Doctoral Degree Admission Process for German Students

A doctorate is the highest academic degree. A doctorate enables holders to get into careers in research and academia. A doctorate involves production of a dissertation, i.e. an independent research paper. After gaining the doctorate, holders can use title “Dr”.

Entrance/Test Requirements

Entry into doctoral program in Germany, most important prerequisite is English or German language proficiency. At all German universities, English or German is the language of instruction. An applicant has to provide evidence of proficiency in the English or German language.

Other Requirements

Each education provider will have different entrance requirements such as prior knowledge in certain subject, Work history details official academic transcripts, covering letter, letters of recommendation, and research proposal.

•  The covering letter depicts the reasons to apply for this particular program and institute and the experience, qualification and grades you hold.
•  A letter of recommendation is a signed letter written by a person who knows you well professionally and has had a detail encounter with you during your learning process. Letter of recommendation includes your strengths and weaknesses, accomplishments, and personal qualities. A letter of recommendation provides insights that cannot be gleaned by simply reviewing an applicant's score. Atleast two letters of recommendation are required.
• Students pursuing a doctoral degree need to submit the below documents as well.
• Detailed Research Proposal
• Abstracts, Research Publications, etc.
• The resume should include your higher education institutions attended, academic accomplishments, publications if any, and academic and professional qualification details.
• Sample of Written work (if any): 50 pages maximum or less, depending upon the requirement of the university/institution applying – for example a thesis chapter, article, etc.

Eligibility

For admission to a doctoral degree program an applicant normally shall have a master’s degree.

Duration

Depending upon the subject area, doctorates can take between two to five years.

Academic Calendar

Starting dates vary widely depending upon the course undertaken. Applicants opting for doctoral degree or other research degree can negotiate an alternative starting date with their project supervisor.

Admission Procedure

The admission process involves following steps:

• Fill out the application form with the required details such as, personal information, academic information, course opted and other necessary information, either online/offline.
• Submit supporting documents such as attested official transcripts from all high school coursework, test scores of IELTS/TOEFL or German language proficiency test scores, Letters of recommendation, reference/personal statement, and covering letter.
• If the application is successful, the applicant will receive “Acceptance Letter”. On receiving this, you need to pay a percentage of the fees within a specified time period, to confirm your admission and sign and send the same to the university as a sign of confirmation.