Obtain a doctorate

at a university of applied research
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Hochschule Fulda

Knowledge specialise

Not everyone manages to get a job for the next 40 years after completing their Master's degree. Those who enjoy academic research and perhaps even want to deepen approaches from their Master's thesis can also consider a doctoral degree. And those who have developed their own business idea during their university studies may be successful as a business start-up.

A Master's degree entitles you to a doctoral degree, regardless of whether it was obtained at a university or a university of applied sciences. As universities of applied sciences do not (yet) have their own right to award doctoral degrees, doctoral procedures are carried out in cooperation with universities.

Fulda University of Applied Sciences now has doctoral students from all eight departments. Doctoral degrees are supported by a comprehensive range of counselling services. In addition to the general doctoral advisory service, some departments have internal doctoral advisors. Here you can ask specialist questions about your doctoral idea, find out about specialist networking opportunities and ask which professor would be a suitable supervisor for your topic.

Independent right to award doctoral degrees

The Hessian Ministry of Science has awarded certain disciplines at Fulda University of Applied Sciences the right to award doctoral degrees, the so-called "independent right to award doctoral degrees". This means that young researchers from Fulda University of Applied Sciences (but also from other colleges and universities) have the opportunity to obtain their doctoral degree in the doctoral centres of individual departments.

Cooperation

The cooperative doctorate is particularly suitable in those areas for which the Fulda University of Applied Sciences does not yet have its own right to award doctoral degrees. In principle, a cooperative doctoral procedure is possible with any university that has its own right to award doctoral degrees and has suitable professorial supervision for a cooperative doctorate.

Doctoral candidate in the library

Do you want to obtain a doctorate?

Here you will find the right contact persons and important information on the conditions for a doctoral degree at Fulda University of Applied Sciences.

Further information

Our Promotion centres

Fulda University of Applied Sciences has been awarded the independent right to award doctoral degrees for certain disciplines.

Doctoral centres have been established to exercise the independent right to award doctoral degrees. While some doctoral centres are located exclusively at Fulda University of Applied Sciences, others work together with partner universities on an inter-university basis.

At least 12 professors with a strong research background form the core of the doctoral centres. The professors with strong research skills are characterised by the external funds they have acquired and their publications with regard to their independent right to award doctoral degrees.

The quality of the doctoral degree is also ensured by other factors, such as the separation of supervision and review and having at least two reviewers. The doctoral degree opportunities are primarily based on the professors' research areas.

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

The doctoral research centre is organised on an inter-university basis: In addition to Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences are members of the centre.

To the website of the inter-university doctoral research centre

Information on the application for acceptance

To the website of the doctoral research centre at Fulda University of Applied Sciences

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

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

The doctoral research centre is organised on an inter-university basis: In addition to Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences and Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences are members of the network.

To the website of the inter-university doctoral research centre for social work

All relevant information and documents for a successful application to the inter-university doctoral research centre for social work

The interdisciplinary doctoral research centre for social sciences combines the specialist fields of sociology, political science, communication science, law and business sciences and is located exclusively at Fulda University of Applied Sciences in the department of social and cultural sciences.

To the website of the doctoral research centre and to all information and documents relevant for a successful application to the doctoral research centre for social sciences

The doctoral research centre is organised on an inter-university basis: In addition to the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences are members of the network.

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

 

First HAW with independent right to award doctoral degrees

In October 2016, Fulda University of Applied Sciences (UAS) became the first university of applied sciences in Germany to be granted the right to award doctoral degrees in the discipline of social sciences with a specialisation in globalisation, European integration and interculturality.

At the end of 2016, it also received approval for the Public Health and Social Work doctoral research centres, followed by the Applied Computer Science doctoral research centre in November 2017.