Frequently Asked Questions

1)  Will I get my PhD Degree from the ISOS?
No. PhD degrees are issued by the faculties. As an ISOS PhD you remain anchored in your faculty for all formal regulations. The ISOS is a platform for Ocean Science education at the Cluster of Excellence “The Future Ocean” and is not bound to a particular faculty. Rules for graduation differ between faculties; please inform yourself at your faculty.


2)    How do I choose my additional supervisors?
Co-advisors may come from the university or from outside (e.g. NGOs, governmental agencies etc.). It can be anyone with a scientific background who is able to contribute to your project. We can support you in finding supervisor. By applying to participate in the ISOS programme, you and your advisors enter a supervision agreement that requires two thesis committee meetings per year.

3)    Are there any compulsory requirements at the ISOS?
We expect you to organise two meetings of your Thesis Committee per year (one per semester) and hand in a protocol for each meeting.
Deadline 30th September and 31st March.
See also guidelines for the ISOS PhD Thesis Committee Meetings.

You have joined the ISOS to sharpen your research and career profile. To meet our goals of high-end training and qualification we have laid a few basic rules we expect you to abide by. These will be checked through attendance lists and are a requirement for you to access the financial incentives the ISOS offers, such as travel support, mini-proposals, and Mentoring at scientific fairs.
In addition to the Thesis Committee Meetings and respective protocols, these minimal requirements are participating in 1 scientific skills course and 1 personal skills course per year and at least 60 % of the lectures in the multidisciplinary lecture series “Big Questions” (i.e. 4 lectures a semester)

4)    Will ISOS fund my salary and research?
No. Your salary and research is paid by the working group/ institute/ project you are employed by.

5)    What if I need courses that are not offered?
If you cannot find what you need or have an idea for an event or course, contact us directly, we develop many of our offers “on demand”.