Language qualifications

Whether for writing your dissertation, in order to partake in discussions in your colloquium or just to get by in your day-to-day life in Münster during your doctoral program – language skills are essential.

Important: Your further linguistic education at the university during your doctoral program can be made part of your study agreement or doctoral agreement as an element of your program achievement. Credit points can be earned by regularly attending the language courses. Please contact the coordinator of your graduate school for further information.

Language courses for doctoral students within the smartNETWORK

With the help of the DAAD financial support, courses in technical terminology can be offered in both German and English specifically for doctoral students within the smartNETWORK. This offer comprises the following courses:

• “Academic Writing” and “Presentation Skills” in German (both courses are only available to international doctoral students)
• “Academic writing” and “Presentation Skills” in English (both courses are available to all doctoral students)

In order to attend the English courses, you should score at least 70 points in the C-Test.

The courses are geared largely to the needs of the participants and thus the specific topics are designated at the beginning of the course. The German course “Academic Writing” (= “Wissenschaftliches Schreiben”) is offered every semester. International doctoral students receive a lot of support. All other courses are offered alternately as needed.

If you are interested in any of these courses, please contact the international doctoral program’s team directly.

Further language courses

General course and courses in technical terminology in German, English and further languages are part of the language center’s standard offers. You can find further information here and on the language center’s (link in German) homepage.

Furthermore, the Brücke organizes writing workshops for international doctoral students as part of their doctoral support.

Tandem-learning

The tandem-principle is easy but effective: two people with different mother tongues meet regularly to have a conversation in first one and then the other language. It is up to the tandem partners to decide when and where they meet and what they want to talk about. Tandem-learning not only helps to improve language skills but also offers the opportunity of continual professional exchanges. You can find further information on tandem-learning on the language center’s homepage.

All doctoral students that are interested in any of these offers can get in touch with the international doctoral program’s team (Team des internationalen Promotionsprogramms). Please state the language you are interested in as well as your mother language. In cooperation with the language center we will then try to find tandem partners for you.