phd or dr rer nat

Ph.D. & Dr. rer. nat. - Different names for a doctoral degree

Written by Karla 22.06.2021

Previously, we wrote about being a researcher in Germany. Here, we will discuss doctoral degrees and some country-dependent differences.

Internationally, a doctoral degree can be awarded in any field of science. Depending on each doctoral program and the country where it is taking place, the time and requirements to graduate vary. In the majority of cases, a degree is awarded after delivering a written thesis summarizing the research and defending it in front of a panel of experts in the specific field or a committee involved in the research study from start until completion. If you are interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in natural sciences in Germany, you should know that German institutions may award either the title of Ph.D. or Dr. rer. nat. If you are new to the German system of higher education, you may wonder about the difference between Ph.D. and Dr. rer. nat. Here we’re gonna break it down for you.

What is a Ph.D.? The Doctor of Philosophy , better known for its abbreviation Ph.D., is a degree of postgraduate education awarded for an original research study where individuals have contributed to the understanding of a field. According to the author Keith Allan Noble, the first doctoral degree was conferred in Paris around the year 1150 (Noble, 1994). In the following centuries, the Ph.D. degree gained popularity and shaped into the highest academic degree worldwide.

Why Germany uses the Dr. rer. nat. title? In Germany, the doctoral degree is awarded after one completes the process known as “Promotion”, which ends with presenting the thesis dissertation to a committee. Rather than universally receiving the Ph.D. title, latin suffixes are used to specify the field of the doctoral degree awarded in Germany (Academic positions, 2018). This is why after completing a doctoral programme in natural sciences in Germany, the degree obtained is Dr. rer. nat. from the latin Doctor rerum naturalium , or doctor of natural sciences.

Here are some examples of different discipline-specific doctoral degrees that can be obtained at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, depending of the field of study (LMU München, 2021): Dr. rer. nat. (natural sciences) Dr. phil. nat. (humanities and natural sciences) Dr. med. (human medicine) Dr. med. dent. (dental medicine) Dr. rer. biol. hum. (human biology)

Ph.D. or Dr. rer. nat. - Is there a difference? Ph.D. and Dr. rer. nat. are both recognized as doctoral degrees. As an example of this parallelism, the Max-Planck institute states that the Dr. rer. nat. degree awarded by the Faculty of Science at the University of Tübingen is the german equivalent to a Ph.D. (Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, 2021)

Some Universities give you the opportunity to choose between obtaining a Ph.D. or a Dr. rer. nat. title, which can arguably be confusing to foreigners pursuing a Ph.D. in Germany. Examples of those universities are the Freie Universität Berlin (Freie Universität Berlin, 2021) and the University of Ulm (Universität Ulm, 2020). This reinforces that a Dr. rer. nat. degree is equivalent to a Ph.D.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that you should be careful about what you call yourself in official documents in Germany. According to German regulations, if you have a Ph.D. title you are allowed to write your name as either “Name Surname, Ph.D.” or “Dr. Name Surname”. Conversely, if you have a Dr. rer. nat. title you can only use it like this or as “Dr. Name Surname”. Make sure to comply when writing any official documents! Written by Karla Azucena Juárez Núñez; Edited by Gabrielle Sant. Image: NGC/Design.

LMU München. 2021. Doctoral degrees. Retrieved from this link .

Freie Universität Berlin. 2021. Dr. rer. nat. or Ph.D.?. Retrieved from this link .

Academic positions. 2018. German Academic Job Titles Explained. Retrieved from this link .

Universität Ulm. 2020. Infos zur Promotion. Retrieved from this link .

Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology. 2021. PhD Degree/ Dr. rer. nat. Retrieved from this link .

Noble, Keith Allan. 1994. Changing Doctoral Degrees: An International Perspective. Taylor and Francis, 1900 Frost Road, Suite 101, Bristol, PA 19007-1598.

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German Academic Job Titles Explained

What's a Habilitation or a juniorprofessur ? German job titles and their accompanying responsibilities are slightly different from their American equivalents. While there will be some differences university to university, here's a general overview of the most common German academic job titles.

Doctorate Degree

Unlike the American system where applicants apply to a program, in Germany applicants must apply for a specific doctoral position that is usually tied to a professor’s research projects. Students do not do coursework; they start working on their project immediately. They are also required to take on some teaching responsibilities. The time it takes to earn a doctorate depends on the field, but three to five years is typical. The degree is awarded through a process called “Promotion” after the student has defended their dissertation to a committee. Rather than the broad PhD, German doctoral degrees use specific latin designation for the field, for example Dr. rer. nat (natural and sciences), Dr. phil (humanities), Dr. oec (economics), Dr. rer. pol. (business admin and political sciences), and Dr.-Ing. (engineering).

Postdoctoral Researcher/Fellow

After earning their doctorate, researchers go on to a postdoc. A postdoc is a continuation of the researcher’s training that allows them to further specialize in a particular field and learn new skills and techniques. It may require them to take on teaching responsibilities. German postdocs typically last two to four years.

