Enrolment

Admission to the doctoral programme is granted by enrolment. Doctoral students should be enrolled at the University of Münster for the duration of the doctoral programme. Doctoral students must be enrolled at the University of Münster at the time of registering for and taking the examination.

Enrolment is made in one doctoral subject (see below) and requires proof of a relevant degree (see below) as well as certain language skills (see below). When enrolling in a doctoral programme, a supervision agreement (see below) must also be submitted.

Choice of Subject

The doctoral subject generally corresponds to the subject of the degree preceding the doctorate, but another subject may also be chosen in justified cases.

In exceptional cases, the Chair of the Doctoral Committee may also recognise a degree in another subject as relevant if the supervisor or group of supervisors confirms the doctoral candidate's professional and personal suitability for the doctoral subject. In consultation with the first supervisor, the chairperson may combine the recognition with the requirement to complete appropriate additional coursework in the doctoral subject during the doctoral programme to compensate for subject-related deficits.

Required degree

Enrolment requires proof of one of the following degrees:

• A degree with a grade of at least 2.50 from a relevant university degree programme with a standard period of study of at least eight semesters, for which a degree other than ‘Bachelor’ is awarded;
• A degree after a relevant university degree course, generally with a grade of at least 1.50, with a standard period of study of at least six semesters and subsequent appropriate studies in the doctoral subject in preparation for the doctorate (‘fast-track doctorate’). These can be completed before commencing the doctoral programme or during the course of study. The details are determined by the chairperson of the doctoral committee at the suggestion of the first supervisor or the group of supervisors within the framework of the supervision agreement (see below).
• or a degree with a grade of at least 2.50 in a relevant Master's degree programme with a standard period of study of two to four semesters, preceded by a Bachelor's degree programme

Relevant degrees from academic universities outside the area of application of the German Constitution will be recognised on application if they are equivalent to the above-mentioned degrees. A relevant degree is one that corresponds to the chosen doctoral subject (see above).

Language skills

Depending on the doctoral subject, there are different language requirements for enrolment. As a rule, you are expected to have a functional knowledge of English and at least one other modern foreign language, as many publications and congresses are now aimed at an international academic community. In addition, knowledge of Latin and/or Greek is often required, particularly in the historical disciplines. 

For students whose native language is not German, a certain level of German language skills may also be required. In this context, please note that the dissertation should generally be written in German and the disputation should also be held in German or English. In addition, knowledge of German and/or English may be required for the accompanying, subject-specific study programme.

Supervision agreement

A written supervision agreement is concluded between the doctoral candidate and the group of supervisors. In this supervision agreement

• the doctoral candidate's plans and goals
• the further qualifications to be acquired by the doctoral candidate from the point of view of the group of supervisors
• the individual study programme,
• the work schedule and timetable,
• the members of the group of supervisors and their tasks and obligations

are recorded. The supervision agreement must be submitted upon enrolment in a doctoral degree programme. If the course of the work requires a change to the original planning, the supervision agreement must be adapted.