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Technical University of Munich
Doctorate Complete

Complete your Doctorate

Your doctorate is in the final stage, the dissertation is nearly finished and the completion of your project comes closer and closer.

Now is the time, additionatly to your scientific work, to initate your doctoral examination process.

Information and process:

Detailed information on the entire submission process can be found in the Wiki of the TUM Graduate School  and in the Wiki of the Graduate Center of Life Sciences.

Regulations for Dissertations at the TUM School of Life Sciences

You can find further information, including on the publication-based dissertation, in our FAQ section. There you can also ask us further questions.

Short overview of the rough process from submission to receipt of the doctoral certificate:

  1. Completion of the dissertation
  2. Fulfill the qualification program of the TUM GS and the GC LS
  3. Fill in the doctoral application in DocGS and upload documents
  4. Submission of documents to the Doctoral Office, at the latest 14 working days before the next School Council of the TUM School of Life Sciences - the documents are then forwarded to the GC LS.
  5. At the latest 1 week before the next School Council of the TUM School of Life Sciences, submit "Proposal of the Examminig Committee" to the GC LS.
  6. The examination board is appointed by the School Council of the TUM School of Life Sciences.
  7. The documents are forwarded to the chair of the examminig committee.
  8. Chair requests the expert opinions, organises the circulation and subsequently invites to the oral examination.
  9. Oral Examination
  10. The TUM Graduate School certificate and transcript can be printed after final inspection.
  11. Publication of the dissertation
  12. Receipt of the doctoral certificate - now the doctoral title may be officially used.
  13. Receipt of the TUM Graduate School certificate and transcript.

Duration of the process approx. 3 to 6 months.

Publication-based Dissertation at the TUM School of Life Sciences

A publication-based dissertation must be based on at least two publications WRITTEN IN LEAD by the doctoral candidate. In order to prove this leadership, EVERY doctoral candidate has to submit a declaration of own contribution and co-authors for each publication used in the publication-based dissertation. This declaration has to be uploaded to DocGS (if requested) and submited to the Doctoral Office with the remaining documents.
It is important that you include the signatures of all co-authors. The document is only exemplary, depending on the number of publications the document can be shortened or expanded. If you have a very large number of co-authors for a publication, in exceptional cases and in consultation with your degree awarding institution/School, you may alternatively request the signatures of the heads of the respective research groups.

In addition, EVERY doctoral candidate has to submit a written agreement to a publication-based dissertation from his*her supervisor in DocGS (if requested) and/or with the remaining documents to the Doctoral Office.

You can find more information concerning the publication-based dissertation and other topics at our FAQs. You can ask questions here as well.

You finished the qualification program of the TUM GS and the GC LS, if following mandatory items are fulfilled:

  1. Attendance in Kick-off seminar
  2. Supervision by a Mentor
  3. 6 SWS (= 63 h) subject-specific qualifikation
  4. 2 year minimum membership in the TUM-GS by annual confirmation of data
  5. (2. TAC-Meeting inclusive) Feedback session
  6. Discussion of your doctoral project in the international scientific community
    You can do this by an accepted authorship publication in a peer reviewed international journal  or a peer reviewed international conference contribution. Other possibilities has to be confirmed by the School Council of the TUM School of Life Sciences.
  7. External doctoral candidates additionally have  to prove their Active Participation in the Academic Environment of the TUM.
  8. Participation in a course of at least 8 hours on Good Scientific Practice (Mandatory for doctoral candidates entry in the doctoral candidacy list after 01.02.2022).

After the dissertation has been submitted  the examining committee has to be appointed by the School Council. The dissertation has to be submitted to the Doctoral Office no later than 14 business days before the next meeting of the School Council.

The "Proposal examining committee" possibly with Annex "Application for external examiners" ( in case of examiners without TUM affiliation) has to be submitted no later than one week before the next meeting of the School Council to the Graduate Center of Life Sciences.

Next meetings:

10.04.2024 / 15.05.2024 / 26.06.2024 / 24.07.2024 / 18.09.2024 / 23.10.2024 / 20.11.2024 / 11.12.2024 /29.01.2025 / 19.03.2025

The composition of the examminig committee must comply with the requirements of the TUM doctoral regulations and resolutions of the school council.

After you passed your oral examination, you have to publish your dissertation. Only after this you will receive your doctoral certificate and then you are allowed to hold your doctoral title.

You can publish your dissertation electronically (e.g. in MediaTUM ) or as a book with an ISBN. All information about this process are provided on the homepage of the TUM University Library.

Congratulations! You have successfully concluded your dissertation. We'd like to remind you of a couple of things that need to be taken care of before you leave the university.The TUM Graduate School has summarised all the important information for you.

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