Most of the students finishing their M.Sc. Plant Sciences program start a Ph.D. project in Bonn or at a nearby research institution. The M.Sc. Plant Sciences program has established close connections with the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne and with the Universities of Cologne  and Düsseldorf , which offer additional opportunities to start a Ph.D. project. Thus, different graduate schools with structured Ph.D. programs in plant sciences are available in Bonn, Cologne and Düsseldorf. Please keep in mind that some of these schools have strict deadlines for applications of up to 12 months ahead of the designated start date (i.e. you might need to apply for doctoral programs early in your 3rd semester of the M.Sc. Plant Sciences program).

Ph.D. programs:
CEPLAS Graduate School, U of Düsseldorf, U of Cologne, MPI Cologne
Graduate School for Biological Sciences, U of Cologne
iGRADplant, U of Düsseldorf
International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS), MPI Cologne