Habilitation

Traditionally to qualify for a professorship, a German academic must first do another stage of qualification called the Habilitation . The Habilitation is almost like a second doctorate, though it is not a degree. It is a four to six year period of independent research, teaching, and administrative responsibilities that culminates in writing either a monograph or a several articles of outstanding quality. While writing their Habilitation , the scholar is usually employed as a academic assistant or senior research fellow ( Wissenschaftler or Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter ). After completing the Habilitation thesis, the academic gains the designation Dr. habil or PD/Priv.-Dot . which establishes their ability to teach their academic subject. The Habilitation can be seen as analogous to the tenure process since after Habilitation an academic can apply to full professor positions.

The Habilitation used to be the only path to becoming a professor, however an education reform in 2001 established the Junior Professorship as an alternative to the Habilitation . Many researchers still opt to write the Habilitation though.

Juniorprofessur/Juniordozent (W1)*

Junior professors don’t have to write a habilitation. Instead, these positions offer early career academics the opportunity to research, supervision, administration, and teaching experience on equal terms to other university instructors. Junior professorships are usually for three to four years with the possibility of being extended for a total of six years. It is often a temporary position, however, certain universities offer a tenure track option. Germany has recently signed an agreement to create 1,000 tenure-track junior professorships by 2032.

Professur (W2)*

To become a professor, an academic needs to have completed the Habilitation , have a positive evaluation as a junior professor, or have led their own junior research group. W2 professors are considered independent researchers and generally have permanent positions. Internal promotion to these positions is not encouraged in Germany. With the exceptions of junior professors, academics can not be appointed a professor at the university they did their Habilitation . W2 professors don't retain their civil servant status past the age of 49. 

Professur (W3)*

The requirements to become a full professor are very demanding. It requires many years of academic experience and an outstanding reputation. As a consequence, there is often a minimum age requirement to become a professor. Professors in Germany are public servants and as such have permanent positions at their universities.

Start your academic career today by searching all  available positions in Germany .

*the W denomination in brackets refers to the position’s place in the salary table for civil servants. As all German professors are civil servants, it has become a common way to refer to the different professorships.

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By Leonid Schneider, on research integrity, biomedical ethics and academic publishing

The decadence of German medical doctorate

Germany is a country where a doctorate still invites respect and even deference, in certain circles at least. Here, the prefix “Dr.” even becomes official part of your name, while your professorial thesis advisor is reverentially called “Doktorvater”- doctoral father (there is no appropriate term for female supervisors, which makes the concept even more embarrassing these days). There is a whole zoo of German doctorate degrees , biologists and other natural scientists are generally “Dr. rer. nat.” and medical doctors are “Dr. med”. Unlike in the Anglo-Saxon model, German physicians do not receive a default MD title with graduation, they can only call themselves Herr or Frau Doktor once they wrote and defended a dissertation at their university.

The thing which angers German life scientists (and others) about this peculiar German medical doctorate, is that it is relatively easy to get, while providing equal, if not better, academic advantage as their own PhD-like Dr. rer. nat. Biologists need between 3 and 5 years to have enough material for a thesis, while their medical colleagues invest often less than a year, and even this in-between their university lectures, courses and exams. The medical dissertations themselves accordingly often contain little (if any) own research and are much shorter, occasionally just a couple of pages describing the attached co-authored publications (doctors publish a lot, often the sheer quantity counts). This lightweight model is exactly what generally prevents German medical doctors from having their titles recognized in the US or elsewhere as a PhD degree. In Germany however, both Dr. rer. nat. and Dr. med. have an equal value when academic jobs are distributed.

Importantly, this Dr. med. title is not at all required for doctors to practice medicine in hospitals or in order to open their own  private praxis. Outside of the academia, the doctorate is solely about the prestige. In hospitals or medical faculties, junior doctors will rather bite own tongue than address their superiors informally, as “Herr Müller” instead of “Herr Professor Doktor Müller”. And in case this Herr Müller also wrote an additional thesis out of the available doctorate zoo , he is to be addressed as Herr Professor Doktor Doktor Müller (no, this is not a typo). On the other hand, a fully certified physician who left university without adding a Dr. med. to his or her name, will have difficulties to be taken seriously.

This is why many physicians do all they can to get a Dr. (or even a Prof.) in front of their names to boost their careers. Some employ ghostwriters, others even buy titles from corrupt or phony universities. Plagiarism is extremely rife, whole labs occasionally submit the same thesis all over, including the boss, who then uses it for his or her “habilitation”, a German academic degree of “Privatdozent”, designed as a qualification for a professorship. Even the German defence minister and close ally of the Chancellor Merkel, Ursula von der Leyen , was caught plagiarizing heavily in her 1990 dissertation on obstetrics (analysis is available on  Vroniplag Wiki ). However, she was acquitted of misconduct (and thus retained her title) by her alma mater , the Hanover Medical School.

