What’s new

The Doctoral Program Environment and Society is aimed at graduates from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences who wish to research questions concerning the nature/culture/environment interface. Within the scope of the program, doctoral students acquire the ability to understand the origins and interactions of complex natural and social processes. The doctoral program brings together expertise on environmental research from university and non-university institutions in Munich. The program is based at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, a joint initiative of LMU Munich and the Deutsches Museum. Its stimulating research environment, intensive supervision, and opportunity to form international networks offer excellent conditions for doctoral students.

RCC, LMM

Application Process

Applicants wishing to be admitted to this doctoral program must hold a Master’s degree from a recognized university, show evidence of excellence in their field of study, and present a plan for a doctoral project in one of the following areas or combination of areas:

• History: Environmental History, History of Science and Technology
• Sociology: Environmental Sociology, Political Economy, Sociology of Economics
• Energy and Resource Economics for Sustainability
• Geography: Modeling Social-Ecological Relations and Systems, Historical Geography, Political Ecology
• Geology and Natural Catastrophes
• Bioarcheology, Life Sciences in Society
• Biology: Paleoanatomy and Archaeology
• Environmental Law
• Environmental Policy: Comparative, International, or Politics of Ecological Transitions
• Environmental Ethics
• Anthropology: Environmental, Urban, or Political; especially Latin America and Pacific
• Cultural Studies, Art and the Environment in Historical Perspective
• Environmental Humanities, Literature and Environment

Please submit your application via the online application portal of the LMU GraduateCenter.

You will need the following documents for your online application:

• Copies of university degree(s) held;
• Proof of higher education entrance qualification (high school diploma or equivalent);
• Master’s thesis (if in a language other than English or German, please provide a table of contents and an exposé of max. 5 pages in English);
• An academic curriculum vitae (including publications, if applicable);
• A statement of purpose for your application to the program (up to two pages);
• A research proposal (max. 5 pages, including bibliography, footnotes, and time table);
• The name of a member of the Academic Board whose research interests match the dissertation project;
• Name and contact information for two academic referees (university lecturers), able to give information about your suitability for the program and your academic potential.

Candidates can join the program in either the winter or the summer semester. Applications are due through the online application portal by 15 May for the winter semester and 15 November for the summer semester. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by the end of July (for a start date of 1 October) or by the end of January (for a start date of 1 April). The portal will open ca. 5 weeks prior to the application deadline.

Selection of candidates will be made on the basis of the documents submitted and may additionally include an academic interview with a member of the selection committee. Interviews can be conducted via Skype/Zoom.

The selection committee will base its choice on the following factors: quality and feasibility of the research proposal, qualifications held, communication skills and teamwork ability, and demonstrated willingness and ability to work on interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological questions.