Doing a doctorate at the
Fulda University of
Applied Sciences

Fulda University of Applied Sciences offers two options for doctoral studies:

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 work together with partner universities across the university.

The core of the doctoral centres is made up of at least 12 professors with strong research skills. The professors with a strong research record stand out in terms of the independent right to award doctorates through the third-party funding they have acquired and their publications.

The quality of the doctorate is also ensured by other factors, such as the separation of supervision and assessment and by at least two assessors. The doctoral opportunities are based primarily on the research areas of the professors in terms of subject matter.

We invite you to visit the pages of our doctoral centres for all further information:

The doctoral centre is organised on a cross-university basis: In addition to the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, the RhineMain University of Applied Sciences and the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences are members of the network.

To the website of the inter-university doctoral centre

Information on the application for acceptance

The doctoral centre is located exclusively at Fulda University of Applied Sciences in the Department of Health Sciences.

To the website of the doctoral centre and to all relevant information and documents for a successful application to the doctoral centre Public Health

The doctoral centre is organised on a cross-university basis: In addition to the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, the RhineMain University of Applied Sciences and the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences belong to the association.

To the website of the inter-university Social Work Doctoral Centre

To all the information and documents relevant for a successful application to the Inter-University Centre for Doctoral Studies in Social Work

The interdisciplinary Doctoral Centre for Social Sciences combines the fields of sociology, political science, communication science, law and economics and is located exclusively at Fulda University of Applied Sciences in the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences.

To the website of the PhD Centre and to all relevant information and documents for a successful application to the PhD Centre Social Sciences

The doctoral centre is organised on a cross-university basis: In addition to Fulda University of Applied Sciences, the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and the RhineMain University of Applied Sciences are also members.

To the website of the inter-university doctoral centre Mobility and Logistics

 

Conditions for a doctorate with independent right to award doctoral degrees

The condition for a doctorate at Fulda University of Applied Sciences with independent right to award doctoral degrees is a completed degree with a grade of 2.0 and at least 300 ECTS credits (Diplom, Magister or Master) at a university, an equivalent state examination or a Master's examination at a UAS (university of applied sciences). The doctoral research centre's doctoral committee always decides on the recognition of your qualification. You can find more information on the admission requirements in the respective doctoral degree regulations.

Doing a doctorate in cooperation with a university

Cooperative doctoral studies are particularly suitable in areas for which Fulda University of Applied Sciences does not yet have its own right to award doctorates. In principle, a cooperative doctoral programme is possible with any university that has its own right to award doctorates and that has suitable professorial supervision for a cooperative doctorate.

Since 2011, there has also been a cooperative doctoral programme with the University of Kassel, which offers various doctoral programmes and platforms.

Individual departments at Fulda University of Applied Sciences have also concluded bilateral doctoral agreements with universities or units of universities in Germany and abroad.

Contact

Dr. Zhinan Lu Doctoral Officer

Advice and coordination • Projects ProGEPP and Charter & Code

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

Contact

Dr. Peter Bender Doctoral Officer

Advice, coordination and PhD support

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

Doing a doctorate with an enterprise

Obtaining a doctoral degree with support from the business world: Doing a doctoral degree in cooperation with an enterprise can be a win-win situation for all sides. This type of doctorate is possible for doctoral degrees with the independent right to award doctoral degrees as well as for cooperative doctorates.

Two models are possible: the doctoral candidate is employed by the enterprise and is paid there for obtaining a doctorate on a topic from the enterprise - or the person is employed by Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the enterprise funds this position in whole or in part as an external funding source.

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

Quality assurance for doctoral degrees with an external employment contract

It is important to Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the Hessian partner universities in the doctoral centres that doctoral degrees in collaboration with external parties produce high-quality research. The German Rectors' Conference (HRK) has published key points for quality assurance and has taken a stand on this topic.

Funding a doctoral degree

If you would like to obtain a doctorate, there are various funding options and models available to you:

The majority of doctoral students are employed at a university. They work here as active participants in research projects or have a doctoral position. However, these positions are not yet widespread at universities of applied research, as in contrast to universities, the traditional mid-level academic staff is only just emerging here. Ask your supervising professor or the departmental management of the department in question whether such positions will become available in the near future.

Some doctoral students obtain funding through a doctoral scholarship, which is awarded by foundations and funding organisations. The advantage of this type of funding is that you can concentrate fully on your doctoral degree, as you are not employed and do not have to perform any non-doctoral activities. However, with a scholarship you are not covered by social and health insurance. The time and amount of money you can earn from a part-time job alongside your scholarship is often severely restricted by the regulations of the scholarship donor. The Fulda University of Applied Sciences also awards scholarships - please contact us if you have any questions!