Debora Weber-Wulff , professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, is specialist for plagiarism detection and one of the contributors of VroniPlag Wiki anti-plagiarism platform. She published a case study about the widespread plagiarism in German medical dissertations and explained this problem in a RetractionWatch interview . Yet as Weber-Wulff is fully aware of, this rampant plagiarism is not the only problem. Some of German medical dissertations are of outrageously substandard quality. Weber-Wulff shared with me some examples, which I present below.

Four examples of horrendously bad German medical doctorate theses

 1. “ If I were head physician, than I would… : Requests for changes in a psychiatric clinic “. 61 pages, University of Heidelberg, 2000

Usually, a doctorate thesis has one author. It is after all supposed to be evidence of a personal independent research effort of an academic scientist. This one had two authors:  Leonie Maischein (now resident psychotherapist in the Protestant Hospital Bielefeld ) and   Birgit Tebbe . Their “Doktorvater” was the psychologist  Priv.-Doz. Dr. rer. soc. Dipl.-Psych. Jochen Schweitzer .

The two authors asked between 22. 02 till 31.03.1999 30 employees and 55 patients of a nearby psychiatric clinic for suggestions of improvement in the management. The German-language abstract is available here .

• “ Craters on the Earth-facing side of the Moon, named after doctors ”. 113 pages, University of Cologne, 1983.

The author of this medically highly-relevant opus was Siegmund Domin , now general practitioner in Cologne . His patients are surely impressed by his medical doctorate, and probably assume his doctorate research saved many lives. Remarkably, Domin’s stroke of genius had a sequel:

 “ Craters on the Earth-averted side of the Moon, named after doctors ”. 100 pages,   University of Cologne, 1985 .

This time it was Domin’s wife Lidia Domin , whose medical investigation revolutionized medicine and patient care the second time, after her husband. Frau Dr. Domin also has her own GP practice in Cologne . The two doctors later on published a book, “ Moon craters named after doctors ”, it is really a pity it was overlooked by the Nobel Prize Committees for Medicine or Literature. Maybe at least some newly found craters on the Moon could be named after the Domins?

 3. “ Natural remedies for impotence in medieval Persia ”, University of Münster, 2006

The peculiarity of this medical dissertaion by Dr. med. Maryam Khalegi Ghadiri is its length, or rather shortness: 3 pages. Yes, just three. It is probable that the dissertation text is similar to this short and equally named “ Review of Impotence ” which Khalegi Ghadiri published in 2004 together with her “Doktorvater” Ali Gorji in the journal International Journal of Impotence Research. Gorji is neurophysiologist at the University of Münster , according to Weber-Wulff, he was also responsible for the supervision of a number of apparently plagiarised doctorate theses . Khalegi Ghadiri is still employed in Münster and keeps publishing with Gorji.

• “ Results of phage typing and analysis of chemotherapeutics resistance of Staphylococcus-aureus strains from clinics of Federal Republic of Germany ”. University of Bonn, 1982-2002

There is a whole family of these medical doctorate thesis , the only difference in title is the year for which the analysis was performed. The earliest dissertation is from 1982 and concerns the analysis from 1977; the doctorate recipient was Wolfgang Micansky , now general practitioner in a small German town in Niederrhein area, not far from the Dutch border. To make sure this 1977 dataset was properly analysed, it was re-examined in 1983 by another Dr.med. candidate, Thomas Herting (now apparently GP and specialist for acupuncture in Lübeck).  Another of the follow-ups, the dissertation from 1985 , was submitted in Bonn by Peter Schreckenberg (now established pediatrician in a town near Bonn ), who analysed the dataset from 1979. His wife and praxis-partner Lioba Schreckenberg defended her thesis in Bonn in 1985 , by analysing the dataset from 1980.

There are around 20 doctorate theses of this kind. The farce (almost) concluded in 1993, with the two theses by Monika Raussen (now dermatologist in small town 50 km away from Bonn), and Marie-Luise Thomas , who bravely shouldered the bacterial datasets from 1986 and 1987, respectively. Their “Doktorvater” apparently retired from his academic post by then. Yet the concept was revived, just once in 2002: the dataset from 1992 needed urgent medical attention. This medical thesis was defended by Anusha Patchava , who currently works in a GP praxis in Frankfurt . Since then, the dissertation churn-out completely stopped on “phage typing and analysis of chemotherapeutics resistance of Staphylococcus-aureus strains from clinics of Federal Republic of Germany”.

