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Structured PhD Programs
Swiss TPH PhD candidates are highly encouraged to enrol in structured PhD programs within the first 4-6 months of their PhD. Structured PhD programs support PhD candidates in building the skills and abilities needed for both their PhD studies and their future career steps.
PhD candidates registered in structured PhD programs must fulfil additional requirements (such as at least 18 instead of 12 ECTS of course work). This comes with a range of extra benefits though, such as: • Participation at special courses and events with small or no fees, • Access to funding of courses or conferences, • Career training, and • Networking among a critical mass of PhD candidates.
Please discuss this option early on (i.e. at the very beginning of your PhD period) with your supervisor.
Admission rules and procedures may differ across programs, thus, check out the websites and approach the programme coordinators. Typically, registered students who fulfil all requirements will get a programme certificate once they have received the PhD title from the University. These certificates are not a “PhD degree” but confirm the range of additional achievements. NOTE: If you do not accumulate the required ECTS until the defence, you may be charged the course fees in retrospect.
We are currently in the process of establishing a Graduate School Health Sciences (GSHS) to build a community of as many PhD students in health sciences as possible. Further information on the next page.
PhD Program in Health Sciences (PPHS)
Funded by the University of Basel and chaired by Nino Künzli, this program offers, among other things, free courses, networking, career training, and funds for external courses. Even though the program is rooted in the Medical Faculty, PhD candidates in the Health Sciences from Medical and Science Faculty in any of the following PhD subjects are eligible: Clincal Research, Nursing Science, Sports Science, Public Health/Epidemiology including Insurance Medicine (all Medical Faculty) or Cell Biology, Microbiology and Epidemiology (Science Faculty). Registration is online. Eligible students must agree to acquire at least 18 ECTS. The PPHS website, www.pphs.unibas.ch, provides all information. PPHS is coordinated by Dr. Anja Matthiä at Swiss TPH, together with Nicole Peter and Renate de Bock, contact: pphs@unibas.ch.
Mailing list: pphs@maillist.unibas.ch Apart from PPHS news, Information about courses and events in public health and related subjects is sent to this mailing list and published online: https://pphs.unibas.ch/program/training-offers-overview/ and https://pphs.unibas.ch/events-in-the-health-sciences/.
Everyone can write to the list (pphs@maillist.unibas.ch), e.g. in case you know of an interesting event to share. Interested people, e.g. Master or prospective PhD students, are welcome to subscribe to the mailinglist (directly on the website, https://pphs.unibas.ch/ or email us pphs@unibas.ch to get signed up). You can unsubscribe again any time.
In case you have any questions, please contact Anja Matthiä and the PPHS team: pphs@unibas.ch.
This PhD Program ended in 2019 but will continue its aims in the new Graduate School Health Sciences. Until the official start of the Graduate School Health Sciences, current PhD students can use the offerings by PPHS, PhD Program Health Sciences. New students in the Swiss TPH Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology (MPI) are strongly encouraged to register to PPHS, https://pphs.unibas.ch/registration/ Contact person for PhD students in the area of infection biology is Pascal Mäser (pascal.maeser@swisstph.ch).
To strengthen the PhD tracks in health sciences, the University of Basel will launch the Graduate School Health Sciences (GSHS). The GSHS expands the vision of inter-faculty multi-disciplinary health sciences in line with long traditions of PhD tracks at Swiss TPH. The Medical and the Science Faculty will both manage the GSHS equally. Accordingly, an inter-faculty regulation (Promotionsordnung) is planned. It will be mandatory for PhD students at the Medical Faculty and Science Faulty PhD students at the Swiss TPH. Ultimately, it’s aim is to be open to all health sciences PhD candidates of other faculties and PhD subjects of the University of Basel who would like to join. GSHS will offer courses, seminars, seasonal schools and access to networking opportunities as needed in the interdisciplinary fields of health sciences. It guides PhD candidates to comply with regulations and requirements set by the faculties of their subject. It assists supervisors in selecting the most talented PhD candidates. The GSHS Steering Board (PhD Ausschuss) will secure the quality of PhD tracks, profile the academic content and the development as well the strategic orientation of the GSHS as a platform tailored to the academic needs of PhD tracks. The GSHS Coordination Office guarantees the administration and coordination of the GSHS and its academic board.
GSHS replaces and consolidates various parallel governance structures, commissions and boards currently involved in the parallel management of health sciences PhD tracks including the above mentioned PPHS and IPPIB and others. Thus, stay tuned and watch out what’s coming next. PhD candidates are also represented and most welcome in the GSHS development group, lead by Nino Künzli, (nino. kuenzli@swisstph.ch) and coordinated by Anja Matthiä at Swiss TPH, anja.matthiae@swisstph.ch.
Swiss TPH PhD candidates have additionally the opportunity to enroll in the Inter-university Graduate Campus of the Swiss School of Public Health SSPH+ to benefit from its offers to strengthen their academic skills, competencies, career paths and networks.
The only eligibility criteria for enrollment are the following: • The primary supervisor of the PhD candidate must be an SSPH+ Faculty member (note: Swiss TPH faculty are by default SSPH+ faculty members) • PhD candidates must be formally registered and approved as a PhD candidate in one of the SSPH+ Foundation partner universities (e.g the University of Basel)
The SSPH+ IGC is not a structured PhD program, but it offers courses in public health research, advanced methods, and thematic workshops as well as SSPH+ seasonal schools. Courses are taught by national and international experts and aim to provide high-level training for PhD students as well as stimulating networking opportunities. Registered SSPH+ students can attend PhD courses for free (apart from a processing fee of 30 CHF per course) and the SSPH+ seasonal schools (and courses by other partners) at reduced fees. There are no additional requirements in terms of ECTS, publications etc. apart from the ones of the home university of the PhD candidate. It is highly recommended for all PhDs at Swiss TPH to join the SSPH+ IGC.
The SSPH+ IGC is managed and coordinated by Ann Walser (awalser@ssphplus.ch), Graduate Campus Manager, located at the University of Fribourg. For all information see www.ssphplus/en/graduate-campus/. Anja Matthiä, PPHS coordinator, is in close contact with Ann Walser. Nino Künzli, Dean of SSPH+, is the local (Basel) representative and steering board member of IGC.
International Graduate School (IGS) North-South
The IGS North-South is not a structured PhD program but a graduate school of the Universities of Bern, Basel, and Zurich, www.igs-north-south.ch. It is dedicated to establishing an international research network that analyses the impacts of global change, with a view to advancing sustainable development worldwide through interdisciplinary collaborations. It emphasizes an integrative, partnership-based research approach encompassing higher education at the PhD level, innovation and application. Upon completion of course work (at least 12 ECTS), the IGS North-South offers their students a Certificate of Specialization in Sustainable Development, which supplements the degree they receive from their home institution. The PhD students may choose from a broad range of disciplinary and thematic courses offered at the participating Swiss institutions. The three partner universities usually rotate the leadership for the annual IGS North-South Summer School (5 ECTS). If your research and training needs fit into IGS North-South, discuss this option with your supervisor. IGS North-South summer schools may be of particular value also for students from the global South.
