Doctoral Programme

Confirmation of Supervision

The doctoral procedure begins with the written confirmation of supervision by a professor or an assistant professor of the Department of Computer Science to the doctoral candidates.

Admission to Doctoral Status

At least 8 working days before the next doctoral committee meeting, the candidate has to submit the via the Dean's Office

• by e-mail to dekanat4@uni-koblenz.de or

• by post to Universität Koblenz, Dekanat FB4, Universitätsstraße 1, 56070 Koblenz

an application for admission to doctoral status to the doctoral committee. This contains (cf. § 8 of the doctoral regulations):

• Proof of the required previous education (Master's certificate or diploma)

• Supervision agreement

• Up-to-date, signed (!) curriculum vitae explaining the educational background in more detail and stating current address and telephone number

• Indication of whether a Dr. rer. nat. or a Dr. rer. pol. is being aspired

• Information on the subject area and, if applicable, the technical requirements necessary to complete the project

• A declaration stating that the candidate has not registered an identical or similar doctoral project at a higher education institution

• Outline of the planned dissertation in pdf format (5,000 words excl. bibliography)

• Name of the supervisor

The doctoral committee decides on the admission to doctoral status and informs the doctoral candidate upon its decision. Candidates who are not members of the University of Koblenz may have to give a presentation in the doctoral colloquium.

Cumulative vs. Monographic Dissertations

A monographic dissertation deals with the research topic in a single, coherent work written exclusively for the doctoral project - i.e. a monograph. A cumulative dissertation, on the other hand, consists of several related publications and an exposé. Both forms are possible at the Department of Computer Science and are treated equally.

Optional: Enrolment as Doctoral Student

Enrolment as a doctoral student via the Student Administration Office is possible as soon as you have a confirmation of supervision. However, it is not a prerequisite for the doctoral procedure.

Thesis Submission

Once the doctoral candidate has completed the dissertation and would like to submit it, he or she should inform the Dean's Office informally by e-mail, stating his or her own postal address, about the planned submission so that the process can be initiated and run smoothly.

After receiving the fee notification and paying the doctoral fee, the doctoral candidate submits an application for admission to doctoral studies in electronic form via the Dean's Office, at least 8 working days before the next doctoral committee meeting, which contains (cf. § 10 Doctoral Studies Regulations):

• Written application for admission to doctoral studies (incl. title of the dissertation, date of admission to doctoral studies)

• Up-to-date, signed (!) curriculum vitae

• Indication of whether a Dr. rer. nat. or a Dr. rer. pol. is being aspired

• Five permanently bound copies of the dissertation

• A digital version of the dissertation in pdf-A format

• A declaration on the personal contribution in accordance with Appendix I of the doctoral regulations

• A private certificate of good conduct, which must not be older than six months (not required if the doctoral candidate is employed in the public sector or is enrolled at the University of Koblenz)

• Proof of payment of the doctoral fee

The doctoral committee decides on admission and initiates the procedure. At least two referee reports on the dissertation are obtained, at least one of which must be written by a professor or assistant professor of the Department of Computer Science. § 12 of the doctoral regulations describe further conditions.

Speech and Scientific Debate

The chair of the doctoral committee and the referees of the candidate agree on a date for the scientific debate, which must take place no later than 6 months after completion of the assessment procedure.

The debate consists of a public speech of 30 minutes duration on the content of the dissertation and a scientific discussion of 60 to 90 minutes duration on the dissertation as well as the subject areas touched upon therein.

The scientific debate is evaluated by the doctoral committee immediately after its completion and offset against the dissertation grade. The grades are communicated to the doctoral candidate.

Publication

Doctoral candidates are obliged to publish their dissertation. The following types are possible (§ 22 of the doctoral regulations regulates the conditions in detail):

• Submission of four additional self-printed copies to the dean's office

• Publication in a journal, with a commercial publisher or as print on demand (proof required)

• Or electronic publication via the publication server OPUS of the university's library (proof required)

Mandatory Copies

In addition, seven to eight complete, printed, permanently bound copies of the dissertation in the version approved by the doctoral committee must be delivered to the chair of the doctoral committee via the dean's office no later than one year after the academic debate. They must contain (cf. § 22 of the doctoral regulations):

• An English and German summary on one A4 page

• a short curriculum vitae

• A title page in accordance with § 22 (1) and Appendix II or III of the doctoral regulations

Graduation and Doctoral Certificate

Only when all the above-mentioned doctoral requirements have been fulfilled will the candidate receive the doctoral certificate.

Only when the certificate is handed over is the doctorate considered to be completed and the candidate is henceforth entitled to use the doctoral degree.