Welcome activities and cohort-building
The ViDSS helps doctoral candidates to get started and to get and stay in touch with colleagues who are at a similar stage of their doctoral studies.
Getting started
- Each semester, the ViDSS organises two welcome meetings for new doctoral candidates in the Social Sciences. The ViDSS Welcome Meetings provide a possibility to get to know the Director of Studies / Speaker of the ViDSS as well as members of the coordination and administration team and the student representatives. Participants learn about the milestones of the doctoral programme and the activities and support measures organised by the Doctoral School and can clarify open questions.
Next welcome meetings: March and April 2025 - At the end of their first or second semester, doctoral candidates who have joined the ViDSS are invited to participate in a retreat. The ViDSS First Year Retreat is a two- or three-day event outside of Vienna. We provide a space for the exchange of experiences and research plans and offer input on selected themes that are relevant to early stage doctoral candidates across social science disciplines.
- We recommend that candidates attend the introduction course which is part of the teaching programme and to participate in our peer mentoring programme in the first or second semester of their doctoral studies. Both offers aim at preparing doctoral candidates for the public presentation at the Faculty (FÖP).
After the entry phase
- Doctoral candidates make progress with their doctoral thesis projects and build personal networks through regularly attending research workshops, colloquia and seminars which are part of the teaching programme.
- To exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas with other doctoral candidates, we recommend that candidates make use of the networking opportunities offered by the ViDSS. They may join PhD clubs, attend forums and/or collaborate in projects such as our podcast Doctor it! ViDSS students also meet during social activities organised by the ViDSS.
- Participating in writing schools and coaching allows ViDSS students to write in a collaborative environment and to receive (peer) support for the successful completion of their doctoral thesis and for starting a career in or beyond academia.
Doctor it!
Listen to Episode 1 of our podcast Doctor it! and learn about the experiences of first-year doctoral candidates at the University’s Doctoral Schools in the Humanities and the Social Sciences.