PROCEDURE OF THE DOCTORAL PROCESS

1. Acceptance as a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Science

Application for acceptance as doctoral candidate:

In order to be accepted as a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Science, you will first have to find two supervisors suitable for your doctoral project - at least one of these supervisors must be a member of the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Science.

As soon as you have found your two supervisors, you can apply in writing for acceptance as a doctoral candidate at our faculty. The application-forms for acceptance as a doctoral candidate can be found here. The doctoral committee of our faculty will review your application and decide on your acceptance as a doctoral candidate. When compiling your documents, please note:

• All required certificates must be submitted in their original form (or as certified copies) AND additionally as regular carbon copies.
• You must submit certificates and supporting documents for any language requirements of your doctoral subject in their original form (or as a certified copy) AND additionally as regular carbon copies. For detailed information on language requirements of the individual doctoral subjects, please refer to the doctoral regulations.
• It is necessary that you submit all documents to the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Science at least 14 days before the respective meeting date, so that your application for acceptance as a doctoral candidate can be processed in the committee meetings.

Enrolment at the Ruhr-Universität and the RUB Research-School

As soon as you have been accepted as a doctoral candidate by the doctoral committee at the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Science, you will receive a written confirmation and a certificate from the Dean's Office to present at enrolment.

IMPORTANT: Enrolment at the Ruhr-Universität and at the RUB Research School is required by the Higher Education Act of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the enrolment regulations of the Ruhr-Universität and the doctoral regulations of the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Science Enrolment/matriculation must be carried out by yourself independently.

2. Course of the doctoral procedure 
Opening of the doctoral procedure:

• After completing your dissertation, you will have to apply for the opening of the doctoral procedure to the doctoral committee of the Faculty of Philosophy and Educational Science. The forms for the application for the opening of the doctoral examination procedure are to be found here. You will submit the application, together with your dissertation for the disputation, to the Dean's Office of the Faculty. The doctoral committee of our faculty will examine your application and decide on the opening of the doctoral procedure. After your application is accepted, your dissertation will be sent to your reviewers. As soon as the Dean's Office has received both reviews, the four-week display-period begins, during which all members of the faculty with a doctorate have the right to comment on your dissertation and the reviews.

Oral exam (disputation):

• After you receive the expert opinions on the acceptance of your dissertation, a date for the oral examination will be set after consultation with you. You can coordinate possible dates for the oral examination with all examiners at an early stage already and announce your proposed dates (at least two) to the Dean's Office; these dates will be considered as far as possible. As a rule, the oral examination will take place immediately after the end of the display-period, and still during the lecture-period of the respective semester.
• The oral examination takes the form of a colloquium on two scientific theses. The first thesis is to relate to the topic of your dissertation. The second thesis should place your dissertation-topic in the broader context of the subject. The theses must be submitted to the chairperson of the examination committee (via the Dean's Office) at least 14 days before the date of the oral examination.
• Immediately after the oral examination, the doctoral committee will determine the grade for the examination as well as the grade for the dissertation, and the overall grade of your doctorate. You will be notified of the grades immediately afterwards.
• The Dean's Office of the Faculty will then provide you - if you wish - with a provisional certificate of the result of the doctorate. This certificate does NOT entitle you to use the doctoral degree.

Publication of the dissertation:

• You are obliged to publish your dissertation within two years from the conclusion of your doctoral procedure (i.e., within two years from the date of the oral examination). To this end, you will revise your dissertation in accordance with any required amendments, as formulated by your reviewers. Next, you will submit the revised manuscript of your dissertation to at least one of the two reviewers for permission to publish; please submit their signed form to the Dean's Office of the Faculty. After publication, you will also have to submit the required deposit-copies of your dissertation to the Dean's Office of the Faculty. You will then receive the doctoral certificate. The receipt of the doctoral certificate entitles you to use the doctoral degree. Congratulations!

Inspection:

• After completion of the procedure, you may inspect your doctoral files including the reviewers’ opinions on your dissertation in the Dean's Office.