My brief internet search showed that it is unlikely to be revived. The “Doktorvater” died in 2004, at the age of 88. In his obituary , the microbiology professor Henning Brandis is described as the discoverer of the phage typing method and “an experienced teacher to his many doctorate students”. The only problem is: Brandis apparently never taught them the most important aspect of the doctorate research: originality. However, knowing how many German MD theses are plagiarized, communally performed or simply academically abysmal, all with full knowledge, approval and even active participation of the “Doktorvater”, this is hardly surprising. Take Our Poll Take Our Poll

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13 comments on “ The decadence of German medical doctorate ”

It is a difficult choice. The Natural Remedies thesis could have been a very interesting history of medicine thesis. However at 3 pages, there is only space to provide a brief overview of classical Persian culture and not even time to do more than hint at the exchange of medical information with major centres such as Indian and Egypt. “Craters” might be suitable for a history of science and medicine, since the reasons for the names may shed light on interactions between disciplines and their social status in the past. In contrast, “If I were a physician” has nothing to recommend it, and it is difficult to see how the approach and/or subject matter have potential for an actual thesis. “The clone” is a clone and consequently has to be the winner. It is impossible to reuse such a limited dataset and conduct a systems level analysis, so plagiarism is the only way.

It only remains for someone to apply literary-cladistics methods and write a doctorate thesis on “Typology and successive mutations within a clone of theses about phage typing and analysis of chemotherapeutics resistance of Staphylococcus-aureus strains”.

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You have hit a rich vein here! One could then apply literary-cladistics methods to the first thesis using this approach, and repeat until the end of time. Sisyphus’s punishment was rather unimaginative in comparison.

Henning Brandis , whose doctorate students were apparently performing same research analysis all over, was according to his obituary : – recipient of one of the highest German federal awards, the “Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse” – recipient of the German microbiology award, the Ferdinand Cohn-Medal – Editor-in-Chief of Immunobiology – Author of a German standard university textbook, Lehrbuch der Medizinischen Mikrobiologie

According to PubMed, Brandis published his technology and various dataset measurements of salmonella phage-typing in the 1960ies-1970ies, in papers like those listed below. One might assume the novelty or originality of the scientific method did not suffice anymore in the 1980ies and 1990ies: there are no PubMed listed publications by Brandis on this topic, with or without any of his doctorate students who kept defending the theses described above.

Brandis H, Lenk V, Polanetzki U, Würschung F, Böhlck I. [Results of phage typing of Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi-B in the years 1970-1973 (author’s transl)]. Zentralbl Bakteriol Orig A. 1977;237(2-3):237-53 . German.

Brandis H, Lenk V, Würsching F, Polanetzki U, Böhlck I. [Results of phage typing of Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi-B in the years 1974-1978 from the Federal Republic of Germany including Berlin (West) (author’s transl)]. [Article in German] Zentralbl Bakteriol A. 1980;247(4):440-59.

Brandis H, Posch J, Oberhoffer G, Andries L, Lehmacher U. [Contributions to the epidemiology of Salmonella typhimurium, analyzed according to the results of phage typing in the period between 1969–1978 (author’s transl)]. Offentl Gesundheitswes. 1980 Sep 20;42 Suppl 2:75-128 . German.

You missed the major joke in #3: “approximately 5–20% of the general mail population suffer from moderate-to-severe ED” Right: “mail” erectile dysfunction.

#4 is actually a fantastic example of how to NOT plagiarize: Each of the theses has its own, differently worded introduction with different aspects emphasized. Please don’t report on things I am planning to look at, people will mistake that for a stamp of plagiarism.

I voted for the 3-page dissertation, as it is the only one I have read. While I believe that three brilliant pages would be much better than most medical dissertations, this dissertation is in fact just a review of the existing literature — the old Persian sources have not been touched.

One of the issues that I feel has contributed to the overall corruption of the state of science publishing is redundancy and duplications, which dilute the impact of any one finding because they serve to dilute the literature. I have been thinking in recent times more about Springer, a German publisher, and the link to this topic by Dr. Scheider, which suggests that the education system in Germany also contributes to a level of academic corruption based on a flawed dissertation system.

This then brings me to a topic which I developing, which is the ethics of publishers duplicating work with the purpose of making more profit (of course, their BS PR marketing excuse will be that it serves to expand the readership and exposure), and I started a topic on PubPeer which focuses on SpringerNature (formerly Springer Science + Business Media) because it holds, as far as I can tell, the largest repository of scientific and academic books: https://www.pubpeer.com/topics/1/5F9817C7E4B678D448448B6DACF278

For example, just today I found something quite extraordinary as I was searching for something totally unrelated: Lehrbuch der Pharmakologie im Rahmen einer allgemeinen Krankheitslehre pp 1-161 (1951) Pharmakologie der Grundeigenschaften des menschlichen Körpers Fritz Eichholtz http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-25427-1_1

Lehrbuch der Pharmakologie pp 1-150 (1944) Pharmakologie der Grundeigenschaften des menschlichen Körpers Fritz Eichholtz http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-36488-8_1

Lehrbuch der Pharmakologie im Rahmen einer allgemeinen Krankheitslehre pp 1-150 (1948) Pharmakologie der Grundeigenschaften des menschlichen Körpers Fritz Eichholtz http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-41629-7_1 http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-36490-1_1

The same author, enter: “Pharmakologie der allgemeinen Gewebsreaktionen” into SpringerLink.

