Doctoral School NRW
The Doctoral School NRW is an inter-university research network of universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia and has its own right to award doctorates. It pools scientific expertise in various subject areas, organizes doctoral programs in specialist departments, and ensures common quality standards for doctoral procedures.
Even if you are pursuing a doctorate through the Doctoral School NRW, the GraduateCenter.OWL remains your central point of contact at TH OWL. It supports you with enrollment, advises you on organizational issues, and offers qualification and networking opportunities. This allows you to benefit from the Doctoral School NRW's statewide doctoral network and, at the same time, from personal support on site.
To enroll in a doctoral program through the Doctoral School NRW, please submit your documents by email to the GraduateCenter.OWL at TH OWL: graduiertenzentrum@th-owl.de.
Matriculation
Have you decided to pursue a doctoral degree under the Doctoral School NRW’s own doctoral program? Here you will find the necessary information and instructions for the enrollment process. We would also be happy to advise you in a personal consultation.
1. Find a supervisor
Check the department pages of the Doctoral School NRW to see which professor is a good fit for supervising your doctoral project based on its topic. You may already be in contact with a professor at TH OWL who is a member of one of the Doctoral School NRW departments. When making initial contact, we recommend sending an email to the professor requesting a meeting, briefly introducing yourself, and outlining your doctoral project. If possible, include an abstract of your doctoral project with your request.
Once you have found a supervisor, sign a supervision agreement with them. You can find the templates for the respective supervision agreements of the departments at the Doctoral School NRW here.
2. Enrollment as a doctoral student at TH OWL
Once you have found a supervisor, enroll provisionally in one of the (Doctoral School NRW) doctoral programs at TH OWL. Enrollment at TH OWL is provisional until enrollment and acceptance at Doctoral School NRW have been completed.
Documents to be submitted (to graduiertenzentrum(at)th-owl.de):
- A letter of supervision reviewed and signed by the supervising professor and the Doctoral School NRW.
- Application for enrollment
- Proof of a master’s degree or an equivalent qualification
- Certificate of withdrawal from your last German university
- University entrance qualification (HZB)
- ID or passport
3. Enrollment as a doctoral student at the Doctoral School NRW
After enrolling at TH OWL, you can register at the Doctoral School NRW within four weeks. For this, you will need the enrollment certificate from TH OWL. Further information is available here.
Once you have enrolled, you are required to re-register at the Doctoral School NRW for the next semester for the duration of your doctoral studies.
Enrollment ends as soon as the oral doctoral examination (disputation) has been successfully completed or at the end of the semester in which the disputation took place.
For the duration of your enrollment, you will simultaneously be a member of the Doctoral School NRW for the duration of your doctoral project (unless you are already a member).
4. Acceptance as a doctoral candidate at the Doctoral School NRW
After enrollment, you must submit an application for admission as a doctoral candidate to the department of the Doctoral School NRW where you wish to pursue your doctorate and where your supervisor is affiliated. Your application will be reviewed by the doctoral committee of the department in which you wish to become a member. The doctoral committee decides on your admission as a doctoral candidate to the department.
This process also takes place via the Doctoral School NRW’s College Information and Management System (KISS): https://www.pknrw.de/en/pk-nrw/news-events/news/news-detail/einschreibung-am-pk-nrw-gestartet
5. Sign the Supervision Agreement
Each doctoral candidate is supervised by a supervisory team consisting of three people. Together with them, you will conclude a supervision agreement.
The supervision agreement serves to establish a transparent and binding framework for the relationship between the doctoral candidate and the supervisors in terms of content and timing. The supervision agreement is updated and revised through joint discussions.
We will guide you through the entire process.