Progress towards doctoral degree

Duration of thesis

The duration of a PhD thesis includes the experimental thesis work, the writing-up of the thesis (“Dissertation”), submission to the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD), the oral examination (“Rigorosum”) and the defense (“Disputation”). The typical duration of a PhD thesis is 3 to 4 years. For each student, the actual thesis duration is defined on occasion of the 3rd Annual Report meeting by the Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC). At this meeting the TAC will state the date of submission of the thesis to the TUD. The maximum duration of a PhD thesis, and thus the maximum duration of full financial support, is 4 years.

Requirements during doctorate

Matriculation as PhD student

Predoctoral fellows of the International PhD Program are registered as PhD students at the TUD, and obtain their doctoral degree from the TUD. More information about the matriculation procedure, which is only relevant for PhD students admitted to the program, can be found here.

Participation in teaching modules

The curriculum includes mandatory and elective teaching modules. Currently, participation in the predoc course (including its lectures), participation in advanced courses/workshops in the second/third year of thesis work, and participation in journal clubs, group meetings, internal and research seminars throughout the thesis work are minimum requirements for successful completion of the curriculum. In addition, lab rotations prior to taking up the thesis work are mandatory for PhD students admitted with a BSc degree (i.e. without MSc degree or equivalent).

TAC meetings

The main task of the Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) is to guide the student throughout the thesis work, and to monitor and evaluate the progress of the research project and development of the student. The student is obliged to organize TAC meetings in a timely manner, and to submit annual reports prior to the meetings. Annual reports are subject to approval by the TAC; this approval is a prerequisite for continued participation in the International PhD Program.

Submission of PhD Thesis

The submission of the PhD thesis is according to the recommendation of the TAC. The PhD thesis is generally the self-contained work of one author written in English. As a rule, cumulative theses (i.e. a compilation of previously published work) are not accepted.

PhD Degree

The doctorate proceedings towards a doctoral degree include the Dissertation (written thesis), the Rigorosum (oral examination), and the Disputation (public defense). The DIGS-BB is currently planning to establish its own doctorate regulations and to confer the degrees PhD or MD/PhD exclusively for PhD students admitted to the International PhD Program. At present, the TUD faculty responsible for awarding the degree is defined by the affiliation of the University professor, who is serving on the student's TAC.

The PhD degrees awarded by the TUD faculties are:

Certificate

After a successful defence of the thesis, a certificate is awarded by the DIGS-BB that acknowledges the successful participation in the International PhD Program in addition to the PhD certificate awarded by the TUD.