Understanding the general conditions

There are various options available to finance a doctoral degree and these range from
- Vacancies at a chair or a professorship (internal doctoral studies) from
- Appointments in structured programmes
- Appointments in programmes funded by external partners
- Scholarships/fellowships
- Part-time jobs or positions in companies all the way to
- Private funding through a student loan, by your parents, your partner or by yourself.
Aside from a scholarship, a vacancy at the establishment at which you will be writing your doctoral thesis is the most frequently used means to finance a doctorate. As a rule, you will have to apply for a such vacancy. Scholarships/fellowships are awarded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and other establishments as well as many foundations and organisations. Frequently, doctoral students take on several part-time jobs in order to be able to pursue their doctorate.
What is important in any type of financing is that enough time remains to work on the thesis. Whereas this is usually no problem with scholarships/fellowships, it becomes more difficult for doctoral students having to finance their studies by taking on a job at a chair, professorship or elsewhere. A suitable arrangement with the employer is always needed to successfully complete a doctorate in a reasonable period of time.
For further related information, please visit the funding programmes section.
Generally, a thesis can be written in the following styles:
monographic study ('book') | publication-based (cumulative) thesis | joint thesis |
one author | one author or, as the case may be, several authors | several authors |
one book | several articles | one book or several articles |
comprises all parts | Sub-topics as articles, additional framing at the end | Depending on type |
Sole responsibility | Sole responsibility or designation of the share contributed | Responsibility is carefully defined |
Risks: length, duration, topicality | Risks: acceptance by journals, complexity of the procedure | Risk: complexity of the procedure |
Please note that your doctoral degree regulation may set forth further requirements or limitations. And last but not least, your supervisor will certainly have an opinion on the topic, too. He or she is familiar with the conventions and practices in the specific field of research.
In the case of a publication-based thesis, please contact the competent Board of Examiners for Doctoral Awards before your publish your thesis and/or parts of it. All in all, publication further down the road may be more difficult if parts of the doctoral thesis have already been published. Please make sure you talk to your supervisor before publishing your doctoral thesis or parts of it.
Also make sure you are up to speed about the obligation to mandatory publication and the printing subsidy.
The details are specified in the relevant doctoral degree regulations of the
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Business, Economics and Information Systems
- Faculty of Arts and Humanities
- Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics
If you have any questions relating to the doctoral degree regulation and the actual structure of the doctorate, please contact the relevant Board of Examiners for Doctoral Awards and/or the relevant Dean's Office.
In February 2020, the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) made the results of the Nacaps study involving doctoral students and doctorate holders available online on a data portal. Go to nacaps-datenportal.de for an analysis of Germany's hitherto largest survey of doctoral students and doctorate holders with over 20,000 respondents. This portal provides an overview of the conditions, career prospects and general life situation of doctoral students and doctoral holders.
The results are presented as indicators on the portal. They have been divided into seven topic areas:
- Working and employment conditions
- Supervision
- Type and structure of doctorate
- Motives for pursuing a doctorate and length of doctorate
- Career path and perspectives after being awarded the doctoral degree
- Mobility
- Life situation and personal background
About Nacaps
Nacaps is a longitudinal study of doctoral students and doctoral holders conducted by the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research since 2017. Based on annual online surveys, the study examines the conditions, career objectives and career paths as well as general life conditions of doctoral students and doctoral holders. Nacaps is conducted in cooperation with over 50 universities authorised to award doctorates. The University of Passau has also taken part in the survey.
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Please note: This website provides information in summary form. Only the pertinent legal texts and the official versions of the relevant regulations published in the law gazette are legally binding. The content of this website is not intended to be exhaustive.