Applicants for the track “Master leading to PhD” should note the following:

• You have to find your own Master’s degree course. Neither HEC nor DAAD will place you in any programme!
• A degree course “Master leading to PhD” is hardly known at German universities. Some graduate schools, however, offer this possibility.
• As a rule, you will first get admitted to a Master’s course and towards the end of your Master’s study apply for PhD (from Germany).
• When searching for a Master’s course, keep in mind that this course should prepare you for PhD research. Thus avoid courses with too much interdisciplinary content. (E.g. if you want to make your PhD in Electrical Engineering, your Master’s course should be Electrical Engineering with a lot theory and lab work.) If you know already the research area for your PhD thesis, make sure you select a matching focus for your Master.
• Try to find a Master’s programme at an institute that later can accommodate you as a PhD student, too. In most cases, Universities of Applied Sciences do not qualify for that. Exceptions, however, are possible, and then Universities of Applied Sciences may be a good option. Find out and check with us in any case of doubt.
• The HEC will not fund tuition fees exceeding 500 Euros/ semester.

What to do and when?

• Find up to three Master courses using the available platforms at Study in Germany, at the Higher Education Compass or the DAAD International Programmes database.
• Read the course description plus application requirements very carefully and print them.
• Write a motivation letter for each Master’s course considering the following items:
  • Why have I selected this specific Master’s course? Please refer to the course description in detail. Which classes do you think will be particularly beneficial for you and why? You may also mention any cooperation between the degree course and the industry or attached research institutes which may be an option for your PhD later. If you have chosen a degree course at a university of applied sciences, you should in any case address the issue of further PhD research. Does the chosen institute cooperate with any research university?
  • In how far is the course content relevant for Pakistan (some facts and figures about the situation in energy generation/textile industry/agriculture …)?
  • If the degree course offers any specialization, make it clear what your choice will be.
  • In how far do you meet the admission requirements (list some relevant skills and knowledge obtained during Bachelor’s study or work experience)?
  • How do you intend to focus your PhD research after completing your Master’s? (Keep in mind that at the end you are going for a PhD. So your Master’s degree course should prepare you for this.
  • What will be your role at a Pakistani university once you have completed your PhD? Do you want to introduce a new research area or new research methods to your university?

Further proceeding:

1. Deadline to submit complete DAAD online application to the DAAD Portal will be communicated via e-mail.
2. Selection interviews: exact date to be disclosed by HEC at a later stage

• All candidates selected for a scholarship by the selection board, will have to apply for admission to the selected course and inform both HEC and DAAD immediately once they got admitted.
• For all those candidates who are selected for the scholarship but fail to secure admittance: DAAD will support you in case you do not succeed in getting admitted. Even if by the time of the start of language courses, you have not yet secured admittance, we will do our best to help you. But this is the last option! We expect every candidate to try very hard on his/her own.

Important guideline:

You will also find all the important information in the Downloads & Publications section.