Connecting Science and Professional Practice: Extending the Range of Offers for PhD students Based on “Praxismodule“

After graduation, you can choose from a wide range of career opportunities. In order to prepare for professional practice, GGG proposes a variety of offers which are now being further developed based on “Praxismodule“.

Quite some PhD students want to become and eventually become Professors: In 2015, 20% of PhD students in Law, Social Sciences and Economics at the beginning of their doctorate said that they aspire to a professorship as career goal within the next 10 years (Stifterverband 2016: Personalentwicklung für den wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs, p. 32). Furthermore, 33% stated that they plan to stay in science (Stifterverband 2016, p. 30). Correspondingly, only a small amount of graduates remains at the universities: In 2015, only 15% of PhD graduates of all disciplines were employed at universities, 12% worked in the public sector, and 73% worked in enterprises (Bundesbericht Wissenschaftlicher Nachwuchs 2017, p. 186).

Therefore, Göttingen Graduate School of Social Sciences (GGG) offers a wide range of qualification measures for career paths in- and outside academia and universities. In addition to our own offers, GGG cooperates with the administrative department Cooperation and Innovation, the Career Service, the Central Coordination Mentoring (all at Göttingen University) and the InnovationCampus SNIC (Start-up + Network + Innovation + Campus) to broaden the range of qualification offers for career paths outside academia. You can find an overview on all these offers at www.uni-goettingen.de/en/591199.html.

The “Praxismodule“ funded by VolkswagenStiftung present quite a highlight of these offers for career paths outside academia, as they enable the PhD student to connect science and professional practice in an early stage of their PhD studies. In 2017 to 2019, 9 PhD students of GGG conduct(ed) their practical projects within Praxismodule at ministries, associations, enterprises and district administrations. Members of the faculties for Agriculture, Law, Social Sciences and Economics of Göttingen University, as well as members of the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization and the Göttingen University of Applied Science and Art (HAWK). Besides receiving a grant (6-12 months), PhD students took part in courses on career development, in collegial counseling and in opening and concluding workshops.

Since October 2017 we have witnessed many times how PhD students rose to the challenge of the sometimes stressful, but always rewarding process of scientific research in professional environments. You can find details on projects and professional partners on our website at www.uni-goettingen.de/en/549877.html.

How do practical phases help the PhD students and science?

Within Praxismodule, PhD students are actively involved in the work on-site and gather valuable insight. Based on their experience, they can competently asses different areas of activity. At the same time, contacts are being established for networking outside academia, which can be significant for first career steps later on.

PhD projects become more complex and relevant for practical application: During the practical phase, PhD students can gather data that they would have no chance to lay hands on in everyday on-campus research work, for example via expert interviews, working with internal data of the Praxispartner, or by collecting new data for a pilot project in cooperation with the Praxispartner.

Research-relevant procedures can be experienced on-site in a depth and scope that could not be achieved with text analysis, evaluation of secondary data or the usual short field studies. Sometimes, suggestions based on the PhD student’s research can even be implemented in real operation (e.g. the “Mobilitätsfabrik“/“mobility factory” for public transport). Both research results and research awareness in professional practice can be improved significantly. Thus, research subject and research results receive a better perception in professional practice and therefore scientific methods and results are estimated as highly valuable even outside academia, which benefits both science and professional practice.

Participants of Praxismodule describe their practical phase as very demanding and at the same time emphasize their positive experience: To them, it was highly valuable and satisfying to be able to leave the ivory tower of the university, gather practical insight in new areas, to practically apply their knowledge and skills and to lose their fear of presumed high demands in professional practice by working with professionals.

What does GGG offer to connect science and professional practice?

GGG gathered valuable knowledge during the first years of Praxismodule, and is thus going to process this knowledge and to further develop several measures and recommendations:

The focus on professional skills within the qualification program of GGG will be continued.

In course of the program accompanying Praxismodule, participants had initial contact with the tool of collegial counseling, which they still use even after ending their practical phase. Networking within the cohort is being continued in form of the GGG-supported PhD students forum “Science and Practice“. This forum is open for further interested PhD students: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/583041.html

The mentoring program for career paths into business sector „KaWirMento“ is another proven measure for career preparation of PhD graduates and Post-Doc. After a break, KaWirMento is now being continued: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/444677.html

There is discussion about a specific formal status for PhD students in their practical phase in order to prevent ambiguities and to motivate further Praxispartner to take part in such projects. It is also being discussed whether already existing offers on qualification and counseling on the area of enterprises could be extended for other professional fields, such as public sector, NGOs and similar. Furthermore, the drafting of a guide on implementing practical phases has been proposed, with emphasis on clarifying expectations regarding Praxispartner, PhD students and supervisors.

Participating PhD students were willing to further strengthen knowledge transfer and to be involved in transfers between scientific research and professional practice even at an early stage of their PhD studies. The presentation of PhD projects or the profiles of PhD students to potential employers and partners could help to reach this goal. Additionally, GGG explores options for further professional support of practical projects and considers training alumni of Praxismodule as ambassadors for connecting science and professional practice.

We cordially invite you to our next event on May 20: Alumni will talk about their own experience on the way to, and in, positions outside academia. Based on Praxismodule, this year’s talk focuses on “Career prospects in the area of Mobility“. If you want to participate, please register as soon as possible. www.uni-goettingen.de/en/602960.html

For questions and further information please contact GGG:

Göttingen Graduale School of Social Sciences (GGG)
Geismar Landstr. 11, 37083 Göttingen
Dr. Bettina Roß, Tel.: 39 28217
ggg@uni-goettingen.de