Scientific soft-skill / key competencies courses
During the current period of the national excellence initiative (2018–2025), all courses and services offered by the Berlin member universities of Berlin University Alliance (BUA) will be open to all members of these institutions.
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, information about family support work-life balance.
Courses and services are available to doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers in Berlin = all members of M&B are entitled to books courses. Please find and book your favorite topics.
Direct links to course offers of the BUA graduate centers:
– Dahlem Research School, FU
– Charité
– Center for Junior Scholars TU
– Humboldt Graduate School: News and online offers
– Humboldt Graduate School: Transferable skills courses
– Berlin University Alliance
Mandatory scientific soft-skill / key competencies courses for M&B
>> In each category, pick one of the listed courses - if they are listed here, you do not need to confirm them with Dr. Dirk Mende.
(1) Good Scientific Practice (first year)
Good Scientific Practice / Research Integrity / Research Ethics / Data Publishing / Research Data Management / Open Data / Gute wissenschaftliche Praxis / Rechte und Verantwortung in der Forschung.
Also recommended: Data management courses by the HU computing center and the HGS basic online course Good Scientific Practice (not a substitute for one of the above courses).
(2) Scientific presentation (first year)
Scientific Presenting / Slide Writing & Storylining / Poster Presentations, Poster Writing / Rhetoric and Speaking in Public / Keeping Your Talk Fresh.
Please note: “Speaking with Confidence and Impact” or “Self-presentation in Public: Work on body, voice and charisma” or similar are recommended to those interested, but will not be accepted as a scientific presentation course.
(3) Scientific writing (second year)
Scientific Writing / Academic Writing / Wissenschaftliches Schreiben.
(4) Grant proposal writing (third year)
Optional courses and workshops
– Writing: Writing Abstracts / Writing Review Articles / Publishing Research Articles / Publishing Journal Articles / Scientific Argumentation / BUA Writing Retreats (En or Dt) / 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
– Defending: Dissertation coaching / Preparing for the disputation/thesis defence
– Start-up: Business start-up courses
For background information, see also:
Career and Mentoring and coaching
Rules and regulations for attending courses
(1) Your registration for courses is binding!
(2) For your information: Unless courses are free for M&B (= e.g., paid through the Berlin University Alliance or HU Berlin), M&B will have to pay approx. 250€ per course day for each M&B participant.
(3) Cancellation Policy at HGS (for FU, TU, Charité Berlin cancellation policies, please find out when booking):
HGS Cancellation Policy
Please note that this registration is binding, this means participation may be cancelled up to 14 days in advance without any reason given. If the participation is cancelled after that, the member program of the doctoral candidate or the doctoral candidate themselves has to cover incurring costs. Last minute cancellations due to illness are only acceptable with a medical certificate. If a place is not taken without notifying the Humboldt Graduate School, it can cause exclusion from further workshops. Please be aware that you are also taking away another doctoral candidate’s opportunity to join the workshop.
- To prevent incurring costs for you and our program, participation must be cancelled at least 14 days in advance by writing to hgs-workshops@hu-berlin.de and mb-education@hu-berlin.de
- A cancellation owing to illness at less than 14 days in advance is only acceptable with a doctor’s certificate (Krankschreibung).
