Qualification Program

After acceptance, candidates and all CUDE members attend a CUDE Welcome Event. 
During this event, the principal investigators present their research areas in order to familiarize doctoral researchers with the RTG’s overall profile, the specific research areas, and their inter-connections. 
A principal investigator explains the academic career track of the program, in particular the RTG’s qualification stages in order to prepare doctoral researchers for the academic job market from early on. 
Doctoral researchers also get to know the structure of the RTG program and the RTG’s Scientific Manager introduces them to the administrative and managerial structure of Bielefeld’s doctoral school BiGSEM. 
According to the doctoral candidates’ research preferences, they are matched during the Welcome Event to a mentor and a first supervisor who accompanies them through the dissertation process. 
The supervisor decides the potential profile with the doctoral researcher and signs the Supervision Agreement between first supervisor and doctoral researchers.

In addition to the standard BiGSEM curriculum that covers Core Courses (also known as Prerequisites) in microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, finance, and statistics during the first two semesters, the planned RTG will establish novel and tailored special “CUDE Cluster Meetings” and “CUDE Colloquia” to support the candidates’ doctoral research. 
The curriculum is supplemented by research seminars and a scientific writing course; the qualification stage finishes with the first CUDE retreat. 

In the specialization stage, doctoral researchers devote their core time to research on their thesis projects.
The areas of specialization correspond to the three areas of research covered by the research projects.
During their second year, doctoral candidates complement their research with CUDE Field Courses. 
Conducting research is complemented by various learning activities within the existing BiGSEM program and new seminars offered by the planned RTG. 
In addition to the BiGSEM–CUDE Colloquium, CUDE cluster meetings, and research seminars, doctoral researchers attend Electives from the BiGSEM Curriculum. 
Moreover, doctoral researchers make first experiences in organizing an international doctoral workshop. 
They will be part of the organization committee of the yearly BiGSEM–CUDE Doctoral Workshop.
 

In the second part of the specialization stage, doctoral researchers still devote their core time to research on their thesis projects.
During their third year, doctoral candidates complement their research with CUDE International Block Courses offered by external guests in the different areas of specialization. 
Conducting research is complemented by various learning activities within the existing BiGSEM program and new seminars offered by the planned RTG. 
In addition to the BiGSEM–CUDE Colloquium, CUDE cluster meetings, and research seminars, doctoral researchers attend Electives from the BiGSEM Curriculum. 
To prepare a successful placement in or outside academia, we introduce a curriculum on Job Market Preparation in the second part of this stage.

During the fourth year, the RTG’s doctoral researchers finalize their dissertation thesis, which at the Center for Mathematical Economics consist of three research papers, and apply for positions on the job market. Doctoral candidates receive a Publication Premium for papers accepted in peer reviewed journals. 
Doctoral researchers are encouraged to present their results at international conferences of the European and the American Economic Association or the Econometric Society. 
In order to prepare for those presentations and the defense, the BiGSEM–CUDE Colloquium and CUDE Cluster Meetings are still attended. 
Last, but not least, the BiGSEM–CUDE international Doctoral Workshop and the research seminars are attended to foster networking among the researchers and to stay up to date in current research.