Guide to the doctoral degree (Dr. theol.)
You would like to earn a doctorate at our faculty and are working towards a Dr. theol. degree? Please follow the steps below.
You can find the doctoral regulations here:
1. Orientation and Counselling
Your first point of contact for advice on general questions about the doctoral programme is the Vice Dean's Office for Internationalisation, Research and Academic Recruitment.
You can discuss specialised questions with your principal supervisor (§4). If you are coming to Münster to pursue a doctorate but do not yet have a doctoral supervisor who can assist you, the Vice Dean's Office can help you to establish contact with a professor in your particular field of study.
Important documents:
Contact:
- Prof. Dr. Judith Könemann (Vice Dean)
- Annika Freyhoff (Assistant to the Vice Dean, Vice Dean's Office)
2. Enrolment
First, you enrol at the University of Münster for the doctoral programme. To do this, you also need the Confirmation of Doctoral Supervision. You can find all the necessary information and the link to online enrolment on the website of the Student Admissions Office.
Required documents:
- Confirmation of Doctoral Supervision
- Certificate of previous university degrees
Contact:
- Student Admissions Office
- Online enrolment portal
- Lukas Billermann (Assistant to the Dean, Dean’s Office)
Please note: The Confirmation of Doctoral Supervision and the Supervision Agreement are two different documents that you must submit to different offices.
Confirmation of Doctoral Supervision --> enrolment (Student Admissions Office)
Supervision Agreement --> internal faculty admission (Dean’s Office)
3. Acceptance as a Doctoral Candidate (§5)
a. Review of Admission Requirements (§3)
Before you can be admitted to the doctoral programme, your admission requirements must be verified. To check your eligibility, please submit the necessary documents to the Dean's assistant to confirm your previous university degrees.
You will receive a certificate of qualification which either (a) confirms that your past academic achievement meets the requirements of a full theological degree programme, or (b) confirms qualification only after completing a supplementary study programme. Upon completion of this programme, you will be issued a Transcript of Records.
Required documents:
- Certificate of previous university degrees
- Transcript of Records, if applicable
Further information:
Contact:
- Lukas Billermann (Assistant to the Dean, Dean’s Office)
b. Enrolment in the Doctoral Programme / Admission to the Qualification Phase (§ 5)
As soon as you are enrolled and, if necessary, have had your admission requirements checked, please apply for registration of your doctorate at the Dean's Office (§5). You will need the documents listed below for this.
The Dean will decide on your application and inform the Faculty Board.
Required documents:
- Declaration of enrolment containing the candidate’s personal information, the names of the supervisors and the preliminary title of the dissertation
- Certificate of previous university degrees
- Certificate of qualification
- Letter of recommendation by the principal supervisor
- Supervision Agreement (§4)
- Form
-
Work plan and time-table for the dissertation
-
ExProject outline between four and eight pages in length
- Certificate of enrolment with matriculation number
Contact:
- Christiane Ostholt (Department administration, Dean’s Office)
Please note: The Confirmation of Doctoral Supervision and the Supervision Agreement are two different documents that you must submit to different offices.
Confirmation of Doctoral Supervision --> enrolment (Student Admissions Office)
Supervision Agreement --> internal faculty admission (Dean’s Office)
4. Qualification Phase (§6)
When you register, you enter the qualification phase. During this phase, you will write your doctoral thesis. Consultation sessions with your first supervisor have to be documented. You will also complete the doctoral programme curriculum. The individual achievements must be certified in your Course Record Book. Please have your advanced seminars and doctoral colloquia certified by the responsible lecturers.
You will need a certificate for courses that you attend outside the faculty or university and would like to have credited to your doctoral programme. These certificates are a prerequisite for the achievements to be recognised in the Course Record Book. The assistant in the Vice Dean's Office is responsible for this. In case of doubt as to whether a course can be recognised, please contact the Vice Dean's Office for clarification before attending the course.
Required documents:
Contact:
- Annika Freyhoff (Assistant to the Vice Dean, Vice Dean’s Office)
5. Examination Phase (§§8-19)
a. Admission to the Examination Process (§8)
Upon finishing your dissertation and completing the required courses of the doctoral programme, you must apply for admission to the examination phase. To apply, submit all the required documents to the Dean's Office and hand in the dissertation in accordance to with the submission formalities along with the Affirmation in Lieu of an Oath.
Required documents:
Contact:
- Christiane Ostholt (Department administration, Dean’s Office)
b. Examination
After a review of the documents, assessment of your dissertation by two examiners (as a rule) and its public display, the Faculty Board decides on the final grade of the dissertation based on the examiners' recommendations.
If the dissertation is accepted, you will be granted admission to the Defensio or Rigorosum, depending on your preference.
After passing the Defensio (or Rigorosum), the Faculty Board announces the final grade.
You are then awarded your doctoral title at the Actus Academicus ceremony.
You must submit the mandatory copies of your dissertation to the Dean's office within two years after completing the last examination.