On behalf of my colleagues, I warmly welcome you to the Graduate School of Decision Sciences at the University of Konstanz. Our Graduate School offers an ideal training and research environment for doctoral students concerned with questions about decision making and its application to important social problems. The three disciplines economics, political science and psychology constitute the main focus of the School and three complementary disciplines are also incorporated: computer science, sociology and statistics. The School is structured into four interdisciplinary research areas, between which various cross-connections exist:
(A) Behavioural Decision Making, (B) Intertemporal Choice and Markets, (C) Political Decisions and Institutions and (D) Information Processing and Statistical Analysis.

The Graduate School’s innovative training programme, as well as its open and communicative academic environment, provide the ideal conditions for guiding doctoral students towards scientific excellence. Our doctoral students benefit from our connections to a wide variety of national and international network partners. They also receive targeted career preparation to facilitate their entry into assistant professorships and postdoctoral positions at leading international research institutions or into top positions in the private sector or the public service. The GSDS encourages research on gender and diversity related topics which meet the interests of several faculty members.

There are two routes of entry into the Graduate School. Applications are welcome from highly motivated Master’s graduates and pending graduates with an outstanding Master’s degree relevant to one of the disciplines or research areas of the Graduate School. Furthermore, Master’s students who have participated in our Graduate School Track, which is integrated into our Master’s Programmes in Economics, Mathematical Finance, Politics and Public Administration, Psychology, Political Economy and Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences, are optimally prepared for entry into the Graduate School.

All University Departments contributing to the Graduate School belong to the premier departments of their kind in Germany and enjoy an outstanding reputation in teaching and research.

The University of Konstanz is one of the nine Universities of Excellence in Germany. The University is a role model for the integration of research into teaching. It is strong in research funding and is a truly international university, maintaining relations with 200 universities worldwide. The University’s first-rate infrastructure includes its award-winning, 24-hour open library, state-of-the-art computer facilities and the provision of German and other foreign language courses.

Constance is one of Germany’s choice destinations. Its unique setting on the shores of Lake Constance and the River Rhine, as well as its proximity to the Alps, Switzerland, Austria and France, make it the ideal location for study and leisure.

If you believe that our Graduate School of Decision Sciences meets your academic aspirations, then please do not hesitate to apply.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us.

We look forward to meeting you in Constance.

Prof. Dr. Leo Kaas
Coordinator of the Graduate School