So, what is surprising to see in this is the centrality of Germany in this.

I would really like to hear other scientists’ and science activists’ comments on this.

Pingback: Hannover Medical School MHH: where doctor careers matter more than patient lives? – For Better Science

In the Czech Republic, we have nearly the same zoo, but..: * bachleor degree is simple: usually Bc, in some areas of fine art BcA * master degree is more complicated: Ing. (engineering, economy), Mgr. (science, arts, law, education,..), MUDr. (general medicine), MDDr. (dentistry) and MVDr. (veterinary medicine). * doctoral degree: PhD (common), ThD (doctor of divinity, not in new law), CSc (“PhD in ages of communism”)

We share tradition with German-speaking countries, therefore our doctoral degrees should be simillar. And they are. And they are not. Instead, till the 1990’s, out universities (but not technical universities and faculties of medicine and veterinary medicine) gave no degree and the graduate could write the thesis and undergo “rigorosum” (rigorous exam) in area of his/her previous study and got the degree, the “small doctorate”, which was (and is) assumed as master degree with ornament. Despite the degree “Mgr.” was introduced, the possibility of rigorosum remains. Now, we have masters degrees with ornament as follows: * RNDr. – (rerum naturalium doctor – science including math and part of computer science * PhDr. – philosophiae doctor – arts, social sciences and educatinon * PharmDr – pharmaciae doctor * JUDr – juris utriusque doctor – law (literally “doctor of both laws”) * ThDr. – theologiae doctor

Historically, we had also PaedDr. (education), RSDr. (“political sciences”) and deeper in the past also another.

Funny is, that we usually now that rigorosum is only the ornament added to the master degree (and, sometimes, the simplest way to pass necessary advanced exam), but “optical proximity” to doctoral degrees in Germany and Austria and easier way (close to way to “dr.med.”) is attractive for some tragedian from Germany and Austria.

Actually it is very awkward that the person which is too far away from scientific research could easily add Dr title. I know a lot of researchers who are doing serious research in university clinics and other institutions to earn their Phd with hard work. But there are a lot of practisioned doctors who did not do any kind of reseach but still get Phd degree. I consider it not acceptable. You are Facharzt but not Dr med. etc.

In the UK doctors do not receive an MD unless they have conducted research ones leaves medical school with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery but Dr is used as a courtesy title, unless one is a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons at which point one reverts to Mr, Miss, Ms or Mrs.

“[T]he prefix “Dr.” even becomes official part of your name” – no, it doesn’t. This is a widespread urban legend thoroughly debunked many times. There’s absolutely no legal basis for it.

It’s probably due to the fact that “Dr”. is the only title one can request to be shown on the German national ID card and passport. But that’s purely optional because, well, it’s not part of your name.

This whole site is a collection of urban legends. Schneider isn’t German even.

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Doctoral/PhD Studies

Welcome to the homepage of the Ph.D. Office of the Faculty of Biosciences . The faculty, several affiliated institutes, and their research facilities have developed a multifaceted Ph.D. Program, which allows for modern and highly sophisticated training and education of our Ph.D. students. The Program is meant to improve your proficiencies and knowledge in your particular field of study and broaden your scientific horizon beyond the research project you are working on. Participation in a  Ph.D. Program  is required for all Ph.D. students of the Faculty of Biosciences .

The Faculty grants the title Dr. rer. nat. (Doctor of Natural Sciences, equivalent to Ph.D.) or Dr.-Ing. (Doctor of Engineering, equivalent to Ph.D.) to our doctoral candidates.

We invite you to follow the links in the menu on the right to get more information and start today.

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At the Faculty of Sciences PhD students are awarded with the degree “Doktor der Naturwissenschaften” (Dr. rer. nat.).

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Applications (both a hard copy and a digital version consisting of a single PDF file) must be submitted to the Doctoral Office of School VI at least ten days before the meeting.

The Joint Doctoral Degree Regulations of Schools II, V and VI dated 05/09/2014 with the amendments dated 29/08/2019 , the editorial amendments dated 21/08/2019 and the amendments dated 01/08/2022 apply to doctorates in Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. nat.), Philosophy (Ph.D.), Humanities (Dr. Phil.) and Engineering (Dr.-Ing.). The unofficial reading version of the Joint Doctoral Degree Regulations of Schools II, V and VI is available here.

Supervision, the Supervision Committee and the Supervision Agreement

Section 11, paragraph 1 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations stipulates which individuals may act as supervisors. Generally speaking, the supervisor submits the first expert opinion on the thesis and is thus also a member of the Examination Committee, which conducts the thesis defence.

A Doctorate Committee may also be appointed, for which the doctoral candidate may nominate people to be members. The appointment of a Doctorate Committee is mandatory if the doctorate is completed as part of a doctoral programme or doctoral degree programme at the OLTECH Graduate School. This committee comprises the first supervisor and up to four other individuals.

