Profile

As the graduate school for the entire Facutly of Arts and Humanities, a.r.t.e.s. comprises all graduate-level academic qualifications, from the Master’s level to postdoctoral work. The unique breadth of subjects offered by the University of Cologne’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities – one of the largest of its kind in Europe – creates the ideal conditions for an intensive, lively, and open-minded exchange of ideas.

A hallmark of the a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School is its interdisciplinarity; the core of its work focuses on creating dialogue between young academics beyond the borders of their own academic fields and thus contributing to an understanding of the processes of knowledge in the entirety of their complexity. a.r.t.e.s. is guided by an understsanding of the humanities which rejects the fragmentation of  academia into liberal arts, social scienes, and natural scienes. As a former Excellence Intitiative Project (funded by the University of Cologne from 2012 to 2019) fosters a creative and productive environment, allowing for academic research at the highest level to take place. It focuses primarily on the cultural context surrounding language, history, culture, mediality, anthropology and ethics.

The experiential and structural roots of the a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School for the Humanities Cologne lie in the former a.r.t.e.s. Research School (2008-2012), which was funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

 

Doing your doctorate at a.r.t.e.s.:

The a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School offers the classic, standard model of doctoral studies (Regular Track), as well as a structured, interdisciplinary model for scholarship recipients and members without a scholarship (Kollegiat/inn/en) (Integrated Track). In the initial phase of preparing a doctoral project, students can apply for short-term scholarships.

 

a.r.t.e.s. Research Lab:

The a.r.t.e.s. Research Lab serves as the ‘Centre for Early Career Researchers’ of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Cologne. It promotes the immediate transition from a doctorate to an advanced academic career and offers an attractive location for integrative, interdisciplinary, and international research.

 

a.r.t.e.s. Research Master:

Through the a.r.t.e.s. Research Master, the graduate school helps to prepare highly engaged students for an academic career while still in the early stages of their education. The Research Master offers a research-oriented programme of study during Master's level studies at the University of Cologne, coupled with direct engagement with the fields of excellence within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, its primary focus is on preparing students for future doctoral work.