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The coveted Title
The doctorate, the gaining of a doctoral diploma or Ph. D. certificate, requires an excellent academic degree as a prerequisite – with the exception of medical subjects. In these subjects, students can write their doctorate thesis and complete their oral exams during their normal course of studies. However, future doctors can only use the official title upon completion of their studies.
The various university doctorate committees decide about applications for the doctorate diploma. Both applicants from abroad and graduates from colleges of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) should inquire about the acceptance of their academic degrees here in good time.
The completion of the doctorate's thesis usually takes several years and is supervised by a professor. A doctorate is often a prerequisite for a scientific career. In the sciences, for example, the writing of a thesis often accompanies a university teaching position in the same, or a similar, subject.
The goal to graduate may be the same, but in Germany there are different basic conditions for a thesis: Most common is working individually with a professor who provides support from topic definition to scientific information and checking.
A special form of promoting students who are working on their doctorates are the so-called "Graduiertenkollegs", or postgraduate tutorials which is small groups ten to 15 people, that work for a limited period on a closely defined task before disolving again. These institutes are financially supported by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft).
In contrast to the postgraduate tutorials, Graduate Schools have been created, but they are attached to the university on a permanent basis. This concept derives from old Anglo-American models. This way new research and teaching structures are created at the selected higher education facilities, which already has an international reputation. At these schools, students finish their thesis within three years, and just like the Graduiertenkollege, the Graduate Schools are inter-disciplinary and students are well looked after. Interestingly for international researchers is the fact that the training offered is predominantly in English and that approximately a third of the full-time scholarships are held for international scientists.
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| Further Information
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Association of the Co-operation of Students taking Doctorates: Doctorate-network
www.thesis.de
The German Research Foundation 's (DFG) information on graduate colleges
www.dfg.de/...
Infos on PhDs: Free forum for supervisors and PhD students, with tips and other people’s experiences.
www.doktorandenboerse.info
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