Doctorate

The program promotes scientific and interdisciplinary exchange. In the first year, doctoral candidates attend a course on theories and methods in American Studies. In addition, doctoral candidates can acquire additional skills through courses at the Heidelberg Graduate Academy such as academic writing, academic presentation, or digital methods. Doctoral candidates regularly attend the Colloquium and are invited to all other public events at the HCA. Regular consultations with the supervisors are also required.

There are no tuition fees for a doctorate in American Studies. Only the regular semester fee of Heidelberg University is charged. Please note that the HCA does not currently offer scholarships or positions in its doctoral program. 

Admission to the HCA doctoral program in American Studies requires the written statement by a habilitated member of the HCA faculty (Professor or PD) stating his or her willingness to supervise the project, and two letters of recommendation that not only assess the applicant’s academic qualifications but also evaluate the proposed dissertation project. 

Applicants must also hand in a well-developed and advanced proposal for a research project.
The proposal should

• outline the guiding questions of the dissertation project while embedding them in current academic debates,
• show that the dissertation will make an original and important contribution to a particular field of research,
• list the source materials that will be used,
• and provide a realistic timetable for the completion of the project.

The program does not include a preliminary phase which means that no automatic master’s degree will be awarded and that students will not have time to develop their dissertation topics while enrolled in the program. 

All required applications forms can be found in the Download Center. 

Deadline for applications (classes start in October 2025): March 31, 2025.