Guide to the doctoral degree (Dr. phil.) in cooperation with the University of Osnabrück

1. Orientation and Counselling

Your first point of contact for advice on general questions about the doctoral programme is the Institute of Catholic Theology (Osnabrück) or the Vice Dean's Office for Internationalisation, Research and Academic Recruitment (Münster).

You can discuss specialised questions with your principal supervisor (§4). If you are coming to Osnabrück or Münster to pursue a doctorate but do not yet have a doctoral supervisor who can assist you, the Institute (Osnabrück) or the Vice Dean's Office (Münster) can help you to establish contact with a professor in your particular field of study.

Important documents:

• Doctoral regulations

Contact:

• Osnabrück:
  • Prof. Dr. Margit Eckholt (Director of the Institute)
• Münster:
  • Prof. Dr. Judith Könemann (Vice Dean)
  • Annika Freyhoff (Assistant to the Vice Dean, Vice Dean’s Office)

2. Review of the Admission Requirements and Registration of the Doctorate (§6)

To check the admission requirements, submit the necessary documents to the doctoral committee of the Institute of Catholic Theology (Osnabrück) and to the Dean’s Assistant (Münster).

Important: The first supervisor always belongs to the sending university. In the case of a doctorate (Dr. phil.), the principal supervisor must therefore work at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Münster.

Required documents:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Exposé
• Proof of university entrance qualification
• Declaration of any previous doctoral applications, if applicable
• Declaration of Consent from the supervisor
• Degree certificate from a relevant degree programme that qualifies for doctoral studies
• Proof of the required language skills, if applicable
• Recommendation from the supervisor

Contact:

• Osnabrück
  • Prof. Dr. Margit Eckholt (Director of the Institute)
• Münster
  • Lukas Billermann (Assistant to the Dean, Dean’s Office)

3. Case-Related Cooperation Agreement

This step does not affect you, but only the supervisors and the two universities. However, it absolutely requires your acceptance as a doctoral candidate at Osnabrück University.

A Case-Related Cooperation Agreement is concluded between the two universities (in each case supervisor, Dean's Office and President's Office or Rectorate). The signing procedure is organised by the respective first supervisors. The coordinating offices are the Dean's Office in Münster and the management of the Institute of Catholic Theology in Osnabrück.

The following applies to Osnabrück: The Cooperation Agreement can only be signed after acceptance in accordance (§6). You therefore absolutely need the Declaration of Consent of your supervisor.

The following applies to Münster: The Cooperation Agreement is generally required for enrolment in the doctoral programme and must therefore be signed beforehand.

4. Enrolment

Enrolment takes place at both universities. The university of first enrolment is the one at which the doctorate is to be obtained, i.e. for the acquisition of the Dr. phil. the university of first enrolment is the University of Osnabrück. Accordingly, the second enrolment is carried out at the University of Münster on presentation of the semester certificate from the University of Osnabrück. This means that the semester fees are only paid at Osnabrück University. The University of Münster exempts you from the semester fees on presentation of the semester certificate.

Enrolment at both universities also entitles the student to attend courses at both universities, to acquire certificates of achievement and, if necessary, to take examinations.

Osnabrück University will issue the semester ticket. When enrolling, the regulations of the respective university must be observed.

Required documents (Münster):

• Confirmation of Doctoral Supervision
• Cooperation Agreement
• Certificate of previous university degrees

Contact (Münster):

• Student Admissions Office
• Online enrolment portal
• Annika Freyhoff (Assistant to the Vice Dean, Vice Dean’s Office)

5. Examination Phase (§§9-20)

a. Admission to the Examination Phase

Upon completion of your doctoral thesis and presentation of your work, e.g. in a colloquium, you apply for admission to the examination phase. To do this, you submit all the necessary documents to the doctoral committee and hand in the thesis with an Affirmation in Lieu of an Oath, observing the formalities.

Required documents:

• At least five copies of the dissertation
• Affirmation in Lieu of an Oath (appendix 1)
• Suggestions for the subject areas of the oral examination
• Proof of successfully completed doctoral studies, if applicable

b. Examination

After a review of the documents, assessment of your dissertation by two examiners (as a rule) and discussion of the reviews in the doctoral committee as well as the public display, the faculty's doctoral committee decides on the proposed grade.

If the grade is positive, the candidate is then admitted to the oral examination.

After passing the oral examination, the doctoral committee determines a grade.

You must submit your mandatory copies within 18 months of completing the final examination.

The Faculty of Education and Cultural Studies will award you the doctoral degree.