Your doctorate involves administrative steps and a qualification program.
To help you stay on track, read what you need to do and when.




Start of the doctorate

• Funding

• Application, Supervisor, Mentor & Exposé

• Admission (Requirements of §§ 3, 4, 5 of the doctoral regulations)

• Guest doctorate

• Info event "Starting your doctorate"

• Ethics vote

• Doctoral Degree and Type of the Dissertation


During the doctorate


The following elements of the GC-ED qualification programme are mandatory:

Participation in the TUM-GS kick-off seminar is mandatory. Take part in the Kick-Off seminar within the first 6 months! Read the Registration and Booking Information in the wiki of TUM-GS!

The seminar "Good Scientific Practice" is mandatory for doctoral candidates who are doing the doctorate after the new regulations for the Award of Doctoral Degrees or who changes into these. It is recommended for all other doctoral candidates of the School. Take part in the GWP seminar within the first 6 months! Dates and registration via DocGS. Further info about the seminar.


Subject-specific courses of at least six semester hours (equivalent to 63 hours) are compulsory. The GWP seminar does not count here! 

The TUM-GS and the ED offer all doctoral students numerous interdisciplinary qualification measures. Particiation is optional. 


No later than 24 months, a feedback discussion has to be arranged. Get more information here.

You must discuss your doctoral project within the international professional community. More GC-ED's info here.

All doctoral students at TUM can use Grammarly.


That's what you need to know! 

This plagiarism check software can be used by all TUM members.

Internal doctoral candidates are automatically integrated into the academic environment of TUM.
For external doctoral candidates, involvement in the academic environment of TUM typically occurs over a period corresponding to a minimum of 20% of the membership duration (4-5 months). As proof, a self-report must be uploaded to DocGS (see Downloads & Links).

The minimum membership term in TUM-GS is two years.

Doctoral candidates and supervisors must confirm the supervisory relationship in DocGS every year from July.

TUM-GS supports international research stays abroad or active involvement in international conferences. For more GC-ED's information, click here.

Doctoral candidates employed by an external company, research institution, or other relevant organization may apply for the TUM-GS Internationalization Grant. For more GC-ED's information, click here.

Teaching participation is voluntary within the qualification programme. For documentation, please use the form "Teaching Performance" (see Downloads & Links).

A scientific lecture is voluntary within the qualification programme.

Starting from October 1st, 2021, a new version of the Regulations for the Award of Doctoral Degrees, as well as a new version of the TUM Graduate School Statutory Regulations will be effective. If you would like to switch to the new doctoral regulations, find out more here.




End of the doctorate


Neither the GC-ED nor the School of Engineering and Design offers a format template for the dissertation. Please ask your professorship. Templates for the TUM Corporate Design are here.

As soon as you can estimate the completion date of your doctorate, you should check the entries in DocGS. Note that you can only submit your dissertation via DocGS once you have fulfilled the qualification programme and after the GC-ED has accepted it.

Is your doctoral supervising institution the TUM School of Engineering and Design? Then visit our info event via Zoom! Click here for more information.

Start the submission process early and follow the deadlines set by ED!

That's what you need to know!

That's what you need to know!

Contact your supervisor about the examination board before submitting your thesis. You can already list it on the title page of the submitted version.

Do not change the title page! It is regulated in the Doctoral Regulations. The TUM-GS provides it here (see point 3).

Once your documents have been submitted to DocGS and reviewed by us, we kindly request that you verify the information in the preliminary Transcript of Records. Please read this mail from the GC-ED carefully!

The School Council Engineering and Design appoints the examination board.

The examiners assess the dissertation through independent expert reports. This should be completed within a suitable timeframe (typically within three months). 

If the dissertation is assessed as "Passed" by all reviewers, the dissertation, along with the reports, is made available to a circulation committee in digital form for comment. Generally, the circulation period lasts 14 days. During the Christmas and summer periods, it is automatically extended to 28 days. A shortened circulation period is possible upon written application by the supervisor to the GC-ED.

You should not schedule the oral examination until the dissertation has been accepted with the "Umlauf". The GC-ED must send out the invitation at least one week prior to the oral examination.

According to PromO §16 the members of the examination committee indicate the changes to be made (if applicable). These requirements must be completed by the doctoral candidate within the specified time limit (a maximum of three months).

The dissertation must be published within one year after the oral examination. (cf. § 21 Doctoral Regulations TUM). Information on publishing the dissertation electronically.

For information on the handing out of the doctoral certificate at the TUM School of Engineering and Design, please click here.

§16 (3) TUM Promotionsordnung/Doctoral Regulations:
Doctoral candidates may have access to the examination documents in TUM's doctoral office (Promotionsamt) within one year after completing their doctoral examination. Make an appointment with the Center for Study and Teaching - Graduation Office and Academic Records, Office of Doctoral Affairs.(Contact at point 6)

Special doctorates with outstanding scientific expertise and/or social significance receive an award. More info here.

Have you successfully completed your doctorate and would like to acquire an embossed certificate? Order your embossed certificate via schmuckurkunde@gs.tum.de !