Doctorate in the Field of Animal Welfare
Dear interested parties,
We are always delighted when we meet committed young scientists who are interested in animal welfare and would like to start a dissertation project in this field.
In order to answer the most frequently asked questions in advance and to counter false expectations at an early stage, we have compiled some information for you here:
1. Scientific Work – The Core of a Doctorate
In the veterinary medicine program, the curricular education covers little to no scientific methodologies. Therefore, it is highly recommended (!) to familiarize yourself with literature on scientific methodologies, scientific writing, and the doctoral process in general before starting your dissertation project. Additionally, we recommend that you read various published dissertations (Here is a link to our completed dissertations.) to get an idea of what you are committing to for several years. If possible, talk to other doctoral candidates or those who have already completed their doctorates to get a sense of what lies ahead for you in the coming years.
A small note in advance: Scientific writing and methodologies, as well as the acquisition of methods, is a science in itself. Developing these skills typically takes a significant amount of time and effort and should not be underestimated – in most cases, you will spend many months dealing with aspects that are far removed from the actual topic. Therefore, carefully consider whether you are passionate enough about a topic to spend several years not only on the topic itself but also on everything that comes with it: scientific standards in research and writing, methodology, citation, possibly statistics, and more. A doctorate is a marathon, not a sprint. 😉
You can find helpful knowledge on scientific work at https://ilias.uni-giessen.de/ under Magazine >> Public Learning Materials.
2. Finding a Research Topic
From time to time, we offer research topics, which are then advertised on this page. If there are no topics listed here, or if the listed topics do not appeal to you, you are welcome to apply proactively with a topic of your choice.
Please note: It must be possible to develop a problem or question that can be investigated and answered using established research methods.
This means that one cannot simply pursue a dissertation on the topic of “breeding malpractice,” but rather, a research gap must be identified through literature review and topic delimitation. The next step is to establish an appropriate research design to approach answering the research question.
3. Write an exposé and send it to us along with your curriculum vitae.
After you have thoroughly and comprehensively read into the topic; developed the current state of research, your questions, and possibly hypotheses; found an appropriate methodology; and outlined your research design, the next step is to summarize all of this in the form of a dissertation proposal. Writing a dissertation proposal allows you to become familiar with scientific writing, and it gives us an impression of your working method. If everything fits, the proposal, along with other documents, will be submitted as an application for acceptance to the doctoral committee. Once accepted, your dissertation project can begin. For more information on the doctoral process, you can find additional details here:
Help with writing a dissertation proposal here:
You can generally submit a dissertation proposal at any time, even before the end of your studies. However, the doctoral project can only begin once you have completed your studies and received your licensure.
4. Guidance on Financing
Since positions as research assistants are limited, many veterinarians pursue their doctorates part-time as external doctoral candidates. This means they work full time in a position, for example in a veterinary practice, and write their doctoral thesis unpaid in their free time. An external dissertation involves a lot of sacrifice and effort. Naturally, it depends on the extent of the main job, but even with a part-time position, it is often a very difficult balancing act that needs to be correctly planned and coordinated from the beginning. Plan for a part-time dissertation to usually take longer than three years and require twice the effort.
Useful information on pursuing a doctorate in general can also be found in the guide for doctoral candidates of the Association of Veterinary Doctoral Candidates in Gießen e. V., available at: www.vetpig.de
If there are positions advertised at our institute, you will find them on the JLU career portal.