The American History doctoral program of the Amerika-Institut at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich) offers graduate students the opportunity to study major issues in the history, culture, media, politics, and society of the United States, Canada, and the Americas. It seeks to frame the American continents beyond their colonial and nation-state boundaries by situating them in a transatlantic and global context.

The program is integrated into the Graduate School Language & Literature Munich as its Class of Culture and History (CoHist). It is systematically structured and research-oriented, offering doctoral candidates the opportunity to present and discuss their individual research projects in seminars and workshops with guest professors. It offers an ideal environment for doctoral candidates since it provides access to a network of internationally renowned scholars and is embedded in LMU’s outstanding institutional and research-driven infrastructure.

For more information on the program’s structure please visit: www.lmu.de/gsll/history 

 More information on the Amerika-Institut at LMU can be found here: https://www.en.amerikanistik.uni-muenchen.de/index.html 

The Scholarship Includes:

• Scholarship payments of € 1300 per month, for up to 3 years, or up to 4 years for applicants from developing or emerging countries
• Payments towards health, accident, and personal liability insurance cover
• A travel allowance
• An annual research allowance of up to € 460 depending on country of origin
• A material resources and supervision allowance of currently € 1000 per year, which is paid upon application to the host institution
• A preparatory German language course (if available, applicable, and feasible taking into account the starting date of the scholarship)
• Under certain circumstances, grant holders may receive an additional monthly rent subsidy

Application Requirements: 


• Academic excellence
• Master’s degree in a related field (accomplished within the last six years prior to May 1, 2025; thesis graded with at least “good”)
• Non-German nationality. The scholarship is geared towards international doctoral students from all countries, provided they are not German citizens. We specifically encourage applications from developing and emerging countries.
• Residence in Germany not longer than 15 months prior to May 1, 2025 (i.e. not before Feb. 1, 2024)
• English language skills (C1)
• Candidates without any German language skills are eligible for a German language class in Germany through the DAAD, prior to the fellowship
• Candidates must not have completed a PhD previously

Application Documents (in German or English): 


• Research project proposal (max. 5 pages excluding bibliography) with a short abstract
• Schedule for the doctoral project including information about possible stays outside of Germany
(i.e. archival and other research trips)
• Curriculum vitae
• A letter of recommendation (by a professor/lecturer from your home university), to be sent 
directly to nadine.klopfer@lmu.de until April 15, 2025. Please use the following form: https://www.daad.de/medien/deutschland/stipendien/formulare/recommendation.doc
• Letter of motivation
(max. 1 page)
• Bachelor and Master degree certificates and transcripts of records including grades (please include your home university’s grade scale, explaining the grade system)
• Documents certifying knowledge of English language skills (C1) and German if applicable
• Optional: A list of publications

Application Process: 


• First round: Please send the above documents as one PDF to nadine.klopfer@lmu.de until April 15, 2025. Professors should send the recommendation forms separately to nadine.klopfer@lmu.de until April 15, 2025
• Second round: Interviews (Zoom) at LMU will take place in late April 2025; successful candidates will then be nominated to the DAAD
• Final round: Final decision by the DAAD based on documents the nominated candidates submit to the DAAD via the DAAD portal until mid-May 2025.

For any questions please do not hesitate to contact the program’s coordinator at LMU’s Amerika-Institut: Dr. Nadine Klopfer: nadine.klopfer@lmu.de