The relationship between the doctoral candidate and their supervisor and, if applicable, the Doctorate Committee is laid down in a Supervision Agreement ( Betreungsvereinbarung / Supervision Agreement ) More information on supervision can be found in Section 6 paragraph 4 and Section 11 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations.

If you have any questions, problems or difficulties regarding the doctorate, you can always contact the Doctorate Committee or the School’s ombudsperson . It goes without saying that all enquiries will be treated confidentially.

Acceptance as a doctoral candidate, admission to the doctorate and enrolment

The admission requirements for doctorates are laid down in Section 8 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations.

Applications for admission to a doctorate and thus for acceptance as a doctoral candidate must be submitted to the Chair of the Doctorate Committee in writing. The relevant documents must be submitted to the Doctoral Office at least 12 days before the Doctorate Committee meeting. In accordance with Section 9 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations, the application must include the following documents:

• Gesuch auf Zulassung /Application form for admission as a doctoral candidate
• Your academic CV
• The doctoral topic (working title) with a short description of the project, agreed with the prospective supervisor
• Your nomination for a member of the Doctorate Committee, if appointed (Section 11, paragraph 2)
• Proof of the degree entitling you to pursue doctoral studies
• A declaration of any previous unsuccessful doctorate attempts, including details of the date of the initial application, the university and the school or department to which the thesis was submitted, and the subject of the thesis
• If applicable, an application for a joint doctoral procedure
• In the case of a joint degree, a copy of the Agreement on the Joint Supervision of a Doctorate (if necessary, this can also be submitted later on)
• A declaration that you are aware of the regulations on good academic practice at the University of Oldenburg and that you will adhere to those regulations
• A declaration that no commercial mediation or advisory services (doctoral consulting) were used in connection with the doctoral project
• A list of the papers that you have already published
• Supervision Agreement

If you have been admitted subject to conditions, please use the following form to prove that you have fulfilled those conditions:

• Bescheinigung Module /Requirement doctoral committee

Once you have been admitted, you should register as a doctoral candidate as soon as possible. More information can be found on the Admissions Office homepage.

Graduate school: Supporting events and workshops

For the latest information on the Graduate School of Science, Medicine and Technology, the doctoral degree programmes and the structured doctoral programmes offered by School IV, please visit our website:   www.oltech.org.

Writing the doctoral thesis

The doctoral thesis can be written in either German or English. The University of Oldenburg’s Guidelines for good academic practice apply when writing the doctoral thesis.

The doctoral thesis can be written as a monograph or as a series of publications. Further details are specified in Section 10 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations.

Guidelines on the structure and content of the doctoral thesis are available here:

- Guidelines for the written Dissertation

When submitting the thesis, it must have a corresponding title page (Mustertitelblatt Dissertation bei Einleitung /Template for thesis title page for initiating the doctoral procedure) as well as a declaration of originality (see Guidelines for good academic practice above).

Submitting the doctoral thesis and applying to initiate the doctoral procedure

In general, you can submit your doctoral thesis and your application to initiate the doctoral procedure at the earliest one year after admission and at the latest five years after admission. Upon request, the Doctorate Committee may shorten or extend these deadlines by an appropriate period of time. If the application to initiate the doctoral procedure is not submitted on time, the admission is deemed to have been withdrawn (for further details, please see Section 12, paragraph 1 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations).

Applications to initiate the doctoral procedure must be submitted to the Chair of the Doctorate Committee in writing. The relevant documents must be submitted to the Doctoral Office at least 12 days before the Doctorate Committee meeting.

In accordance with Section 12 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations, the application must include the following documents:

• Antrag auf Einleitung eines Promotionsverfahrens / Initiating the doctoral procedure
• At least one copy (print-ready) of the doctoral thesis for each member of the Examination Committee and one copy for the records of the relevant Doctorate Committee
• that you wrote the thesis independently and that the tools you used are specified in full
• regarding whether the thesis has already been published in part or in full. In this case, a list of publications must be included.
• that the thesis has not been submitted, either in whole or in part, either now or in the past, to another university for assessment as part of a doctoral procedure
• stating the doctoral title being sought
• regarding whether the desired title should be listed on the doctoral certificate in the female form (Doktorin) or in the masculine form (Doktor), if applicable
• that you have adhered to the regulations on good academic practice at the University of Oldenburg
• on the proof of enrolment as a doctoral candidate in accordance with Section 9, paragraph 5
• that no commercial mediation or advisory services (doctoral consulting) were used in connection with the doctoral project
• Your nominations for other assessors

Initiating the doctoral procedure, assessing the doctoral thesis and the display period

The Doctorate Committee initiates the doctoral procedure by appointing individuals to assess the thesis. The supervisor is usually the first assessor. The Doctorate Committee also appoints between one and three additional assessors who are specialists in different subject areas and together cover the scope of the thesis. As part of the application to initiate the doctoral procedure, you may nominate people to be assessors. If the doctoral thesis is based on a series of publications, at least one of the assessment reports must be submitted by someone who, in accordance with the rules of the German Research Foundation, is impartial towards the doctoral candidate. More information on assessors is provided in Section 7 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations. In the case of a joint degree, the appointment of the assessors is subject to additional regulations.

