BIGS (Bonn International Graduate School) Clinical and Population Science is committed to providing a top-level, internationally competitive program and focuses on all aspects of patient-oriented clinical research and epidemiology.

Get more information about our research fields and involved research groups!

BIGS Clinical and Population Science aims to ensure that your time as a graduate student meets your needs and expectations, trains you for leadership roles in academic research and elsewhere, and enables you to make the most of your enthusiasm for translational research.

Participating Faculties and Institutes
This interdisciplinary school includes scientists from the Faculty of Agriculture, the Faculty of Medicine,  the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in the Helmholtz Association and the Federal Institute of Drugs and Medical Devices.

Detailed information about the faculties involved and the various degrees (PhD, MD/PhD, and Dr. troph.) that can be obtained can be found in the Rules and Regulations section.

BIGS Clinical and Population Science Educational Program
The doctoral program is designed to give you the opportunity to expand your general research skills as well as your personally transferable skills. Training measures are complemented by a mentoring and reporting program, comprehensive measures for career development and support for scientific networking. In the following we would like to introduce the individual training components to you.

Introductory course: The goal of this intensive 1-week course is to introduce PhD students to important aspects and methods of clinical and population science at an early stage of their careers. Course topics are: Clinical Studies, Epidemiology, Imaging, Genetics, and Statistics.

Methods courses: BIGS Clinical and Population Science offers a wide range of courses that focus primarily on covering knowledge and practical skills about research with human volunteers. Topics include epidemiology, imaging, genetics, clinical studies, statistics, biomechanics, and other essential skills/techniques (e.g. programming, data analysis with R)

Soft Skills courses: Participation in soft skill courses is designed to help doctoral students prepare for a successful career following their doctorate. Soft Skills courses offer doctoral students the opportunity to improve their academic and extracurricular skills.

Seminars: BIGS Clinical and Population Science doctoral students need to attend scientific seminars to stay up to date with the technologies and latest happenings in science.

Good Scientific Practice: Compliance with the principles of good scientific practice is essential in all scientific work. The principles (based on DFG) are taught in a one-day course to doctoral students at an early stage of their promotion.

Student retreats and conferences: Interaction and cooperation through regular student retreats, scientific conferences and social events is a major goal of BIGS Clinical and Population Science.

BIGS Clinical and Population Science Thesis Award and Travel Grants

A BIGS Clinical and Population Science Thesis Award will be awarded each year for the best PhD thesis submitted by BIGS Clinical and Population Science doctoral students. Prerequisite for receiving the prize is successful participation in BIGS Clinical and Population Science. 

BIGS Clinical and Population Science is pleased to support BIGS Clinical and Population Science graduate students with travel grants for attendance at renowned international conferences or innovative methods courses.

Get further information about the submission procedure in the Awards and Travel Grants section.

Teaching Committee
The Teaching Committee is responsible for the design of the curriculum as well as for the regular review and continuous improvement of the individual components. The committee identifies the needs and interests of the participants and adapts the curriculum and course offerings to these requirements. The committee monitors the quality of the courses on offer and develops new courses to meet the needs of doctoral students. See the current Teaching Committee members in the Organizational Structure section.