Doctoral program in Geology
In the Doctoral Program, candidates are awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Science (Dr. rer. nat.).
If you are interested in applying to the Doctoral program in Geology, you need to first contact the faculty member with whom you would like to work, because they are the ones who decide whether to admit you or not. Unless you come with your own funding (in which case you still need someone to agree to supervise you first), the person who accepts you is the one who will also provide the funding. It is a good idea to send this faculty member your CV, the names of 2-3 individuals who are willing to write a letter of reference for you, and exam transcripts and all prior degrees (providing translations alongside the originals if these are not in English or German). For the initial evaluation copies/scans of documents and translations made by yourself are sufficient, but before final acceptance you will be asked to supply the originals and the certified translations.
All work should be done in English, as publication of papers must be in international journals. Master-level courses and workshops that doctoral students may also want to attend are in English. In most cases students can also interact in German and in a couple of other languages with professors, staff and fellow students.
There is no formal application process and no deadlines, unless you are applying to the UPLIFT program.
The standard duration of the program is 3 years. The program is research-oriented, with no mandatory course requirements. Most candidates however will define a course plan together with their advisory committee and candidates are expected to regularly attend seminars. Doctoral candidates are also expected to perform teaching assistant duties for at least one semester, in order to get teaching experience.
The degree will be awarded only after defense of a thesis, which should be a collection of at least three papers either published or accepted for publication.
LINKS
Rules and regulations (German)
Old rules and regulations (for students who started prior to April 1, 2024) (German)