Key Competences Courses

At Osnabrück University you will find a wide range of events that help you to gain key competences as part of your academic qualification. The  PhD/Postdoc Career Center (ZePrOs) offers researchers in early career phases crossdisciplinary courses tailored to the specific needs of the respective qualification phases. In addition, ZePrOs brings together the offers of other central institutions of the university in a joint courses and events program that is published every semester.

The current program contains offers from the ZePrOs, the International Office, the Language Center, the University Library, the Center for Digital Teaching, Campus Management and Higher Education Didactics (virtUOS), the Equal Opportunities Office, the Osnabrück University Technology Transfer Office and Organizational Development.

Events Offered by ZePrOs

Our qualification program covers the following areas of competence:

  • Science and Method
  • Leadership Skills
  • Self-Management Skills and Career Planning
  • Work Techniques as well as Language and Media Skills

In these focus areas, you will find both target group-specific offers for those interested in a doctorate, doctoral candidates and postdocs as well as offers that are equally relevant for doctoral candidates in the final phase of their doctorate and for postdocs.

Download : ZePrOs brochure

 Current courses and events in the winter semester 2025/2026

Every semester, ZePrOs offers information events and workshops for Master's students and graduates interested in pursuing a doctorate. The courses offer insights and orientation. They help you with the decision-making process and, if you decide to pursue a doctorate, with the entry into the doctoral phase. Helpful information can also be found on the site  Pursuing a Doctorate at Osnabrück University.

Lectures

WiSe 2025/26

The offers for doctoral candidates range from courses that support the start of the doctoral phase like stress management or self-organization, over courses that focus on the writing process and other important topics like visibility within the scientific community to courses that become relevant in the final stages and in the transition to the postdoc phase or a non-academic career.

Lectures

WiSe 2025/26

Our offers for postdocs include courses on the specific role requirements in the postdoc phase, leadership skills, science communication, research funding as well as preparation for careers in academia and on the non-academic job market.

Lectures

WiSe 2025/26

Good Research Practice

ZePrOs regularly offers GWP workshops with different foci in German and English in cooperation with external trainers. Based on the DFG Code of Conduct "Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice", the workshops deal with questions of implementing the rules of Good Research Practice in your own research context. Ways of responsible conduct in research will be shown in order to recognize questionable scientific practice at an early stage and to avoid scientific misconduct.

For information on the next planned workshop, please see the  ZePrOs brochure or contact  ZePrOs.

Participation Requirements

Our qualification program is aimed at doctoral candidates and postdocs at Osnabrück University. We issue certificates for participation in our courses, which serve as proof of further qualification in key competences. It is not possible to use these certificates to obtain credits for other degree programs. Participation in the individual courses is free of charge.

Registration at ZePrOs is required in order to use our offers.

After registering at ZePrOs, you can register for our courses in Stud.IP. If you are unable to register via Stud.IP, please send an informal registration by e-mail to:  zepros@uni-osnabrueck.de

For courses for prospective doctoral candidates, registration in Stud.IP is possible without prior registration.

Our courses have a limited number of participants. If you are unable to attend a course for which you have registered, please cancel your registration at least ten days before the start of the course so that participants from the waiting list can move up if necessary.

Your Concerns Are Important to Us / Your Suggestions for the Program

We would like to adapt the offers of the ZePrO as closely as possible to the needs of doctoral candidates and postdocs at Osnabrück University. We therefore ask you to let us know your wishes for qualification and networking opportunities. Please also let us know your ideas and suggestions regarding English-language offers, which we will be happy to organize for you.  Contact the ZePrOs

Offers from Other Central Institutions at Osnabrück University

An overview of all other crossdisciplinary qualification and advisory services offered by the ZePrOs cooperation partners can be found in the  brochure "Course and Event Program for Doctoral Candidates and Postdocs".