Graduates can do their doctorate through a cooperative doctoral procedure in collaboration with a university.
This means that the first supervisor, i.e. a professor, is at a university or at another university with the right to award doctorates. The second supervisor is at the Harz University of Applied Sciences. These doctoral candidates are bound by the doctoral regulations of the university and are subject to the decisions of the doctoral committee there. However, you can still enrol at our university and participate in the qualification programme for doctoral students free of charge.
If you have any further questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact the advisor for the promotion of young researchers.
The following steps are intended to give you advice on how to approach the path to a doctorate through a cooperative doctorate in collaboration with a university.
Do you want to do a doctorate? Before you start a doctorate, we recommend that you consider the following. What are your motives for doing a doctorate? What conditions will you face during the doctoral period? Talk to your professor or other doctoral candidates as well as your family and friends. For those interested in doing a doctorate, we recommend the book "Erfolgreich promovieren. Ein Ratgeber von Promovierten für Promovierende" (A Guidebook by Doctoral Graduates for Doctoral Graduates. Only available in German.). You are welcome to ask the Speaker for Promoting Early Career Researchers, Katalin Raddatz, for individual advice. On our website, you will also find information on financing options for the multi-year phase of the doctorate.
You have an idea for a dissertation topic and are interested in doing a doctorate at a university of applied sciences in Saxony-Anhalt? Then get in touch with a potential supervisor from your field of research. The best thing to do is to make an appointment for a consultation to present the topic to him/her. For the first meeting, it is advisable to describe your project in as much detail as possible. Check with your potential supervisor at Harz University of Applied Sciences to see if he/she can recommend a professor at a university for a cooperative doctorate.
Find out about the specific admission requirements by reading the doctoral regulations of the cooperative university. These may differ from university to university. The doctoral regulations form the legal basis for all doctorates and outline the requirements, rights and obligations of doctoral candidates.
If you fulfill the requirements; contact a potential supervisor at the cooperating university. The best thing to do is to make an appointment for a consultation to present the topic to him/her. For the first meeting, it is advisable to describe your topic and the research question in as much detail as possible.
Write an exposé outlining your research project. Revise your draft together with your supervisors. Conclude a signed supervision agreement with the first supervisor. In addition, we recommend that you sign a detailed doctoral agreement together with your supervisor.
Once you have all the documents required according to the doctoral regulations, you may send off an application for admission to the doctoral procedure to the doctoral committee of the faculty of the respective university. Your admission may be subject to additional requirements (e.g. an examination), which the doctoral committee will inform you of.
Once you are admitted, you can enroll at the university as a doctoral student. The main advantages are, for example, the right to use the semester ticket or the university library. Please enquire about this at the university before making your decision.
Now the phase begins in which you focus on completing your doctorate. As a rule, you have up to five years in which to do so. The doctoral regulations of your cooperating university regulate further details.
An academic exchange - on a regular basis - with your first and second supervisors is particularly important. In this way, you can report on your progress, discuss any partial results achieved and work towards an optimal outcome in the long term
A lively dialogue in a working group and participation in scientific colloquia is beneficial for your research work. While writing your doctorate, attend seminars and events at Harz University of Applied Sciences and at your university's graduate institution. Above all, always adhere to the principles of good scientific practice when researching and writing.
Once your dissertation is ready, you must apply to the doctoral committee for admission to the doctoral procedure. The doctoral regulations of your university regulate further details about conditions and procedures. These can vary considerably from university to university.
Further details about conditions and the defense procedure are regulated by the doctoral regulations of your university.
The doctoral procedure is considered completed once your dissertation has been published. You usually have one to two years to do this. The doctoral regulations of your university regulate further details about conditions and procedures.
As soon as your dissertation has been published and the deposit copies have been submitted to the university, you will receive your doctoral certificate. From this point on, you may use your doctoral title. Further details about conditions and procedures are regulated by the doctoral regulations of your university.
