Key competencies courses
Berlin University Alliance courses
Most courses and services offered by the Berlin member universities of Berlin University Alliance (BUA) will be open to all members of these institutions. Many courses and services will be free of charge.
The graduate centers all offer transferable skills courses (scientific soft skills) and many further courses and services such as project management, intercultural and general communication training, mentoring programs, conflict consultation, etc. Most courses and services will be available to all doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers in Berlin, i.e. all doctoral or postdoctoral members of M&B are entitled to books courses.
Direct links to course offers of the participating graduate centers:
– Workshop list for all BUA universities: Berlin University Alliance - Graduate Studies Support Program
– Humboldt Graduate School, HU Berlin: News and online offers
– Humboldt Graduate School, HU Berlin: Transferable skills courses
– Dahlem Research School, FU Berlin
– Charité, Graduate Studies Support
– Scientific Continuing Education, TU Berlin
Humboldt Graduate School (HGS), HU Berlin
HGS is our main partner. General information about HGS workshops can be found under Offers - Workshops: https://www.humboldt-graduate-school.de/en/services-en/schluesselkomp2-en/introschluessel-en
There is also a subpage with terms and conditions for participation and cancellations: https://www.humboldt-graduate-school.de/en/services-en/schluesselkomp2-en/workshops
HGS cancellation policy
Please note that your registration for an HGS workshop is binding. Please register only if you can guarantee that you will be able to attend the entire workshop, or at least 80% of the time. Cancellation is possible up to 7 days before the start of the event without giving reasons via our booking platform. Short term cancellations are only possible with a medical certificate.
HGS workshops are specially designed and organised for a small number of doctoral students and postdocs. Please note that the programme has a high cost per person, which is financed by public funds. If you have been allocated one of the limited places on one of our workshops and are unable to attend, please cancel as soon as possible. There are often other people on the waiting list. Last-minute cancellations may mean that other people are unable to attend.
NB: Repeated unexcused absences will lead to exclusion from future events!
Subscribe to HGS Newsletter: First-hand information on courses and workshops
Fill in your e-mail address, click on Anmelden and send (Absenden): https://www.humboldt-graduate-school.de/de/services/newsletter
Scientific soft-skill / key competencies courses for M&B program
NB: Most courses will be free for doctoral candidates of BUA. M&B cannot cover course fees.
1) Good Scientific Practice (first year)
e.g., Good Scientific Practice / Research Integrity / Research Ethics / Data Publishing / Research Data Management / Open Data / Gute wissenschaftliche Praxis / Rechte und Verantwortung in der Forschung.
Please note: Data management courses by the HU computing center or the HGS basic online course Good Scientific Practice are recommended, but will not be accepted as a Good Scientific Practice course for the M&B doctoral program.
2) Scientific presentation (first year)
e.g., Scientific Presenting / Slide Writing & Storylining / Poster Presentations, Poster Writing / Rhetoric and Speaking in Public / Keeping Your Talk Fresh.
3) Scientific writing (second year)
e.g., Scientific Writing / Academic Writing / Wissenschaftliches Schreiben.
4) Grant proposal writing (third year)
Also recommended: Defending (after thesis submission)
Dissertation defense coaching / Preparing for the disputation / Preparing for the thesis defence
Course certificates & your transcript of records
We will list these courses on the transcript of records which you will receive from M&B once you have completed the program. Therefore, after the completion of a course, always send a scan of the attendance certificate to Dr. Dirk Mende: mb-education@hu-berlin.de
YourLastName_Presentation (= attendance certificate for the Scientific Presentation course)
YourLastName_ScientificWriting (= attendance certificate for the ScientificWriting course)
YourLastName_GoodScientificPractice (= attendance certificate for the GoodScientificPractice course)
YourLastName_GrantWriting (= attendance certificate for the GrantWriting course)
Also available through HGS, DRS, etc. (= Berlin University Alliance)
Should any of these courses cost fees, they cannot not be covered by M&B.
- Writing: Writing Abstracts / Writing Review Articles / Publishing Research Articles / Publishing Journal Articles / Scientific Argumentation / BUA Writing Retreats (in En or De) / Wie wird aus meiner Forschung ein guter Fachartikel
- Presenting & Communicating: Speaking with confidence and impact / Self-presentation in public: Work on body, voice and charisma / Media training / Communication in intercultural and interdisciplinary teams
- Project management: Project management / Get your things done / Getting started / Kick off your doctorate, etc.
- Career: Annual career days / Career development courses / opportunities / Plan B courses (= careers outside the Academy)
- Support & Mental health: One-to-one mentoring, peer mentoring, conflict consultation, Scholar Minds
- Teaching: Didactics / Teaching skills for junior scientists
- Start-up: Business start-up courses
