Before the Doctorate

Admission Requirements for a Doctorate at the Doctoral School NRW

Legal Requirements

To be admitted to a doctorate at the Doctoral School NRW, you must meet the legal requirements set out in § 67, paragraph 4 of the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia (HG NRW). Accordingly, access to doctoral studies is granted to those who hold a master’s degree or an equivalent qualification (e.g., Magister or Diplom).

Framework Doctoral Degree Regulations and Doctoral Degree Regulations of the Department

Additional admission requirements are specified in the Framework Doctoral Degree Regulations (RPO) of the Doctoral School NRW and in the Doctoral Degree Regulations of the department (APO) in which the doctoral project will be conducted. These regulations also provide further information on the doctoral process.

Please familiarize yourself with the regulations applicable to you as early as possible. If you have any questions or encounter difficulties, feel free to contact us.

Please note that processing times may be longer for students with foreign degrees.

Finding a Supervisory Team and Obtaining Confirmations of Supervision

In a doctorate within one of our doctoral programs, doctoral students are supervised by a team of three professors. This team consists of two academic supervisors and an additional supervisor or mentor. The first academic supervisor is usually your primary supervisor.

Searching for a Supervisor

Choosing a suitable supervisor is an important step on the way to a successful doctorate. Therefore, it should be carefully considered and well prepared. We have compiled a few tips to help you with your search.

If you do not yet personally know anyone at the Doctoral School NRW who could potentially serve as your first academic supervisor (primary supervisor), you should begin your search on the websites of our departments. Under “Meet our Researchers,” you will find a list of all professorial members and associated professors of each department, including their research focus areas. Please note: Only professorial members of the Doctoral School NRW are eligible to serve as your primary supervisor.

Contacting a Potential Supervisor

For the first contact with a potential primary supervisor, it is recommended to send a well-prepared email to the professor. Request a meeting, briefly introduce yourself, and outline your doctoral project. If possible, attach an exposé of your proposed research.

Supervision Team

Once you have identified a primary academic supervisor, discuss with them the selection of the second academic supervisor and the third member of your supervisory team. When forming your team, consider the requirements set out in the current Framework Doctoral Degree Regulations (RPO) and Departmental Doctoral Regulations (APO). Together with your supervisory team, complete the confirmations of supervision. Templates for these confirmations are provided by the Doctoral School NRW.

Enrollment as a Doctoral Student at the UAS and the Doctoral School NRW

To pursue a doctorate within a doctoral program of the Doctoral School NRW, enrollment at both a University of Applied Sciences (UAS) of the Doctoral School NRW and at the Doctoral School NRW itself is mandatory. Enrollment at the UAS is completed first, followed by enrollment at the Doctoral School NRW.

Enrollment at the UAS 

As a rule, you enroll at the UAS to which your primary academic supervisor belongs. For enrollment, you must provide the confirmation of supervision that has been approved by the Doctoral School NRW. If you meet the legal requirements for a doctorate, you will be officially registered at the UAS and pay the semester fee. Enrollment at the UAS is provisional until enrollment and admission at the Doctoral School NRW have been completed.

Enrollment is possible for both the winter and summer semesters. For more information on enrollment procedures and the required documents, please contact the relevant offices at the respective UAS.

Enrollment at the Doctoral School NRW

Within four weeks of enrolling at the UAS, you must submit an application for enrollment at the Doctoral School NRW via our Doctoral School Information and Management System (KISS). For this application, you will need:

• the confirmation of supervision of a professorial member,
• the enrollment certificate from the UAS where you are registered as a doctoral student,
• proof of higher education entrance qualification,
• proof of a degree qualifying you for doctoral studies, and
• a scanned copy of a government-issued photo ID.

Enrollment is possible for both the winter and summer semesters. Enrollment at the Doctoral School NRW will be recorded for the same semester in which you were registered at the HAW. No fees are required for enrollment at the Doctoral School NRW.

After enrollment

After successful enrollment, please remember that as a doctoral student of the Doctoral School NRW, you are required to re-register for each upcoming semester for the duration of your doctorate. Re-registration must be completed both at the UAS and at the Doctoral School NRW. Information on re-registration deadlines at the Doctoral School NRW can be found under Dates and Deadlines.

Admission as a Doctoral Student at the Doctoral School NRW

Application

At the same time as submitting your enrollment application at the Doctoral School NRW, or no later than three months after successful enrollment, submit an application for admission as a doctoral student via KISS. For the application, you will need:

• a supervisory team of three members along with their confirmations of supervision,
• a (short) exposé of your research project,
• a curriculum vitae,
• proof of higher education entrance qualification,
• proof of a degree qualifying you for doctoral studies, and
• if applicable, additional department-specific documents (e.g., language certificates or letters of recommendation, as specified in the respective APO).

Please note: The confirmation of supervision of a primary academic supervisor is mandatory for submitting the application. However, we request proposals for the complete supervisory team, as the application must be rejected if the Doctoral Examining Committee is unable to appoint suitable supervisors within a three-month period.

The Doctoral Examing Committee of the respective department will then review whether your application for admission as a doctoral student is complete and whether you meet the admission requirements. It will decide on the acceptance or rejection of your application. You will receive written notification of the committee’s decision.

KISS (Doctoral School Information and Management System)

The Doctoral School Information and Management System (KISS) is the central digital platform for managing member-related data and doctoral procedures at the Doctoral School NRW. It securely records, stores, and manages both personal and process-related data of all applicants and members of the Doctoral School NRW.

Submitting Applications

As a doctoral student, you submit all doctorate-related applications through the system. With your personalized account, you can independently document and manage your academic activities and achievements in KISS. For example, you can record your progress in the doctoral process, access study-related documents (such as transcripts, enrollment certificates, or official notifications), or create and submit doctoral-related applications through the system.

Access and Registration

Find more information about KISS and instructions for use.

Access KISS; in addition to the login area, you will find a link to the registration page under this address.

After registering, you will receive a username. It is usually composed of “first name.last name”. You can reset your password at any time on the login page.