Promoting Young Researchers

The Graduate School of Economics and Social Sciences (GESS) at the University of Mannheim offers a structured doctoral programme, which puts a special focus on taxation research. The programme is integrated in the Center for Doctoral Studies in Business (CDSB) and open to outstanding students who hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Business, Economics, Mathematics, or a related field. All classes and activities are held in English. Successful applicants receive a tax-free scholarship. GESS is internationally recognized and among the leading PhD programmes in Europe.

Programme Structure

The PhD program in taxation is taught and administered in English. The first semester courses provide the students with a fundamental knowledge of the relevant mathematical, econometric and microeconomic principles. During the second semester, students are introduced to the core insights and the current research frontier in the field of tax. Students develop their particular strengths and interests by means of elective courses, workshops and seminars which enable them to elaborate their PhD thesis proposal, due at the end of the first year.

After the first year the coursework then gradually phases out and students have the possibility to start working at the University of Mannheim or at the ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research. Moreover graduate students will work closely with researchers affiliated to the ScienceCampus MannheimTaxation a joint initiative of the University of Mannheim and ZEW which brings together researchers from economics, law, business administration and political science and serves as a platform for the scientific community and policy-makers to discuss and disseminate research results on tax.