The Graduate School of East Asian Studies (GEAS), funded by the Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments, will admit up to 15 doctoral candidates to its program, beginning October 1st, 2014.

Twelve candidates will receive a grant by the Graduate School, up to three other PhD candidates per year can be accepted with funding from other Freie Universität Berlin programs, from partner institutions in East Asia or from scholarships provided by German or international organizations.

Doctoral dissertations at GEAS are expected to analyze the institutional environment of social, political, cultural and economic actors in the East Asian region of China, Japan and/or Korea. All dissertation research at GEAS will be conducted in the context of the three interconnected research lenses of its academic profile: the origin and change of institutions in East Asia, the effects institutions have on processes related to globalization and modernization in East Asia on the side of governments, bureaucracies or business and individual life-styles or related preferences, and, finally, the interdependencies of institutions in East Asia within and beyond its regional boundaries.

Successful applicants will have an above average master’s degree in either area studies (Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, Korean Studies) or a discipline represented at the Graduate School (Politics, Sociology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Business, Economics, Law, History, Cultural Studies, Humanities, Theatre Studies, Environmental Policy) with a focus on East Asia. The language of communication is English. Successful candidates will also have language skills in an East Asian Language (Chinese, Japanese, or Korean) at a level of B2 or higher.
The Guidelines for Applications can be found at the online application portal at: https://apply.drs.fu-berlin.de/eas/

We offer Ph.D. stipends of approximately € 1400 €/month. Fellowships will initially be granted for one year, and contingent upon a positive evaluation after each year of study, fellowships will be extended for another year. The fellowship may be granted for a maximum of three years.

Applications should include a CV, a letter of academic interest, a brief outline of the prospective dissertation topic (maximum 6 pages), a schedule for the dissertation, and copies of certificates of your relevant degrees and language skills. Two letters of recommendation shall be sent directly by your referees to GEAS via the online application system. For applications, please register online.

The next application deadline will be January 15, 2014. For questions on admission and the online portal, please also consult the Admission FAQ. The screening takes place in January and February 2014. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed (via Skype) in March 2014. Candidates accepted for admission into GEAS will receive notice by early to mid-May 2014.

For additional information, please check our website at http://www.geas.fu-berlin.de and feel free to contact us at application[at]geas.fu-berlin.de. No legal entitlement shall be constituted by applying to the program. Reasons for rejections will not be disclosed.