Thesis defence

The thesis defence takes place following the display period, once the thesis has been accepted. The Doctorate Committee appoints an Examination Committee to conduct the defence. More information on the composition of the Examination Committee can be found in Section 6 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations. In the case of a joint degree, the composition of the Examination Committee is subject to additional regulations.

The Doctoral Office will inform you in good time regarding the composition of the Examination Committee. You are responsible for organising your thesis defence (i.e., scheduling a date and time in consultation with the examiners and reserving a room). Once the date/time and location have been decided, the Doctoral Office must be informed. If you start planning your defence while your thesis is still being assessed, make sure that you do not schedule your defence to take place too soon after the expected end of the display period. This is because, in some cases, the expert opinions are not submitted on time, which can lead to delays; the defence may then have to be rescheduled.

Publication of the doctoral thesis and issuing of the certificate

Within one year of passing the defence you must make your doctoral thesis available to the academic community in an appropriate manner. Theses are published via the University of Oldenburg’s library and information system . For more information on publication, see Section 16 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations. A title page in accordance with the following template must be used for the printed version:

• Mustertitelblatt Dissertation bei Veröffentlichung/Title page template for publication

The doctorate concludes with the issuing of the doctoral certificate, which entitles you to use the title of Doctor.

Frequently asked questions

A list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the doctoral procedures for the titles Doctor of Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. nat.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of Humanities (Dr. phil.) and Doctor of Engineering (Dr.-Ing.) can be found here . If you have any questions regarding registration or the procedure, etc., please contact the Doctoral Office at School VI.

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• Accessibility

Anke Ehlers

Contact information

Email [email protected]

Telephone 01865 281607

PA Jade Womersley [email protected]

Research groups

• Anxiety and Trauma (OxCADAT)

Dipl-Psych PhD Dr rer nat habil CPsychol

Professor of Experimental Psychopathology

• Co-Director, Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma

Anxiety disorders and post traumatic stress disorder

Research Summary

My research mainly focuses on anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). My group uses experimental paradigms and prospective longitudinal studies to identify psychological factors that help explain the development and maintenance of these disabling conditions. The results of these studies help us develop new psychological treatments that target these factors. The treatments are evaluated in randomised trials and cohort studies.

The cognitive therapy programme for PTSD developed by our group has been shown to be highly acceptable to patients and very effective. It is recommended as a first line treatment for PTSD by NICE and international guidelines. It has been successfully disseminated into the National Health Service.

My contributions to the field have recently been recognised by several awards, including the Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Clinical Psychology Award, American Psychological Association (2014); the Wilhelm Wundt- William James Award; European Federation of Psychology Associations and the American Psychological Foundation; and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) Lifetime Achievement Award (2022). 

Current research projects investigate whether cognitive therapy for PTSD can be delivered more efficiently, what the psychological mechanisms of treatment are, and the treatment of complex PTSD. Experimental studies investigate mechanisms of intrusive memories after trauma.

I am a Supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College. I am a Fellow of the British Academy, The Academy of Medical Sciences, the Association for Psychological Science, and an elected Member of German National Academy of Scientists Leopoldina and the Academia Europaea.

Recent publications

Journal article

Penington E. et al, (2024), Lancet Psychiatry

Bisson JI. et al, (2023), Health technology assessment (Winchester, England), 27, 1 - 141

Wiedemann M. et al, (2023), Behav Res Ther, 169

Cernis E. et al, (2023), Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy

Kerr A. et al, (2023), The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist

• CHE University Ranking
• DAAD database on admission requirements
• Help and Advice

International Programmes 2023/2024

PhD Programme Auditory Sciences PhD Programme Auditory Sciences

Hannover medical school • hannover.

• Course details
• Costs / Funding
• Requirements / Registration

Leibniz University Hannover and Carl-von-Ossietzky-Universität Oldenburg

All seminars and courses are held in English. German language courses are offered.

You can start your PhD preferably in winter semester (1 October) or summer semester (1 April).

You can apply any time.

Auditory Sciences: Physics and Engineering, Physiology and Therapy of Hearing

“Auditory Sciences” is a structured PhD programme that is integrated in the “Joint Research Academy in Biomedical Engineering and Science of Hearing and Sensory Systems” (JRA) of the cluster of excellence “Hearing4all”. As the JRA especially aims to promote the young scientist of the cluster, respective support programmes (e.g., career development by further scientific education, strengthening personal competences as well as networking with international peers) are organised and coordinated.

