Individual or structured – which type of doctorate suits you best?

Choosing between an individual doctorate and a structured doctorate can be difficult. Both paths have their own advantages and challenges. An individual doctorate offers maximum freedom and personal responsibility, while a structured doctorate offers more support and guidance.

Below you will find an overview of both types of doctorate in terms of the requirements, process and funding opportunities for individual doctorates and structured doctoral programmes.

Individual Doctorate		Structured Doctorate
Enrolment in the PhD programme is possible at any time	Application	depending on the graduate school, possible only once, at certain regular deadlines or at any time
through communication between first supervisor and doctoral candidate	Selection procedure	depending on the graduate school, e.g. by reviewing an exposé or by means of an interview
through individual agreement with first supervisor	Choice of topic	topic area more or less narrowly defined by the graduate school
personally by first and second supervisor	Supervision	regular feedback meetings and progress reviews by mentor
self-organised	Networking	through organised workshops, seminars and conferences
must usually be clarified by yourself	Funding	can be provided by the graduate school or external funding (position or scholarship)
at least two years, standard duration: four years, longer duration possible under certain circumstances (employment, raising children, thematic reasons)	Duration	depends on the funding period (see funding) and the regulations of the respective graduate school; usually a maximum of 3–4 years
dissertation disputation if applicable, further compulsory and compulsory elective achievements (depending on the subject; see doctoral degree regulations) are determined individually in the supervision agreement	Required achievements	dissertation disputation further compulsory and elective achievements (depending on the programme and regulations of the respective graduate school)