Joint PhD Programme in Integrated Management of Water, Soil, and Waste

Institute
UNU-FLORES
Programme Level
Doctorate
Programme Brochure Programme Brochure

Application Period

Applications are accepted all year round (see Application Procedure).

Vacancy announcements related to funded Doctoral Researcher positions

 

Highlights

  • The degree is jointly offered by the United Nations University and the Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
  • The focus of the programme is on integrated management of water, soil, and waste using a Nexus Approach, making it the first of its kind
  • The programme has a strong focus on developing countries
  • Students have access to the facilities and services of TU Dresden, one of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany, as well as the network of UNU institutes
  • Doctoral research includes close cooperation with UN agencies and programmes as well as other international organisations

PhD in Integrated Management of Water, Soil and Waste

PhD in Integrated Management of Water, Soil, and Waste

Background

United Nations University (UNU) was established in 1973 and is comprised of research institutes and programmes in 12 countries around the world. UNU is a research-oriented think tank addressing the needs of the UN System and its Member States, serving as a bridge to the academic world and offers postgraduate training and education programmes at various levels.

The Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden) is one of Germany’s Universities of Excellence and one of the top universities in Europe. As a modern comprehensive, multidisciplinary university, TU Dresden unites the natural and engineering sciences with the humanities and social sciences, as well as medicine. The broad and diverse scientific spectrum seeks to help promote interdisciplinarity and integration of science and society.

The Joint PhD Programme established at the United Nations University Institute for the Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES) and the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at TU Dresden is one of the select doctoral programmes UNU currently offers.

Objective

The main objective of this doctoral programme is to provide graduate students with detailed knowledge, critical understanding, strategies, and tools to take an interdisciplinary and integrated approach towards the management of environmental resources.

The Joint PhD Programme aims at creating a new generation of environmental scientists, engineers, and managers to conduct, promote, and provide guidance on the sustainable management of environmental resources. These resources and their sustainable management are of concern to the United Nations and its Member States, particularly to developing countries and emerging economies.

Research Scope

The Joint PhD Programme of TU Dresden and UNU, launched in 2015, is embedded within UNU-FLORES’s nexus-oriented research agenda and the corresponding research interests at TU Dresden. The established doctoral research projects, co-supervised by researchers from UNU-FLORES and TU Dresden, are designed to reflect nexus thinking on particular problems of environmental resources management.

UNU taps on its research to inform policymaking and promote positive global change. The work of all UNU institutes contributes to the advancement of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015 to inspire global action to overcome the world’s biggest challenges. In line with the mission of UNU, policy relevance is a decisive feature or the research conducted at UNU-FLORES, and therefore also the research conducted by doctoral researchers.

While each individual doctoral research project must have a clear focus – preferably associated to a case study in a particular country – it must also be framed within the broad picture of integrated resources management as part of the Resource Nexus. The latter aims to connect the generation of evidence-based scientific knowledge to (adapted) management and policies, thus addressing also public services and associated risks.

Due to the focus on integrated management of environmental resources, UNU-FLORES’s research is mainly – but not exclusively – relevant for:

Research projects may address these issues from various perspectives in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary manner, using a broad range of approaches and methods and building on a diverse set of both quantitative and qualitative data. Typically, our research projects – including doctoral research – are implemented with partners in respective Member States or from international organisations, universities, and research institutions.

About the Programme

The programme is the first international doctoral programme addressing integrated resources management in a truly holistic way. Prospective students are expected to come from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. To ensure that students have an evenly-matched starting point, and to introduce the basic concepts of the Resource Nexus, the programme comprises of 35 course credits (see Courses) in addition to 175 dissertation credits. The total of 210 credits span over seven semesters. The credits are defined in terms of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

All coursework is science-based and all courses require basic knowledge in physics, biology, chemistry, and mathematics at undergraduate level. In addition, the courses also require basic knowledge in the social sciences. Courses are offered by academic staff at both universities. In line with UNU-FLORES’s research agenda (see Research) and a matching research agenda of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, research topics for doctoral dissertations are focused on solving current challenges related to the Resource Nexus.

Doctoral dissertations are co-supervised by advisors from both universities. Successfully graduating students receive a joint degree certificate.

  • Image: Defne Altiok/UNU-FLORES

    Admissions Criteria

    Tuition and fee

    The doctoral programme is tuition-free. However, students are responsible to enrol themselves with TU Dresden and are required to pay a semester contribution each semester. Included is access to TU Dresden facilities and services and a ticket for public transport and nextbike, a bike-sharing company in Dresden. The contribution also entitles students to various perks such as discounts at the university cafeterias and for many cultural and leisure activities in Dresden. Applicants are responsible for covering the costs of living and other expenses related to their stay in Dresden. To cover all costs of living, secured funding is to range between 1,200 and 1,600 euros per month (see FAQ).

    Therefore, the respective applicants must include in their application a proof of funding to satisfy step 1 of the Application Procedure. In case there are any restrictions on the research themes as imposed by the respective sponsors, this should be explained in the letter of motivation (see step 2 of the Application Procedure). It is understood that any such restrictions would still fall within the scope of UNU-FLORES’s and TU Dresden’s research programme. Letters of admission will only be issued upon admission to the programme with secured funding.

