Doing a doctorate

at Fulda University of Applied Sciences

Doing a doctorate at one of our doctoral centres

The independent right to award doctorates has been granted to Fulda University of Applied Sciences for certain disciplines, which can thus award the doctorate. Doctoral centres have been set up to exercise the independent right to award doctorates. While individual doctoral centres are located exclusively at Fulda University of Applied Sciences, others are jointly operated with partner universities.

A doctoral centre brings together at least 12 professors with strong research profiles, as demonstrated by the external research funding they have secured and by their publications. High academic standards are also maintained by separating supervision from assessment and involving at least two reviewers. Accordingly, the range of doctoral research topics reflects the professors’ areas of expertise.

Further information is available on the websites of our doctoral centres:

The Doctoral Centre is jointly operated by Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences and RheinMain University of Applied Sciences.

Visit the Doctoral Centre’s website

Information on applying for admission as a doctoral candidate

The Doctoral Centre is based at Fulda University of Applied Sciences in the Department of Health Sciences.

Visit the Doctoral Centre’s website

Information on applying for admission as a doctoral candidate
 

The Doctoral Centre is jointly operated by Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences and RheinMain University of Applied Sciences.

Visit the Doctoral Centre’s website

Information on applying for admission as a doctoral candidate

The interdisciplinary Doctoral Centre covers sociology, political science, communication studies, law and economics. It is based at Fulda University of Applied Sciences in the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences.

More information about the Fulda Graduate Centre of Social Sciences

Information on applying for admission as a doctoral candidate

The Doctoral Centre is jointly operated by Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and RheinMain University of Applied Sciences.

Visit the Doctoral Centre’s website

Information on applying for admission as a doctoral candidate

The Doctoral Centre is jointly operated by Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences.

The website of the Doctoral Centre is currently under construction.

Admission Requirements for a Doctorate under Fulda University of Applied Sciences’ Right to Award Doctorates:

  • A completed set of university studies with a grade of 2.0 and at least 300 ECTS credits (first degree, Magister or Master’s) from a university, an equivalent state examination, or a Master’s examination from a university of applied sciences (UAS).
  • The decision on whether your qualification is recognised is always made by the doctoral committee of the doctoral research centre.
  • Further information on the admission requirements can be found in the relevant doctoral degree regulations.

PROMOVIEREN IN KOOPERATION MIT EINER UNIVERSITÄT

Die kooperative Promotion bietet sich insbesondere in den Fachrichtungen an, für die die Hochschule Fulda noch kein eigenes Promotionsrecht besitzt.

Grundsätzlich ist ein kooperatives Promotionsverfahren mit jeder Hochschule möglich, die das eigene Promotionsrecht besitzt und die eine geeignete professorale Betreuung für eine kooperative Promotion aufweist. Einzelne Fachbereiche der Hochschule Fulda haben bilaterale Promotionsvereinbarungen mit Universitäten oder Einheiten von Universitäten im In- und Ausland abgeschlossen. Ob Sie mit Ihrer Qualifikation die Voraussetzungen für eine kooperative Promotion haben, entscheidet die promotionsführende Universität bzw. die Universitäts-Promotionsordnung.

Funding Your Doctorate

There are several ways to fund your doctorate:

Many doctoral candidates are employed by a higher education institution, either as research associates working on research projects or in dedicated doctoral positions. However, these positions are not yet as widespread at universities of applied sciences as they are at universities, where an established academic staffing structure below professorial level has traditionally existed. You may wish to contact your supervisor or the head of the relevant department to find out whether any such positions are likely to become available.

Some doctoral candidates fund their doctorates through scholarships awarded by foundations and other funding organisations. A scholarship allows you to focus fully on your doctorate because it does not involve employment or duties unrelated to your research. However, the scholarship itself does not provide social security or health insurance coverage. Scholarship providers also often limit the amount of paid work you may undertake alongside your doctorate and how much you may earn.

Fulda University of Applied Sciences also awards doctoral scholarships. For further information, please contact us.

A doctorate carried out in collaboration with a company can be mutually beneficial. This model is available both through doctoral centres with the right to award doctorates and as part of a cooperative doctorate with a university.

There are two possible models: the doctoral candidate may be employed by the company to work on a doctoral research project relevant to the company, or by Fulda University of Applied Sciences, with the company funding the position in full or in part.

In this way, doctoral candidates are given the opportunity to work on a research question, whilst the enterprise gains exclusive access to research findings on an issue of importance to it. It is important to note that it should be clarified and discussed with the enterprise in advance that doctoral candidates must publish their research findings in order to obtain their doctorate. Only certain data or content may be subject to a publication embargo.

Quality assurance for doctoral degrees with external employment contracts

Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the Hessian partner universities in the doctoral centres attach great importance to ensuring that doctoral degrees awarded in collaboration with external partners produce high-quality research. The German Rectors' Conference ( HRK) has drawn up key points on quality assurance and has set out its position on this topic.

Dr. Zhinan Lu Doctoral Officer

Advice and coordination • Projects ProGEPP and Charter & Code

zhinan.lu(at)verw.hs-fulda.de +49 661 9640-1913

Dr. Peter Bender Doctoral Officer

Advice, coordination and PhD support

peter.bender(at)verw.hs-fulda.de +49 661 9640-1906
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