Doctorate / "Habilitation"

Doctorate and doctorate programme

Please take note of the following general informations about all regulations and procedures for a doctorate in the School of Science:

• FAQ, forms, regulations

Additional regulations for a doctorate at the Faculty of Physics

Two main administrative steps are required on the way to the doctorate: the admission for a doctorate and the opening of doctorate proceedings. It is advisable to apply for admission, in Promovendus, as early as possible. Please note that neither membership in a structured doctoral program nor employment by TU Dresden or an external research institute implies admission for a doctorate. Applications can be rejected or accepted subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions.

The Faculty of Physics expects participation in teaching to the extend of four weekly term teaching hours (Semesterwochenstunden). This teaching is to be performed primarily in introductory lab courses or tutorials for compulsory lectures in theoretical physics. If the demand in these areas is covered you may either postpone the teaching (if the duration of your project is sufficiently long) or teach in another area. In this case, the following priority list applies: 1. other compulsory courses of the Faculty of Physics (e.g., advanced lab courses), 2. physics focus areas, 3. degree programs that are not offered by the Faculty of Physics but in which members of the Faculty participate, 4. for at most two teaching hours support for teaching (e.g., revision of lab experiments or translation of descriptions of experiments into English). See also §42 (4) SächsHSFG and this decision of the former physics department council.

The teaching by doctoral candidates is organized with the help of this online OPAL course. Please sign up on the course pages at early as possible. The pages are opened for sign up in November and May for the following semester. The advising professors are informed of this.

The opening of doctorate proceedings takes place together with the submission of your doctoral thesis, at least one year after your admission. You have to initiate this process in Promovendus. Please note the following specific requirements for the opening of proceedings in the field of physics:

• Teaching as outlined above. Participation in introductory lab courses and tutorials for theory lectures is automatically transmitted to the doctoral office. Please provide evidence for other teaching using a form (will appear shortly).
• Guide to proposing assessors
• Guide to choosing the subject areas and examiners for the “Rigorosum” or the oral examinations replacing the “Rigorosum”

The doctorate candidate is awarded the doctoral degree after his/her thesis has been positively assessed and he/she has successfully publicly defended it (“Disputation”) as well as either passed an oral examination (“Rigorosum”, on the same day) or – alternatively and only upon application – completed a doctorate programme.

Opportunities for doctoral projects in physics

With more than 60 doctoral graduations per year, the Faculty of Physics of TU Dresden is among the leading physics departments in Germany. The doctorate in physics is awarded by the School of Science of TU Dresden.

Dresden offers multifaceted opportunities for doctoral studies in physics

• at the institutes of the Faculty of Physics and at numerous  non-universitary research institutions in Dresden and
• in several international research training groups

Doctoral studies program

Doctoral researchers have the opportunity but not the obligation to participate in the doctoral studies program of the School of Science. Doctoral studies should take up approximately 20 weekly hours (20 SWS). The contents of doctoral studies should be agreed upon with the superviser but can be selected from a broad range of possibilities. Detailed information can be found on the FAQ page of the School of Science. A repeatedly offered course or seminar can only be counted for one semester.

Matriculation at TU Dresden

We strongly recommend that doctoral candidates enroll at TU Dresden. You can find out about the many benefits of enrollment (e.g. discounts on the Deutschlandticket, MOBIbike and student services) on the website of the Admissions Office. There you will also find the application for enrollment.

International applicants are asked to read the webpages of the International Office for additional information.

Applicants are only granted the matriculation for a doctorate at the School of Science, after their doctorate proceedings have been admitted by the Doctorate Committee. For the matriculation, they will need a "Statement of the Faculty." All doctoral candidates registered in PROMOVENDUS therefore use their letter of acceptance. 

Graduate Academy

The TU Dresden Graduate Academy is the central service location for all PhD students with regard to training and support programmes and events concerning the PhD.

Habilitation (postdoctoral lecture qualification)

Information on the "Habilitation" at the School of Science