First, please create an applicant account in HISinOne. As soon as you start an application, it will be assigned an application number, which you should quote in the event of any inquiries.
Once you have submitted your online application, an upload link will be available in your applicant account.
Please upload your digital application portfolio by 30 September 2026, 4:00 p.m. at the latest (application deadline), together with the documents listed below. Each document must be uploaded as a separate PDF file and clearly named (e.g. Summary, Exposé, University Degree, CV):
A summary of the proposed project of no more than 15 lines;
A 10-page exposé outlining the research problem of the proposed project. In the case of an artistic project in combination with a theoretical–academic project, the respective weighting of the artistic and theoretical–academic components must also be outlined. The exposé must include a list of all sources and tools used;
Proof of higher education degree*;
Proof of aptitude for academic research**;
Curriculum vitae;
Written proof of a consultation meeting confirming the supervisor’s interest, or a declaration including the supervisor commitment(s)***;
If applicable, a list of all publications to date (sole or co-authored) and/or documentation of artistic works and publications;
A declaration stating whether and, if applicable, with what result you have previously undergone or applied for a doctoral procedure elsewhere;
A declaration confirming that you are familiar with the current Doctoral Regulations and that you have taken note of the principles of academic work at HFBK Hamburg in their respective valid version, in connection with the DFG-oriented guidelines for good scientific practice.
The total file size is limited to 30 MB. Submission of a physical application portfolio is not possible. Late, incomplete, and/or applications submitted by email, as well as subsequently submitted documents, cannot be considered.
For your application to HFBK Hamburg, only the documents/works uploaded with the digital application portfolio will be considered. Links to external platforms will not be considered.
Submissions after the application deadline are only possible upon request.
* A Diploma or Master’s degree from a German higher education institution or an equivalent degree from a foreign higher education institution – the equivalence of a foreign degree must be proven.
**Proof may be provided either through academic components completed as part of the previously completed degree program or acquired during the doctoral studies. In the latter case, the Doctoral Committee will impose requirements specifying the period within which the corresponding proof of achievement must be submitted.
***In the case of a doctorate consisting of a theoretical–academic dissertation, only doctoral degree–holding university professors from the field of Theory and History may be appointed as primary supervisor. The second supervisor must be a university professor representing a theoretical–academic discipline. In the case of a doctorate consisting of an artistic project in combination with a theoretical–academic dissertation, the primary supervisor is generally a doctoral degree–holding university professor from the field of Theory and History. The second supervisor must be a university professor representing an artistic discipline. In justified exceptional cases, the Doctoral Committee may appoint a university professor from an artistic discipline as primary supervisor. In such cases, the second supervisor must be a doctoral degree–holding university professor from the field of Theory and History.