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Commencing the Doctoral Examination Procedure

The doctoral examination procedure commences as soon you submit your dissertation to the office and the Doctoral Committee appoints the Examination Committee and the reviewers.

Submit the following documents

To apply for the commencement of the doctoral examination procedure, you must submit the following documents listed in Section 7 of the regulations for a doctoral degree to the faculty’s Doctoral Committee office:*

  • Application to commence a doctoral examination procedure,
  • Five (5) printed copies of the dissertation and one (1) digital copy
  • Seven (7) copies of an academic synopsis and one (1) digital copy
  • Seven (7) copies of a curriculum vitae in tabular form that focuses specifically on scholarly development
  • One (1) list of published or forthcoming manuscripts or other scholarly achievements, including any assessments, statements, and reviews
  • A certified copy of the degree certificate as required under Section 4(1)
  • A sworn affidavit stating that the dissertation has not previously been submitted to any other institution of higher education and that it was prepared independently and exclusively using the resources specified
  • Proof of fulfillment of the requirements set forth in Section 4(3) of the Doctoral Regulations
  • Evidence of participation in one or more one-semester doctoral seminars
  • Evidence of enrollment as a doctoral candidate 
  • A police clearance certificate (certificate of good conduct) if the doctoral candidate has been unenrolled for more than three months and is not employed in the public sector
  • One (1) copy of a non-technical summary written in German and intended for a general audience

*Please be mindful of the deadline for agenda items for the corresponding meeting of the Examination Committee.

What happens after the procedure commences?

After the procedure commences, each reviewer will be sent a copy of the dissertation. They will have eight weeks to submit their reviews.

Once the last review is submitted, if they are all positive, the chair of the Examination Committee is tasked with scheduling the oral defense. As the doctoral candidate, you will be informed that your dissertation has been accepted and your oral defense is being scheduled.

You can find information about the structure of an oral defense in Section 9 of the regulations for a doctoral degree.