We are pleased that you are interested in doctoral studies at the UDE.

Prospective doctoral candidates must identify a supervisor and propose a scientific topic on their own initiative (you can find an overview of the faculties here). If your proposal is accepted, you must first have the equivalence of your degrees checked. To do so, your hosting institute has to send the following documents by e-mail to gleichwertigkeit@uni-due.de: 

• Letter of academic supervision from the faculty supervisor at UDE
• Copy of the bachelor degree certificate and the corresponding transcript, including German or English translation
• Copy of the master degree certificate and the corresponding transcript, including German or English translation.

You can submit your application at any time (except graduate schools).

Please note that you must also register as a student if you are a doctoral candidate. This is determined by the provisions of the Higher Education Act (§ 67, paras. 4 and 5) and the Enrolment Regulations (§ 2 para. 4).

Doctoral candidates who enrol at UDE receive a student ID which can be used as a library card, a canteen & cafeteria card, a copying card and a bus ticket for the shuttle bus between campuses. With the “Semesterticket” they also receive a public transport ticket.

All students have to pay a fee called “semester contribution” (Sozial- und Studierendenschaftsbeitrag) each semester. This contribution is not a tuition fee, but is used to support student bodies and the charge for the semester ticket (local public transport within all of Germany). For more info, see here.

The Graduate Center Plus (GC Plus) is a cross-disciplinary service institution and provides information on all aspects of the doctoral and postdoc phase. Here you will find information on the wide range of support and qualification opportunities for early career researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The GC Plus also offers individual counselling and a varied program of workshops, information and career events for doctoral students and postdocs.

Further information can be found here.

If you are interested in a doctorate at the UDE, you can find information on the doctoral process here.