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Doctorates

Current Information

The defense can be broadcast to an interested audience via video conference (via WebEx, MLUconf, etc.).

The head of the examination committee is responsible for carrying out the defense of the doctorate.

Doctoral regulations

• Promotionsordnung der Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultäten I - III der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg vom 13.7.2016
• Doctoral regulations July 13, 2016 (English translation of legally binding German version of the doctoral regulations)

Application for acceptance as a doctoral candidate

Form

Registration as a doctoral student is a condition for admission to the doctorate and must be completed at least one year prior to the opening of a doctoral procedure. The application is only possible electronically. Please use the link below:

• Application for acceptance as a doctoral candidate

Required documents

Please submit the following documents to the Dean's Office / Department Academic Issues:

• the printed and completed form "Application for acceptance as a doctoral candidate"
• CV
• Copies of all final degree certificates (notarised copies or copies and submission of the originals)

Additional for foreign doctoral students:

• notice of equivalence from the "Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen" (ZAB) (Document of equivalence of foreign educational certificates for master's degrees)

Application for admission to the doctoral examination procedure

Form

Registration for the opening of a doctoral procedure is only possible online. To do this, you must enter your e-mail address, which has already been stored in the system (when registering as a doctoral student). You will then receive a mail with the information on the application for admission. Please use the link below:

• Application for admission to the doctoral examination procedure

Required informations

Please submit the following documents to the Dean's Office /  Department Academic Issues:

• the printed and completed form "Application for admission to the doctoral examination procedure"
• informal letter (addressed to the chairperson of the doctoral committee of the faculty) indicating that the procedure to confer a doctoral degree has been initiated. This should include information pertaining to the subject-matter of the dissertation and the doctoral degree being pursued.  The application should also provide information regarding from which Institute the dissertation originates as well as the scientific focus of the research carried out by the graduate student
• four (4) bound copies of the thesis (normally a maximum of 100 pages DIN-A4) must be submitted. Each copy must include a title page, details of the person submitting the thesis (brief CV) along with a signed statement about their educational background. Furthermore, a written declaration, in which the person submitting the dissertation confirms that she/he wrote the thesis single-handedly without external help and that the texts or references used in the writing of the thesis are appropriately cited and recognized (affidavit), is obligatory
  
• one (1) digital copy (in the form of a pdf file) of the thesis according to § 5 of the doctoral regulations
  
• a signed brief curriculum vitae indicating the details of education undertaken by the applicant for the doctoral file
  
• a list of publications in accordance with § 5 of the doctoral regulations for the doctoral file
  
• three (3) suggested reviewers for the dissertation (please provide their full address, e-mail address and telephone number)
  
• in the case of a cumulative dissertation, the status of the publication and the percentage of one's own contribution to the work must be presented informally (with the signature of a co-author who may not be a reviewer at the same time) in accordance with § 7 (5) of the doctoral regulations
  
• in the case of receipt of sponsorship according to the regulations governing graduate scholarships from 27.05.1992 (GVBI. LSA S. 382) written documentation should be provided
  
• after the defense (as a prerequisite for the delivery of the doctoral certificate) submission of a deposit copy and an electronic version to the university library (see notes on publication below)
  

Important notes

To carry out doctoral procedures as per the doctoral regulations approved by the Senate on June 13, 2012 (updated version dated July 13, 2016), the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Natural Sciences I – Biosciences, in its meetings on July 18, 2012, February 14, 2013, November 19, 2014, February 6, 2019, October 21, 2020, and November 29, 2023, approved the following implementation modalities:

1. Original Contribution pursuant      to §7 (3) of the Doctoral Regulations
   An original contribution is considered to exist if the dissertation is      written in the form of a monograph. A monograph typically includes the      following sections:
   (i) Introduction
   (ii) Materials and Methods
   (iii) Results
   (iv) Discussion
   (v) Summary
   (vi) References

Exceptions may be granted by the Doctoral Committee if:
a) The supervisor provides written confirmation that collaborative work is justified by the research topic, and
b) The monograph explicitly identifies any collaboration with other scientists (naming the individuals and detailing their contributions) where applicable.

(Note: An original contribution/monograph should not consist of a collection of publications or drafts of publications.)

1. Amendment to the Faculty Council Decision of October 21, 2020
   The criteria for cumulative dissertations have been revised as follows:
   Cumulative dissertations pursuant to §7 (5) of the Doctoral Regulations should generally consist of three or more publications, including:

Two original publications that designate the doctoral candidate as the first author, and

At least one additional publication where the candidate's contribution amounts to at least 30%, and which must be ready for submission.

The following template must be used to declare the authors' contributions. The declaration must be signed by both the applicant and the supervisor.

These decisions will come into effect on January 1, 2024.

Template for Declaring Author Contributions for Dissertations
Vorlage-Deklaration_Anteile_Promotion.docx (16.5 KB)  vom 01.12.2023

Number of Reviews Required in the Doctoral Process

The number of reviews required under §9 of the Doctoral Regulations of the Faculty of Natural Sciences I of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg has been set at three (3) by the Faculty Council.

Publication of Dissertations – Personal Information

Upon request by the doctoral candidate to the Doctoral Committee, the inclusion of the date of birth, place of birth, personal details, and academic background in the dissertation may be omitted.

Publication of Dissertations with Conditions

The Doctoral Commission evaluates whether the reviewers propose conditions for the publication of the dissertation. If such conditions are proposed, the Doctoral Commission will submit a recommendation to the Doctoral Committee regarding the scope and implementation of these conditions. The recommendation will be documented in the doctoral records.

If the conditions are proposed by an internal reviewer, the Doctoral Committee will assign this individual to verify compliance. If the conditions are proposed by an external reviewer, the chairperson of the Doctoral Commission will be assigned to verify compliance.

The Faculty Council recommends using a corrigendum for this purpose.

Publication notes

At the end of the doctoral procedure, the applicant must publish the dissertation in accordance with § 14 of the doctoral regulations.

You could find all information on electronic publication at the University and State Library (ULB) at:

https://bibliothek.uni-halle.de/forschen-publizieren/publizieren/hochschulschriften/

The personal submission takes place after prior appointment with the dissertation office. You can bring the files with you on a USB stick or send them as an e-mail attachment.

Alternatively, the submission can be made by mail (files as an e-mail attachment, printed version and original contract by mail).

When all documents have been received correctly and completely at the dissertation office, the dean's office receives a certificate and only then can the doctoral certificate be issued.

Contact Dean's Office/Department Academic Issues

Dates of current doctoral defenses

You can find an overview of the dates of current doctoral defenses in the faculty's calendar.

International Graduate Academy InGrA

• Website International Graduate Academy InGrA

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