You are now part of a group of around 650 Ph.D. students at the University of St.Gallen. Roughly half are employed at one of the University’s institutes, chairs and centres, usually with a workload of between 35% and 70%.
According to the European Commission’s classification, you are part of the group known as First Stage Researchers. This group is characterised by the fact that they carry out research under the supervision of an experienced academic, thus developing subject and methodological expertise in their field. The primary objective in this phase is to successfully complete your thesis. According to the OECD international comparison, Switzerland has the highest graduation rate at doctoral level (SBFI 2014), meaning that Ph.D. studies can be viewed as advanced training that leads into the world of academia or applied research.
In Germany, fewer than 6% of Ph.D. graduates move into permanent academic positions (Cyranoski 2011). The figure is likely to be similar in Switzerland. When it comes to opportunities on the job market, a Ph.D. in humanities or social sciences has a positive impact (SWIR 2015)
This stage of your career typically involves:
- Settling into the new environment and understand the unspoken rules of the academic system
- Getting lost every now and then while writing your PhD thesis
- Building an academic network
- Developing research and methodological expertise
- Gaining self-confidence while discussing an presenting
Keen to find out what your peers recommend? Watch their video statements!
And this is how your to-do list might look like:
1. Reflect on your decision to pursue a Ph.D.
2. Build your community at the HSG
3. Find a mentor
4. Develop your speaking and presentation skills
5. Build an international network
6. Train in creative and visual thinking
7. Check your resources (right-hand navigation under "Downloads")
References:
Cyranoski, D. et al (2011): The PhD factory. Nature 472, 276-279.
Schweizerischer Wissenschafts- und Innovationsrat (SWIR) (2015): Dr. Arbeitslos?. Document CSSI 6/2015
Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation (SBFI) (2014): Massnahmen zur Förderung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses in der Schweiz. Bericht des Bundesrats in Erfüllung des Postulats WBK-SR (12.3343).