Doctoral School NRW
The Doctoral School for Applied Research in North Rhine-Westphalia (Doctoral School NRW) is a scientific institution established by 20 universities of applied sciences (UAS) in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was founded in 2020 in response to the higher education policy mandate to strengthen cooperative doctorates and expand them further in collaboration with universities. At the same time, the Doctoral School NRW aims to create the necesarry conditions for doctoral studies at UAS.
Legal Basis
The basis for the work of the Doctoral School NRW is the Higher Education Act of 2019. It provides for a Doctoral School NRW, at which outstanding master’s graduates can carry out their doctoral projects at a University of Applied Sciences.
The Doctoral School NRW was established in 2020 with the signing of the Administrative Agreement. In 2022, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia granted it the right to award doctorates, following a positive recommendation by the German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat). This marked a new foundation for cooperation among Universities of Applied Sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia in the fields of doctoral research and academic collaboration.
Concept
The Doctoral School NRW is a statewide research network of the Universities of Applied Sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia. It offers doctoral candidates and professors an inter- and transdisciplinary research environment with an application-oriented focus across universities.
At the Doctoral School NRW, doctoral candidates pursue their doctorate either through cooperative doctoral projects or within structured doctoral programs. The Doctoral School NRW also fosters cross-university networking between professors and doctoral candidates. In addition, doctoral candidates are equipped to conduct independent scholarly research and prepared for careers within and beyond academia, both nationally and internationally.
