Formal requirements at the phases of a Doctorate

• Requirements according to path for a doctorate at TH Köln
• Assessment of suitability for a multi-year research project: (academic) experience, conditions for the doctorate, motivation
• Intended degree and doctoral subject - Identify and read the applicable doctoral regulations
• Admission formalities (cooperative/PK NRW):
  • Review of prerequisites for the doctorate: usually a university degree (Master‘s, Diplom, or equivalent); further requirements depending on the doctoral regulations
• Clear communication of mutual expectations and requirements between the doctoral researcher and the supervisor (see also Good Doctoral Supervision at TH Köln | Information for Supervisors and Doctoral Researchers)
• Intended career path

• Definition and delineation, scientific relevance, feasibility, own professional competence/capacity
• Assessment of the effort and risks associated with the research work
• Development of a work and time plan

In order to find a doctoral supervisor at TH Köln, we recommend that you first write an exposé (brief description of your project) on your doctoral idea. The professors of all faculties are listed on the TH Köln website. Look for a person who fits your research project and write or address them with your synopsis.

You can find professors of TH Köln as follows: Go to the German TH Köln homepage, select the appropriate faculty under "Hochschule" > "Fakultäten". On each faculty page you will find a page "Personen (an der Fakultät)" on the left. On this page you can filter for "Professorinnen und Professoren" under "Status".

If you are aiming for a doctorate at the PK NRW with the TH Köln, you must find a supervisor who is a member of the PK NRW. You can find the members on the respective pages of the departments of the PK NRW.

Supervisor team
In a further step, you and the supervisor at TH Köln will put together a supervisory team at PK NRW or look for supervisors at the cooperating university with the right to award doctorates.

• Doctoral research position as a research associate (see information sheet on hiring doctoral researchers (German only))
• Employment through third-party funded project: Support in finding follow-up funding
• Advice on/support in acquiring other funding options (e.g., doctoral scholarship)
• Clarification of funding for additional costs (travel for events, research stays, research materials/services, conference attendance, publication costs for articles/dissertation)

In order to give you the best possible support and provide you with the right information, it is important that you register at Graduate Center.
Please use the following registration form:

Registration graduate center

It is possible to enroll as a doctoral researcher at TH Köln. For doctoral researchers according to the doctoral law of the Graduate School for Applied Research NRW (PK NRW), enrollment is mandatory.

Cooperative doctoral researchers who are employed as research associates at TH Köln are free to enroll at TH Köln. All other cooperative doctoral researchers are obliged to enroll at TH Köln as soon as they have found a supervisor at TH Köln and at the university with the right to award doctorates.

Further information on enrollment at TH Köln

• At the beginning of the doctorate, a confirmation of supervision² from the primary doctoral supervisor must be signed according to the template provided by PK NRW
• After assembling the supervision team, enrolling at TH Köln and PK NRW, and being accepted at PK NRW, a supervision agreement with the entire supervision team must be concluded

• Conclusion of a supervision agreement according to the template of TH Köln (alternatively according to the template of the cooperating university, if it meets the minimum criteria according to the guidelines of the DFG). It is recommended to conclude a trilateral supervision agreement jointly with the university supervisor.
• If possible, a written cooperation agreement between the cooperating university and TH Köln should be concluded. This agreement ensures the access, admission, and execution of the doctorate, as well as the involvement of supervisors in the evaluation on an institutional basis, in order to minimize the risk of a lack of continuity in supervision for both doctoral researchers and supervisors.

To get your doctorate off to the best possible start, we recommend participating in the following events:

• Welcoming new doctoral researchers.
  At this event of the Graduate Center Service Desk, which is offered every 2-3 months, we would like to present the diverse offers and funding programs for doctoral researchers at TH Köln in detail, answer questions and get to know you personally. Of course, you also have the opportunity to make contact with other doctoral researchers. As soon as you have registered your doctorate in the Graduate Center, you will receive an invitation.
• Seminar 'Good Research Practice'.
  The workshop provides an overview of the rules of good research practice and how to deal with scientific misconduct. Frequent areas of conflict and the gray areas between questionable scientific practice, rule violations and misconduct are shown.
  Good Scientific Practice
  Workshops and Events
• Afternoon for Doctoral Researchers and Postdocs.
  The afternoon for Doctoral Researchers and Postdocs offers the opportunity to get to know each other and to exchange ideas and to talk to the university management.
  Exchange and Networking

• at least quarterly
• Uninterrupted and one-on-one, maintaining professional distance
• Documentation of the meetings
• Topics:
  • Discussion of work results
  • Professional advice and support
  • Planning upcoming milestones
  • Clarification of fundamental questions regarding the research work
  • Discussion and potential support for personal/emotional issues affecting the progress of the doctoral process
  • Addressing and possibly resolving conflicts

• at least annually
• Possibly with additional contacts (especially mentors, other supervisors, postdocs)
• Documentation of the meeting
• Topics:
  • Progress of the doctoral project and critical evaluation of achievements
  • Career planning
  • Review of preliminary dissertation results regarding linguistic presentation
  • Possible revision of the work and time plan
• Send a copy of the updated work and time plan to the Graduate Center

Funding program for doctoral researchers at TH Köln
The promotion of researchers at early career stages is a central concern of TH Köln. For this purpose, TH Köln grants financial support to doctoral researchers for expenses related to scientific activities in the context of their doctorate. If you would like to attend a academic conference in order to network within your scientific community, you can apply for the funding. Further information and eligibility can be found in the application form.

Don't forget: In order to receive funding, you must submit a supervision agreement and provide proof of participation in a seminar on Good Research Practice.

Funding program for doctoral researchers 2024

Funding programs at the Graduate School for Applied Research NRW

Information on publishing at TH Köln can be found here.

• Agreement on whether and when which parts of the dissertation will be proofread by the supervisor
• Clarification of the formal steps in the procedure in accordance with the doctoral regulations
• Preparation for the doctoral examination, e.g. by attending preparatory workshops and other doctoral examinations

• Review phase and display
• Finding a date for the examination

Information on the framework conditions for the publication of the dissertation

Knowledge Transfer
Patent Service: patentservice@th-koeln.de
Entrepreneurship: gateway@th-koeln.de
Acquisition of Third-Party Funding:
forschungsfoerderung@th-koeln.de or drittmittelkoordination@th-koeln.de

Publishing

As part of the Graduate Center's qualification program, there is the opportunity to prepare for the disputation in the “Disputation Training” workshop.

Events/workshops