LMU Klinikum
Center for International Health CIHLMU
CIHLMU is a center at LMU Klinikum

Application Requirements and Selection Process

The Ph.D. program Medical Research - International Health is designed as an academic and educational instrument to stimulate research activities on health-related topics in low- and middle-income countries. Since the research projects are expected to be conducted in the regions of interest, i.e. the low- and middle-income countries themselves, we particularly encourage young scientists from the respective countries to participate and apply to the Ph.D. program. Nevertheless, the program is open to all scientists of any nationality, who share our interest and commitment to health-related research in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, the Ph.D. program does not imply any restrictions on age or nationality.

Application period

The Ph.D. program begins once a year in the winter semester (October). This year’s application round will start on Dec 1, 2023.

Application requirements

  • Qualifying degree (successfully completed university bachelor and master degree in a health-related discipline, medical school degree, or adequate equivalent education at the time of application which admits enrollment within a doctoral study program in Germany)
  • Minimum total of 3 years university education
  • A research topic with a formulated and consistent study proposal
  • A local scientific supervisor ready to support the research project in the field throughout the entire curriculum of at least three years
  • Sufficient funding for the research project - CIHLMU does not offer any research funding!
  • Two scientific referees willing to submit letters of recommendation for the candidate
  • Proficiency in English (written and oral)
  • Basic knowledge in statistics and the application of statistical software (R and SPSS) is highly recommended. The freeware R will be used in some courses during the Ph.D. program
  • Good mathematical and statistical skills are expected. These skills are a prerequisite in order to be able to follow the epidemiology and statistics sessions.

Application process

All applications for the Ph.D. program Medical Research - International Health are directed through an online application portal. The application portal is now closed.

In order to apply, you first need to register. During this initial registration, you will need to produce a valid E-Mail address for the identity verification process. Upon verification and entering the registry, you will be asked to choose a proper password. Once your account is created, please follow the instructions in the application tool and fill in all necessary information. The application form is self-explanatory, online storable, and can be completed in multiple sessions. Do not forget to press the ‘Submit’ button when your application is completed. However, please note that after the submission of your application you will not be able to make changes anymore. Furthermore, please note that we will only consider applications for the Ph.D. program Medical Research with the core area “International Health”. If you select another core area at the beginning of your application, your application will be rejected without review.

For the completion of the online application form you will be asked to upload the following documents:

  • Original certificates of your degrees (Bachelor, Master, Medical School, or equivalent)
    Please note that temporary university degree certificates that are older than 4 years will usually not be accepted. Also, student copies without stamp and signature from the registrar will not be accepted.
  • University degree diploma supplement
  • Original Transcripts of records of your academic education
  • English language certificate equivalent to level B2 (TOEFL (ITP (min. 543) or IBT (min. 87)), IELTS (min. 5), or equivalents) – not required if you are a native speaker or if your education was in English (which should be stated on the degree)
  • Europass Curriculum Vitae
  • Full research proposal (only the provided template will be accepted)
  • Two letters of recommendation – Please inform your selected referees before you enter their E-Mail addresses and submit your application. Templates will be automatically sent to the referees. Please inform them to check their Spam folders.

Please note that accepted upload file formats are unencrypted PDF and JPEG only. Upload data files may not exceed 5 MB per file. If an upload document consists of several pages, the pages have to be merged into one document, e.g. by using the merging option of Adobe. All documents have to be in English or German language; otherwise, an official translation into either language has to be added. Translations of original documents need to be certified.

Please note that the Ph.D. Program Coordination does not send out reminders for missing documents. Applications that fail to comply with formal requirements will be declined without review. Applications from previous years cannot be transferred into consecutive years!!

Selection process

After the application deadline on 31 January each year, all submitted and complete applications, i. e. those with two letters of recommendation and all required documents, will be evaluated first by the CIHLMU Teaching and Training Unit with respect to the fulfillment of the requirements. Please note that CIHLMU does not provide any research funding, which has to be covered by other sources. It is important that adequate research funding as well as funding for the stays in Munich is proved upon application!

In the second step, all applications that passed the pre-reviewing will be evaluated by at least two professors of the field with respect to the suitability of the candidate and proposed project in the scope of the program. In a final meeting, the selection board will make the final decision. This process will take until the end of March. Notifications will be delivered around April. Please note that a key factor in the selection process is the adequate matching of the candidate with LMU supervisors. The selection board will contact the department within LMU that is covering the field of research of the applicant´s research project, in order to identify suitable supervisors. This step is conducted exclusively by the selection board. Applicants should refrain from contacting potential LMU supervisors on their own. In case of non-availability of two matching supervisors the application has to be declined. Supervisors can be suggested within the application process. However, final matching with LMU supervisors is done exclusively by the selection board.

Once accepted, prospective candidates will receive a letter of acceptance and invitation in order to prepare for the necessary travel requirements. If the candidate confirms the letter of acceptance, contact will be established between the local supervisor, the LMU supervisors and the candidate in order to communicate on the first draft of the study proposal. The Ph.D. program starts officially at the beginning of October every year.

Important notice:
Every applicant accepted as a Ph.D. candidate will have to transfer an advance payment of 350 EUR via PayPal or bank transfer to CIHLMU . This advance payment will be offset with the first rent once the candidate arrives in Munich. After having received the official Letter of Acceptance to the Ph.D. program, the advance payment can be paid here.
Reimbursement policy: For cancellations of your acceptance before August, the complete Advanced Module will be reimbursed. For cancellations after August or for no-shows, the Advanced Payment will not be reimbursed.

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