The Doctoral Program at the ifo Institute

What is Special About Completing a Doctorate at the ifo Institute?

The supervisors of doctoral students are department heads at an ifo Center and are also professors in the Economics Faculty at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU). The benefit of this is twofold for doctoral students: they attend the graduate program courses at Munich Graduate School of Economics (MGSE) and participate in the lunchtime seminars of the Center for Economic Studies (CES) and the ifo Institute.

• The ifo Institute specifically promotes the development of econometric principles among its doctoral students. They attend courses on this at the university and make use of special training opportunities offered by the ifo Institute, including intensive seminars with internationally recognized econometricians.
• The doctoral students are given the opportunity to present their research findings on an international stage. They receive guidance from experienced economists on giving presentations at international academic conferences and publishing successful articles in recognized refereed journals.
• The ifo Institute involves doctoral students in empirical economic research projects early on. In doing so, the students also acquire skills in project management, presentation, and facilitation.
• Thanks to the large CESifo network and guest researchers at the ifo Centers, doctoral students can build networks that aid both their progress on a professional level during their doctoral studies and their career outside the ifo Institute.
• We encourage and support our doctoral students during semesters abroad.
• Doctoral students can turn to special contact persons (doctoral-student officers) if they have questions concerning their doctoral studies. There are also female mentors for female doctoral students.

How are Doctoral Students Employed at ifo?

The ifo Institute offers doctoral students E 13 positions equivalent to 75 percent of regular working hours. Remuneration may be increased if a paper is published in a recognized refereed journal. The employment contract initially runs for three years and can be extended according to the success of the dissertation. Even if ifo doctoral candidates are on parental leave, the contract is extended accordingly. Dissertations at the ifo Institute usually do not take longer than four and a half years, as doctoral students can spend at least half of their working hours doing research for their dissertations. Wherever possible, participation in projects is oriented towards the doctoral students’ research interests.

Who can Participate in the Program?

Applicants should have completed their studies in economics with very good results and should have excellent English language skills. Econometric knowledge and fundamentals in the field of allocation and welfare theory are also generally expected. Depending on the field of application, additional in-depth knowledge may be required in certain scientific subjects.

What Happens after the Doctorate?

After completing their doctorate, some doctoral students switch to other employers. The spectrum ranges from other economic research institutes to universities and ministries, to international organizations, consulting companies, banks and insurance companies.

Scholarships of the Bernt Rohrer Foundation

In October 2017, the Bernt Rohrer Foundation in the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft awarded for the first time a scholarship abroad and a publication scholarship to doctoral students of the ifo Institute. The International Fellowship supports young scientists during longer research stays at top universities in other European and non-European countries. The publication scholarship supports doctoral students in the publication of a top scientific publication written solely by authors. Both scholarships are endowed with up to 6000 Euro.