Doctoral thesis title:

Are you interested in Economics? – Then this PhD program is a MUST for you!

Wow! … that is what I thought when I came across the internet pages of the University of Gdańsk, promoting their new PhD program at the Faculty of Economics.  My name is Matthias E Zierke, I am from Berlin - Germany and joined the first group of six selected PhD candidates starting in 2011. I will give you a brief introduction how my experience was.

I have to admit that I had been looking for several years for a part-time PhD program in German or English language somewhere in Europe.  Being a family father and for financial reason, I was not ready to quit my job as IT manager in order to graduate.  However, I always had the dream of continue my studies in Economics.  The English language part-time Doctoral Studies in Economics, led by Professor Dr. Mrs. Bak, fitted exactly my needs.

I applied online on the university internet page.  The application process was very well organized with a lot of personal interaction with the personnel of the university.  My main contact during that time was Mr. Tomasz Bielinski.  He answered all my questions, helped me to find a doctoral adviser and took care of many topics going from visa matters to the approval of documents for all six candidates applying from around the world.  Our PhD candidate group had students from Argentina, Angola, Bulgaria, Columbia, Germany and Nigeria.  We quickly became friends and supported each other during the next three years.

The PhD program itself is very well structured with two one-week sessions per year in Gdańsk, one in September and the other one in June.  During your first day onsite in Gdańsk we received a class schedule with all contact persons.  There were classes on theoretical aspects of micro- and macroeconomics, international economy, international economic relations or financial markets.  All Professors of the program are very integrated in the local industry and bring practical examples from daily business to their classes.  Also from the first day there is already some time scheduled to speak to doctoral advisors and discuss thesis topics.   Everything was very well organized.  I personally enjoyed every class, all Professors made them very interactive and open to class discussion.  My doctoral advisor, Professor Dr. Mr. Kulawczuk, Head of Macroeconomics department, guided me with great effort and provided valuable advices throughout the PhD program until I held successful the public defense.  I am still very thankful for his support to go the extra mile with me together.           

To be very honest and for all of you thinking this part-time program might be a “piece of cake” or a “Ponnyhof” like we say in German, please don’t even consider applying.  The onsite time at the University of Gdańsk is only the tip of the iceberg.  Most of the time you have to study from home, write papers for each class, do homework and don’t forget you need to write a PhD thesis … and that all in parallel of your daily work and family life.  In my case, I had to reduce my daily work to 80 %, spend almost every weekend studying and reduce my social life to a minimum.  Time will become a critical factor in your life and you have to manage yourself in a good way to get all things done.  

Another nice fact apart from the PhD program itself is the location.  The Faculty of Economics is located in Sopot near Gdansk.  Sopot is a seaside resort town on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea.  With a population of 40,000, the town is a major health-spa and tourist resort destination and the faculty facilities are 500 meters away from the beach.  During the onsite sessions in June and September you can relax in nice cafes, bars or just walk on the beach.  Sopot has the longest wooden pier in Europe, 515.5 meters stretching out into the Bay of Gdańsk.     

In a nutshell, this PhD program is very well set up and structured.  The infrastructure is brand new which includes buildings, equipment and library.  The entire staff (Professors and administration) is very cooperative and helpful.  The location close to the beach is fantastic.  I personally believe you will not find a better place to study. 

I am happy that I did participate in this PhD program but it took a lot of personal effort on my end.  It is all up to YOU to achieve your goal!