In 2001, the Department of Economics and Business Administration at Bielefeld University established in close cooperation with the Institute of Mathematical Economics (IMW) the Bielefeld Graduate School of Economics and Management (BiGSEM). It offers a structured, internationally oriented doctoral program with a strong research orientation.The program is designed for three years of study and involves mandatory coursework, participation in doctoral and research seminars as well as the preparation of a doctoral thesis. Students choose one of two profiles: Economics or Management.

The curricula in Economics and Management are taught by first-class scholars and the school offers excellent working conditions for its doctoral students. BiGSEM has a strong international orientation attracting researchers from all over the world and offering students various exchange programs and joint projects with renowned international partners. In 2009 Bielefeld University was listed in the ‘Excellence Group‘ of European Economics Departments by the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) in a ranking based on research and graduate education.

BiGSEM unifies several special international doctoral programs under its roof: the International Research Training Group “Economic Behavior and Interaction Models (EBIM)”, with the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne as  partner, and the “European Doctorate in Economics – Erasmus Mundus (EDE-EM)”, carried out jointly by seven distinguished European universities. BiGSEM supports and encourages doctoral students to obtain joint or double doctoral degrees with our partner universities, e.g. in the framework of Cotutelle agreements. Financial support for the programs at BiGSEM is provided by the German Science Foundation (DFG), the European Union and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).  Doctoral students from these programs as well as from the Department and the IMW are BiGSEM members.

Yours sincerely,

Prof. Dr. Herbert Dawid
Chairman of BiGSEM