Doctorate
Overview

A doctorate is the research-based, in-depth continuation of or addition to a completed degree with the aim of making an original contribution to research. A doctorate is based on the independent production of a piece of academic work (doctoral thesis) and a viva (disputation). Successfully completing a doctorate and publishing the thesis leads to the award of a doctoral degree. Almost half of the students at the Physics Department apply for a doctorate after finishing the Master's degree.

Those studying for a doctorate are referred to as doctoral candidates. In the engineering sciences, doctoral candidates are usually employed as scientific staff assigned to a Chair and are involved in research and teaching.

TU Darmstadt has had the right to award doctorates since 1899. The regulations governing doctoral degrees at TU Darmstadt are contained in the so-called General Doctoral Regulations (opens in new tab).

Schematically, the course of your doctoral studies looks as follows:

1. Find a supervisor

Your promotion should be supervised by a professor or lecturer of the Department of Physics . So get in contact!

2. Admission to a doctoral degree

You have to hand in the admission form for applying as a doctoral candidate to the Departments office. The doctoral admission board will decide on you application.

3. Writing the thesis

Now you have to do research! At the end you are going to write a dissertation.

4. Initiating the the doctoral examination procedure

Once, after finalizing your dissertation the doctoral examination procedure will be initiated by yourself. Your dissertation will be reviewed carefully and finally you will have to pass an oral exam, the disputation.

5. Publishing the dissertation

To get the doctoral certificate the dissertation has to be published.