Get Your Doctoral Project Done

Target group: Doctoral candidates

Language: English

Time: 13. & 20.10.2025 (14:15-16:45)

Writing – and finishing writing! – a PhD is a challenging endeavor. Many PhD candidates struggle to transition from research and writing into getting the thesis done and submitting the manuscript. Challenges, among others are: having many other obligations (such as child- and elderly care, jobs, political/activist engagements, volunteering, hobbies etc.), setting priorities, time management, anxiety around contacting supervisors, quality of the work, workload, uncertainty about expectations concerning quality, length, and format of the thesis, financial issues etc.

Many of the issues are not academic in the strict sense. Most often it is a feeling of being pressured, overwhelmed, confused, and/or lost. Most candidates who face those issues believe that they alone face those challenges and their situation is unique. While a PhD is supposed to be an individual project, the experience of it is by no means unique.

This workshop contextualizes the experience of doing (and importantly finishing!) the PhD, provides systematic knowledge about the different experiences and common challenges of the last phase of the PhD, and provides opportunity for peer-group exchange. The course is a safe space in which personal issues and experiences can be shared. It provides room to reflect on individual problems, practical and emotional challenges but also solutions and successful strategies.

This course faces the challenges of finishing a PhD head on and aims at providing some tips for PhD candidates in finalizing their PhD theses. Key topics include finding a submission date, time management, getting into the right mind-set, asking for support, and communication with supervisors.

Julia Büchele - University of Basel

Important information about registration and participation:

• Registration is possible until October 1st. You will then receive specific instructions on how to personally prepare for this online workshop.
• Please note that your registration is binding, and we are counting on your participation in the workshop.
  Organising our course programme takes time, resources and careful planning by our team. If you are unable to attend, please inform us promptly by emailing rcc(at)uni-graz.at or cancelling your registration on the website. This will help us with our planning and give someone on the waiting list the opportunity to participate.
• Register on our booking site: Get it done