Since October 2013, courses within the PhD programme in Auditory Sciences have been offered by all participating universities (i.e., Hannover Medical School, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg) providing fundamental training and lectures for students with diverse qualification in the interdisciplinary field of hearing research. Involved disciplines include otorhinolaryngology, medical physics, chemistry, biology and physiology, biotechnology, and bionic and neuroprosthetics as well as integrative and cognitive neuroscience. Additionally, a strong cooperation with technical disciplines like bioengineering and medical technology is provided. Joint obligatory courses and an annual summer school organised by the students support the interdisciplinary idea, facilitate networking, and provide the opportunity for professional and interdisciplinary exchange between the students from all locations. Alumni of this programme have excellent career options in (biomedical) industry, clinics or the scientific field.

Structure of PhD programme

During the three-year period, students are required to take part in obligatory courses (145 hours) and elective courses including soft skill courses (155 hours). They have to pass their intermediate exams after 18 months. The programme ends with the submission of a PhD thesis and a final exam.

• International guest lecturers
• Specialist literature in other languages
• Language training provided
• Study trips
• Projects with partners in Germany and abroad

No internships are required, but practical courses and industry excursions are possible.

• DFG (e.g. Research Training Groups)

About 350 EUR per semester

About 1,000 EUR

Every student receives a stipend or salary of approx. 1,700 EUR.

Master's degree, German "Diplom" or Dr med

Excellent English language skills are required, preferably proven by results from the TOEFL or other tests.

Application per e-mail to: [email protected]

• Accompanying programme

Hannover Medical School

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Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie, Pharmazie

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• Promotionsinteressierte

Dr. rer. nat. oder Ph.D.?

Auf Basis der Promotionsordnung verleiht der Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie, Pharmazie bei Individualpromotionen den akademischen Titel „Dr. rer. nat.“ (gemäß PromO § 1 (1)). Der Titel „Ph.D.“ wird nur auf Wunsch an Promovierende verliehen, die erfolgreich ein strukturiertes Promotionsprogramm absolviert haben (gemäß PromO § 1 (2)).

Für die Verleihung des Titels "Ph.D." anerkannte Promotionsprogramme am Fachbereich Biologie, Chemie, Pharmazie sind u.a. folgende:

• Doctoral Program Natural Sciences (DPNS)
• Graduate Program Biodiversity, Evolution & Ecology
• Graduate School Plant Sciences
• Biomedical Sciences
• International Max Planck Research School for Biology AND Computation (IMPRS-BAC)
• Berlin-Brandenburg School for Regenerative Therapies (BSRT)
• Berlin School of Integrative Oncology (BSIO)

Eine vollständige Auflistung finden Sie hier .

Promovierende, die erfolgreich ein strukturiertes Promotionsprogramm abgeschlossen haben, können sich einmalig bei der Dissertationseinreichung entscheiden, welchen Titel sie verliehen bekommen möchten; eine nachträgliche Änderung ist nicht möglich. Wir empfehlen jedoch, die Entscheidung, welchen Titel Sie anstreben, möglichst zu Beginn der Promotion zu treffen.

Für eine Beratung können Sie sich gern an die Koordinatorinnen des Graduiertenzentrums wenden: [email protected]

Der immer wieder in Arbeitsgruppen gern verwendete Begriff „Ph.D. student“ ist zwar international jedem geläufig, lässt aber auch vermuten, dass Sie am Ende des Verfahrens den Titel „Ph.D.“ erhalten. Als „Promotionsstudent*in“ oder „doctoral student“ wird Ihnen jedoch nach erfolgreichem Abschluss des Promotionsverfahrens der Titel „Dr. rer. nat.“ verliehen und Sie dürfen den Titel ausschließlich in der Ihnen verliehenen Form führen. Bei dem Begriff „Ph.D.“ handelt es sich nicht um eine mögliche Übersetzung, sondern um einen anderen Titel; auch in der englischsprachigen Version der Urkunde bleibt es beim Titel „Dr. rer. nat.“.

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• PhD (Dr. rer. nat.)

PhD (Dr. rer. nat)

The working groups of the LIMES Institute are members of several collaborative research centers and the ImmunoSensation Cluster of Excellence and are therefore strongly supported by third parties. Therefore, Ph.D. positions are continuously offered at the LIMES Institute. These positions are usually filled by the students trained at LIMES.

In addition, the Master's degree programs are closely linked to the DZNE (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases) and the Caesar (Center of Advanced European Studies and Research). These institutes also offer places for lab rotations and master theses and many graduated master students conduct their doctoral thesis there.

Ph.D. candidates have the opportunity to gain their biomedical research training in a multidisciplinary, highly collaborative, resource-rich environment. Students are awarded their doctoral degree from the Faculty of Mathematics & Natural Sciences at the University of Bonn. Candidates graduate with a "Dr. rer. nat." (Doctorate in Natural Sciences) degree - the German equivalent of a Ph.D.

The current Ph.D. track is typically 3-4 years. Candidates must hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent), and ideally bring their own funding. Students drive an independent research project guided by their PhD supervisor and examination is based on a thesis and final dissertation. Applications and selections are managed at the institute level and applications should be made directly to the lab heads of the relevant research unit. There are no application calls or deadlines.