    Qualifications

    • Applicants are required to have basic knowledge in undergraduate level physics, chemistry, and mathematics with a bachelor’s degree in one of the following fields:
      • Engineering
      • Natural sciences
      • Social sciences
      • Other closely related field
    • All applicants are also required to have a research-based master’s degree related to environmental resources management.
    • Important note: The applicant needs a final master’s grade of 2.5 or better (German grading system) to meet the minimum requirement of a successful application. Applications that do not meet this minimum requirement and do not provide a grade conversion to the German grading system (see Application Form) will be automatically rejected. Please consult the grade conversion formula.
    • UNU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply and become part of the organisation.
    • Experience related to the Resource Nexus will be considered an asset.
    • As the programme is offered in English, applicants who are not native English speakers have to demonstrate proficiency in English. Recognised tests are:
      • IELTS: required level is 7.0
      • TOEFL: required level for paper-based test is 600 points and internet-based test is 100 points

    If the medium of instruction of previous university degrees is English, please provide the supporting evidence (see Application Form).

    Application Procedure

     

    Step 1

    Applicants are invited to submit a completed and signed application form and a proof of funding to pgapp_flores@unu.edu. Please note that secured third-party funding from individual scholarships or from governmental organisations must be provided for the entire duration of the programme (36 months). Applications without a proof of funding will not be considered. Please note that only selected candidates will be invited to move forward to step 2.

    Step 2

    Only once step 1 will be cleared, applicants will be invited to submit the following application documents:

    1. Letter of motivation
    2. Short research proposal (max. 2 pages): it should refer to your letter of motivation and contain
      • the intended research topic
      • an explanation of how and why you consider yourself a suitable candidate for this topic
      • an outline of how you would approach the topic methodically
    3. Curriculum Vitae
    4. Copies of ALL university transcripts
    5. Copy of TOEFL/IELTS or evidence proving that English is the language of instruction for at least one of the previous successfully completed degree programmes, in the form of a letter issued by the relevant university authority
    6. Abstract of MSc thesis (or equivalent)
    7. Two reference letters

    Applicants should send their application material in one single PDF file to pgapp_flores@unu.edu.

    Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

     

     

    Curriculum

    The doctoral programme includes mandatory and elective courses. The courses can be further categorised into thematic courses (to be taken in the first and second semester) and methodological courses. In addition, students have the opportunity to take courses at the Graduate Academy of TU Dresden. Courses and workshops offered in the framework of the Graduate Academy are of short duration (typically 1–2 days) and without credits.

    Students devote the first semester to learning the basic concepts of the Resource Nexus and the important aspects of Governance and Capacity Development in addition to two other courses that will help improve the skills necessary to conduct their research. Doctoral researchers start working on their research topics during the first semester. In terms of credits, half of the second semester is again course-based while the other half is devoted to preparation of the final dissertation proposal and defence. In agreement with the supervisors, doctoral researchers can choose additional courses focusing on specific skills required for their research topics. From the third semester onwards, doctoral candidates concentrate fully on research. In most cases, this involves some months of field work and stays abroad accordingly in collaboration with partner institutions. This is defined on a case-by-case basis.

    Download the Curriculum

     

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    Application Requirements

    1. What kind of qualifications do I need to have if I want to apply for the programme?
      Required qualifications of the applicant can be found here.
    2. Do I have to submit certificates for the TOEFL or IELTS tests?
      Applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency. If you are not a native English speaker, one of the following documents need to be submitted:
    • Evidence that English is the language of instruction for at least one of your previous successfully completed degree programmes, in the form of a letter issued by the relevant university authority
    • Copy of TOEFL (required level for paper-based test: 600 points, internet-based test: 100 points)/IELTS (required level: 7.0)

    Admission Process

    1. When can I apply for the Joint PhD Programme?
       Applications can be submitted all year round (see Application Procedure). Please note that doctoral researcher positions funded via specific third-party projects or other specific funding programmes may be advertised on our website. We encourage you to follow our website, Facebook page, or Twitter account for the latest updates.
    2. Where can I find the application form?
      The application form can be found here.
    3. Which documents do I need to submit?
      A detailed list of the required documents can be found here. Please make sure you have included all documents and submit them in one single PDF file to pgapp_flores@unu.edu. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
    4. How does the selection procedure work? What is the current status of my application?
      You will receive an automated confirmation after submission via email, which indicates that your application is officially received. The evaluation will take place within 1–3 months. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed remotely. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

    Fees and Funding

    1. Are there tuition fees?
      The Joint PhD Programme is tuition-free. A semester fee of approximately 250–300 euros needs to be paid for the enrolment at TU Dresden.
    2. Do I have to secure funding/a scholarship? Can I fund myself?
      Applicants are required to have secured third-party funding for the entire duration of the programme (36 months). The proof of funding is a required document (see Application Procedure). Doctoral researcher positions funded via specific third-party projects or other specific funding programmes may be advertised on our website. We encourage you to follow our website, Facebook page, or Twitter account for the latest updates. Self-funded students will not be accepted.
    3. Can you suggest some funding opportunities?
      When coming from abroad, national/regional scholarship programmes are typically the first options to consider. Different donors located in Germany have different requirements and rules for scholarships. Information regarding funding/scholarship opportunities can be found on the webpage of TU Dresden here.
    4. What would be the typical costs of living in Dresden, Germany?
      Dresden offers a high quality of living for moderate costs in comparison to other German cities. To cover all costs of living, doctoral scholarships secured are to range between 1,200 and 1,600 euros per month.

    Other General Questions

    1. Can I take part in the programme part-time, through distance learning or an online platform?
      The Joint PhD Programme is a full-time programme. We do not offer doctoral courses through distance or online learning.
    2. Are all doctoral courses provided in English? Do I need to speak German?
      All doctoral courses are taught in English. Some basic level of German could be helpful for living in Dresden.

    For further questions related to the Joint PhD Programme, please email us at pginfo_flores@unu.edu.

     

     
 

 

Type
Hybrid