A Doctoral Graduation at Department 13 is understood as a scientific qualification. Doctoral Students conduct individual research under supervision of a Doctoral Thesis Supervisor. They are not bound by a compulsory study programme.

Please also note that acceptance as a doctoral student does not imply direct employment at the university.

The Doctoral Degrees Regulations of TU Darmstadt (9th amendment) include all important regulations relevant to the doctoral degree procedures. Doctoral regulations are formulated like legislative text. Therefore, please read slowly and carefully and pay attention to the wording. Terms like »müssen (must)« oder »sind zu … (are to be …)« mean mandatory requirements.

Content:

• Regulations requirements for acceptance and admission
• Regulations for the application for admission to the doctoral procedure
• Regulations for the submission of the dissertation
• Designation of the supervisor
• Composition of the examination board
• Rules for the preparation of expert opinions
• Content and structure of the oral examination (disputation)

The Special Regulations of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (opens in new tab) are to be read in addition to the General Regulations of the Doctoral Degrees Regulations of Technische Universität Darmstadt.

Doctoral candidates who started their doctoral project under the 8th amendment of the PO/AT can submit an application (opens in new tab) (German version) to continue their doctoral project under the 8th amendment of the PO/AT until February 27, 2025.

The first prerequisite for submitting an application for acceptance as a doctoral candidate to department 13 is the prior approval of a potential supervisor from the group of professors in the faculty.

(The terms Erstreferentin/Erstreferent, Betreuerin/Betreuer, Doktormutter/Doktorvater und Mentorin/Mentor are often used as synonyms here).

A second requirement is the Online registration.

Enrolment (matriculation) as a doctoral student is only compulsory for external doctoral doctoral candidates in the aptitude assessment procedure, for all others it is voluntary.

Checklist: “Request for acceptance”

• Application Form Acceptance, signed by the mentor
• Printout of the online registration (TUCan)
• Resume (tabular, with picture)
• Certified copy of the certificate (Master and Bachelor / Diploma)
• Certified copy of the report (Master and Bachelor / Diploma)
• Digital version (as PDF) and the completed Excel file ("Das Datenblatt ") in a ZIP file by E-Mail

* If you studied at Faculty 13, normal copies are sufficient for these degree programs.

The submission deadline is 21 days before the meeting

What does the doctoral degrees board check when reviewing an application for acceptance as a doctoral student?

The doctoral degrees board examines the admission of applicants with regard to the fulfilment of the requirements. Depending on this examination, conditions may be imposed. Authoritative are:

• Your overall grade (at least 2.59)
• Your degrees (number of semesters and total CPs)
• Your intended doctoral degree

Aptitude assessment procedure

If you do not meet all the above requirements, you could be accepted as part of an aptitude assessment procedure. This procedure serves to acquire missing knowledge.

Further information on the 5-year period

According to § 10 (5) of the doctoral degrees regulations of Technische Universität Darmstadt, the doctoral graduation procedure should not take longer than five years.

If the 5-year deadline is obviously exceeded, an application for extension should be submitted to the doctoral and habilitation committee of the department before the deadline ends.

The application includes the justification for the extension of the deadline as well as a 2 to 3-page report on the current status of the dissertation and a time schedule until completion with a maximum duration of 2 years. The application form and the schedule must also be signed by your supervisor.

After completion of the dissertation, the doctoral graduation procedure is initiated by the doctoral degrees committee after the doctoral candidate has submitted a complete application to the dean.

Checklist “Application for initiation”

• Dissertation
• Application for initiation (letter)
• Statements on the dissertation
• Resume (tabular, with picture)
• Proposal for the appointment of supervisors and other members of the examination board
• Proposal for a pre-arranged date of the disputation
• Receipt for the doctoral fee

Submission of documents

• Digital version: All above mentioned documents must be sent by e-mail as .pdf files compiled in a ZIP file. Subject: Request for initiation of the doctoral procedure – “name”. If the amount of data is too large, you can also provide the digital version of your dissertation on CD, USB stick or for download.
• The submission deadline is 21 days before the meeting.

Arrangement of date

As a rule, the first supervisor coordinates and sets the date for the disputation with all other members of the examination board, subject to the approval of the doctoral committee board. Please do not forget to reserve the room as well.

It is important to take into account the deadlines stipulated in the General Provisions of the doctoral degrees regulations when determining the date.

• Expert opinion: Only after the initiation of the procedure by the doctoral degrees board will the expert opinions be requested. Please note the time required by each expert to prepare an opinion. The digital version of the expert opinion must be received by the dean's office by e-mail at least three weeks before the date of the dispute.
• Display period: Only when all expert opinions are available can the display be made. The display period is two weeks. However, it can be extended for another two weeks in case of uncertainties.
• Invitation: In accordance with the rules, the invitation to the disputation should be issued after the expiration of the display period. In any case, it must be sent at least one week before the disputation.

Examination board

• Chairperson: As a rule, the dean is the chairperson of the examination board. A professor to be nominated by the dean is possible as a substitute.
• First and co-supervisors of the dissertation: one of the supervisors must be a full-time professor at the department.
• At least two examiners must come from the group of professors of FB13.

Release of the dissertation for publication

You have one year after the successful defense to publish your dissertation. The first supervisor gives written approval for publication. If necessary, confirmation of fulfillment of the conditions imposed must also be provided.

Method of publication

The doctoral regulations provide for electronic publication in the central publication service of the ULB for TU Darmstadt, TUPrints. However, other forms of publication are also possible. If you have any questions about how to publish your thesis, please contact the University and State Library (ULB)

The doctorate is only completed after the doctoral certificate has been issued, from which point you are entitled to use the doctoral degree.