Enrollment as Doctoral Researcher at TH Köln
On this page you will find all information and enrollment documents for doctorates at TH Köln – as an independent doctorate at PK NRW or as a cooperative doctorate with TH Köln and a cooperating university with the right to award doctorates.
What types of doctorates are available at the TH Köln?
By enrolling at TH Köln, doctoral researchers automatically possess accident and casualty insurance, receive a legal status as doctoral researchers at TH Köln, a campusID as well as access to all services of TH Köln, in particular to the entire range of services of the library and Campus IT. They can use the semester ticket and receive their student ID – the MultiCa. Enrollment is also a prerequisite for using the Graduate Center's services, such as internal funding programs and workshops and events accompanying doctoral studies.
Doctorate at PK NRW
If you are doing your doctorate at TH Köln through a doctoral program of PK NRW, you must be enrolled at both institutions. Enrollment is possible as soon as you have found a supervisor at TH Köln who is a professorial member at PK NRW.
The following certificates and documents are required for enrollment at TH Köln:
- Confirmation of supervision by the supervising professor at TH Köln, who must be a professorial member at PK NRW (please download the correct form for your PK NRW Department here)
- Uncertified copy of Bachelor's certificate (incl. ECTS)
- Uncertified copy of the Master's certificate (incl. ECTS)
- If you have already studied at another German university:
Proof of exmatriculation from the last university you were enrolled in, stating the university, subject and leave semesters. - Uncertified copy of the identity card
- Curriculum vitae
- Current photo (size max. 1MB)
- Application for enrollment
Note: The key table to complete the application for enrollement can be found here: Keys table for the enrollment form. In the keys table you will find the required abbreviations to fill in (information about the study program, see p. 16). Proof of your health insurance is not required. Please contact graduatecenter@th-koeln.de with any questions you might have.
Please send all documents completely filled out and signed to graduatecenter@th-koeln.de.
Next steps:
1. Graduate Center will check your documents and forward them to the Office of Student and Examination Services, if they are complete. As soon as the enrollment has been completed, you will receive a request for payment of the semester fee to the email address indicated in the enrollment form.
2. The CampusID and the password will be sent by mail to the deposited address e-mail, you will receive the MultiCa by mail a few days later.
3. Within 4 weeks you must submit an application for enrollment at PK NRW.
The application is submitted via the online portal of the PK NRW.
No semester fees are due upon enrollment at PK NRW.
4. You must re-register for each semester at TH Köln and until the completion of your doctorate.
Enrollment regulations of TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences (German)
Enrollment regulations of PK NRW (German)
Cooperative doctorate
In general, cooperative doctoral researchers who are employed as research associates (WMA) at TH Köln are free to enroll at TH Köln. All other cooperative doctoral researchers must enroll at TH Köln.
Whether you have to be enrolled at your cooperating university with the right to award doctorates can be found in the respective doctoral regulations. Double enrollment is permitted on the part of TH Köln. Enrollment is only possible once you have found a supervisor at TH Köln and at the university with the right to award doctorates
For enrollment at TH Köln for cooperative doctorates the following proofs and documents are required:
- Certificate of enrollment from the cooperating university with the right to award doctorates or, if you are not enrolled there, an informal statement (e.g. email) from the supervising professor of the university confirming the ongoing supervision
- Completed supervision agreement with the supervising professor at TH Köln (according to the template of TH Köln or a corresponding template of the cooperating university, which covers the points from the TH Köln template and is signed jointly by both supervisors); please think about the work and time schedule mentioned in the supervision agreement
- Uncertified copy of the Master's certificate
- Uncertified copy of the identity card
- Current photo (size max. 1MB)
- Enrollment form
Note: You can find information on the enrollment and MultiCa forms here: Enrollment documents for students with advanced standing, franchise or doctoral programs. In the keys table you will find the required abbreviations to fill in (information about the study program, see p. 16). Proof of your health insurance is not required.
Please send all documents completely filled out and signed to graduatecenter@th-koeln.de.
Next steps:
1. Graduate Center will check your documents and forward them to the Office of Student and Examination Services, if they are complete. As soon as the enrollment has been completed, you will receive a request for payment of the semester fee to the email address indicated in the enrollment form.
If you cooperate with a university in NRW and already receive the semester ticket for the VRS and / or NRW through your enrollment there, you may request a refund of your public transport fee at TH Köln. To do this, you must provide proof of your current enrollment at the university in NRW each semester.
2. The CampusID and the password will be sent by mail to the deposited address e-mail, you will receive the MultiCa by mail a few days later.
Important: Please note that a re-registration block is set at TH Köln after the planned final semester. If your doctorate has not yet been completed at that time, you must submit to Graduate Center (graduatecenter@th-koeln.de) a current document from your supervising professor at the university stating when your doctorate is expected to be completed. Alternatively, each semester you may submit a current certificate of enrollment from the university with the right to award doctorates ((also required for an exemption from the fee for the Deutschlandticket if this is already obtained via the university with the right to award doctorates).
Enrollment regulations of TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences (German)
Semester fees
Current semester fees at TH Köln
If you are planning a research trip abroad for your doctoral project, you may request to be exempt from paying the public transport fee when re-registering for the semester you will spend abroad. Additional information is available from TH Köln's Graduate Center and on the following website:
Re-Registration
Information for international doctoral candidates
With the help of the platform anabin, you can check if your degree entitles you to pursue a doctorate in Germany:
anabin (Please note that this website is currently only available in German.)