Application

Application steps

In order to apply for the program, please follow the steps below:

Download, fill out and sign the application form from the MyoGrad website
Prepare the following documents:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Letter of intent. This letter should include a statement about the interest in the research field as well as remarks on the specific interest in the international program involving Germany (Berlin) and France (Paris/Versailles)
- Transcripts (record of study) and degree certificates of your first and final university degrees in your respective field. It is essential that you have (or expect to obtain within the next 6 months) a degree comparable to the German Diploma or a degree corresponding to M2 level or equivalent niveau Bac+5 in France. This can be a Master's Degree with a research thesis, with the final grade being "very good", "excellent" or equivalent.
Provide the addresses of two referees. Please list the full names, addresses and emails of two referees who have agreed to support your application with an evaluation letter. The MyoGrad Office will contact them.
Please submit your complete application in electronic form (a single PDF file) to the MyoGrad Office: myograd@charite.de
For any questions please do not hesitate to contact Susanne Wissler
+49 30 450 540 504 or myograd@charite.de

Important Dates

Call for applications	To be announced
Deadline for application
Invitation to Interview
Interview in Berlin
Notification of selected candidates

Requirements

Students eligible for the program must meet the following criteria:

Above average qualifications and grades ("very good" or "excellent") together with a strong interest in scientific issues regarding muscle-related cell and molecular biology or in clinical and scientific aspects of muscle diseases are expected.
Applicants are required to have completed (or be in the process of completing) and provide proof of a university degree equivalent to a German Diploma, MSc with written thesis, an MD, a degree corresponding to M2 level or equivalent niveau Bac+5 in France or as listed here. If you have a degree from a country not in the list or if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact the MyoGrad Office.
The minimum level of the English required is B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). TOEFL and GRE scores are welcome. All MyoGrad students will have the opportunity to attend French or German language classes.

Evaluation

A joint evaluation board consisting equally of academic representatives from Université Pierre et Marie Curie UPMC, Paris 6, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Freie Universität Berlin, and Charité Medical Faculty will assess the incoming applications. The following criteria are to be applied:

academic excellence of previous scientific work or proposed doctoral thesis
previous academic achievement in general
academic potential
language and soft skills

The selection procedure is highly competitive and only the best candidates will be short-listed for an interview. During the assessment center, board members will examine the candidates’ general scientific knowledge, their intellectual capacity, their motivation for a scientific career in general and the MyoGrad program in particular. Finally, the members of the evaluation board will create a ranking report, according to which the new students will be chosen.

Interview

Students eligible for an interview will

give a 10-15 min. presentation about their research experience gained, for example from working on their Master thesis. Alternatively, the applicant may present an outline of the research planned for the PhD thesis.
discuss their work with members of the Evaluation Board
do interviews with MyoGrad project leaders
take part in lab tours
meet other candidates and MyoGrad academic staff members at meals.

Scholarship

On the Berlin side MyoGrad PhD or PhD/MD students will receive a monthly grant of EUR 1,365 plus EUR 103 per month for research consumables and a travel benefit for their exchange visits to the partner institution.

On the Paris/Versailles side MyoGrad PhD students will have a salary of 1.374 EUR per month which includes social insurance and retirement pension.