be submitted via the BerGSAS portal by November 1, 2024 at 00:00 CEWT, quoting the reference 2025-LAA-BerGSAS-GSSP. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
The application procedure takes place in two stages:
1 st stage
Please register at application.berliner-antike-kolleg.org/bergsas After you have created a personal account, you can begin to fill in the application form and you can upload your documents. It is possible to save the application form temporarily and continue with the data entry at a later date. Applications must be submitted by November 1, 2024 at 00:00 CEWT. BerGSAS will invite shortlisted candidates to an online interview within two months of the application deadline.
2 nd stage
BerGSAS will nominate the candidates selected to the DAAD. The DAAD will make the final decision and will inform you. Please note that admission to doctoral studies and the receipt of a scholarship is subject to assessment by the host university (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, or Freie Universität Berlin) and by the DAAD.
Application documents
Your application documents
If registered at BerGSAS application portal (https://application.berliner-antike-kolleg.org/bergsas), you will find at the bottom of the form the list of the required documents. This includes among other things copies of various documents (which do not have to be officially certified!).
- Certificate of a language examination in English e.g, IELTS Academic or TOEFL, at least B2 level. Please note: At the Freie Universität, a C1 certificate is required for admission to doctoral studies.
- Certificates of any academic degree (B.A. and M.A.) or advanced qualifications indicating grades and explaining the grading system of your home university.
Two letters of reference
Two letters of reference from university professors are required, one of which must be from a professor at your home university! These letters are confidential documents and should be sent as a PDF file by the university professors directly to: regina.attula@berliner-antike-kolleg.org
It is mandatory that the professors use the DAAD template, which can be downloaded here:
https://www.daad.de/medien/deutschland/stipendien/formulare/recommendation.doc
Application deadline
The deadline for your application is November 1, 2024 at 00:00 CEWT. The selection committee will not consider incomplete or late applications.
For further inquiries please contact the coordinator of the doctoral program: Dr. Regina Attula, regina.attula@berliner-antike-kolleg.org