Quality assurance in the field of doctoral studies is one of the main tasks of the Dahlem Research School (DRS).

The initial focus was placed on the development of uniform quality standards for structured doctoral education in DRS member programs, which promoted the high quality of doctoral training, supervision of doctoral researchers, postdocs, and their scientific work at Freie Universität Berlin. These standards are reflected in the commitment to quality doctoral education in DRS member programs.

Based on this, Dahlem Research School has developed

• a comprehensive quality assurance system for its member programs and
• standards for the education of doctoral researchers in members programs.

The next goal is now to establish these standards beyond the member programs for all doctoral researchers of Freie Universität Berlin.

Other central goals are:

• to support all doctoral and postdoctoral researchers at Freie Universität in complying with good scientific practice in their research, and

• to enforce the best possible doctoral education through university-wide guidelines for good doctoral supervision. This includes, as a core element, the conclusion of supervision agreements. Interested parties may find a sample of the supervision agreement based on the guidelines here.

Services and performance of the DRS are regularly evaluated by participating doctoral and postdoctoral researchers. The DRS also publishes key figures of doctoral programs and on its other areas of activities.

But what about those doctoral researchers who do not pursue a structured doctorate within the framework of a doctoral program? Under what conditions are doctoral studies conducted at Freie Universität? What influences satisfaction and doctoral success? In order to be able to answer these and other questions, Freie Universität is cooperating with the German Center for Research on Higher Education and Science in the implementation of the longitudinal study NACAPS. At regular intervals, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers throughout Germany are surveyed on doctoral conditions and success, career intentions and trajectories, and living conditions. Freie Universität will use the university-specific results to review its support measures and improve doctoral conditions to optimally promote its early researchers.