A doctorate can be awarded in FK III after a successful MA degree or a comparable academic degree in all subjects and assigned subject areas. In principle, registration and enrolment are required for this (the detailed and binding description of the requirements can be found in the doctoral degree regulations, see § 5 para. 1 and § 7 of the regulations for the cultural studies subjects and § 5 para. 1 and § 7 of the regulations for the philological subjects). Master's degrees from other universities or universities of applied sciences are examined on a case-by-case basis.

As a rule, the subject area and topic of the dissertation are determined in dialogue with the first supervising university lecturer. In the case of interdisciplinary issues, it is advisable to consider the expertise of the relevant subject areas. This is optionally possible as part of the supervision agreement.

1. written doctoral thesis (dissertation):

The requirements for the design of the dissertation are based on § 8 and § 13 of the respective doctoral degree regulations. There are no binding specifications regarding font size, paragraphs, margins, binding, etc. in the FK III. It is advisable to choose a form that is easy to read and offers opportunities for marginal notes. A title page must be included on the front and back of the thesis according to the template in Appendix 1 (philological subjects) or Appendix 2 (cultural studies subjects) of the respective PromO.

2. oral doctoral performance (thesis defence):

in the cultural studies subjects, at least 90 minutes in total:

• Presentation: 30 minutes
• Questioning by the examination committee: at least 40 minutes
• Discussion (also in public): max. 20 minutes

in philological subjects, a maximum of 2 hours in total:

• Lecture: 30 minutes
• Questioning by the examination committee: at least 60 minutes
• followed by a public discussion at the university if necessary

For enrolment as a doctoral candidate, acceptance or admission by the School's doctorate committee is mandatory. Acceptance is a preliminary stage to admission and requires fewer documents. It enables enrolment in order to obtain doctoral candidate status, but a proposal for admission must still be submitted at a later date. With admission, doctoral candidates are asked to enrol. Deadlines begin to run from the time of admission: On the one hand, there should be a minimum period of one year between admission and submission of the thesis; on the other hand, the dissertation must be submitted within 5 years of admission (Section 9 (1) PromO). In special cases, a deviation from these deadlines may be authorised on proposal.

Even before formal admission to the doctorate, you can receive the status of "accepted doctoral candidate", which allows you to enrol and use the University's infrastructure (Section 5 (1) PromO). To do this, you must submit the "proposal for acceptance" form (see uol.de/fk3/promotion) for the respective subjects (cultural studies or philological subjects) as well as a supervision agreement (Annex 1 of the PromO for cultural studies subjects or Annex 5 of the PromO for philological subjects) and certified copies of the university entrance qualification (usually Abitur certificate) and the university degree entitling you to a doctorate (usually Master's certificate) to the doctorate committee. The exposé of the dissertation does not have to be submitted for acceptance. You will receive written notification of acceptance. It is necessary to submit a proposal for admission at a later date.

The application for admission must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the doctorate committee. The following documents are required:

• "Proposal for admission" form for doctoral studies (see uol.de/fk3/promotion)
• Description of the dissertation project (for cultural studies subjects: 20 to 30-page exposé including bibliography, including research question, methods of investigation, status of scientific discussion); (for philological subjects: a maximum 8-page exposé of the dissertation, which sets out the problem and research question and the theoretical, methodological and empirical foundations, as well as an approximately half-page summary):
• Advisor's statement on the significance of the dissertation project in academic research;
• Notarised copies of certificates (no originals), (teacher training examinations, master's examination, diploma examination, Abitur certificate, etc.);
• Written declaration that the planned dissertation has not been submitted in its entirety or in part to another academic institution;
• Academic curriculum vitae;
• Supervision agreement (see Annex 1 (cultural studies subjects) or Annex 5 (philological subjects) of the doctoral degree regulations).
• If applicable, a proposal for the appointment of a supervisor;
• if applicable, a proposal to carry out a bi-national doctorate or another joint doctoral degree procedure (§ 1 para. 2 PromO), stating the partner university;

• If the dissertation is to be written in a language other than German, an informal proposal must be submitted to the doctorate committee (an abstract and curriculum vitae in German is required).
• Proof of German language skills:
  The German language level required in § 7 para. 4 (cultural studies subjects) or § 7 para. 6 (philological subjects) of the doctoral degree regulations for international applicants without a German school or university degree corresponds to DSH level 2, the equivalent being Telc level C1 or TestDAF4 (adult education centre).
• Bi-national doctoral degree procedures (§ 1 para. 2 PromO): Here, the cooperation partner must be named on admission. In these cases, a relatively complex co-operation agreement must be concluded between the University of Oldenburg and the partner university.
• Cumulative dissertations are possible in the cultural studiessubjects (Section 8 (3) PromO) if they are internally related and meet the requirements of paragraph 1 (Section 8 PromO) in their entirety.
• Joint dissertations (§ 8 para. 5 cultural studies subjects, § 8 para. 4 philological subjects PromO) are possible. The suitability of the topic for a joint thesis is formally determined by the doctorate committee after hearing the applicants. The individual contributions must be assigned to the respective author (this must be listed in detail in the affidavit when the procedure is initiated).
• Which degrees qualify for admission to doctoral studies?
  In philological subjects, you must have a relevant academic degree. As a rule, this is an MA or M.Ed. degree in a suitable field. If you have an M.Ed. for other types of school, you are also entitled to do a doctorate, but on the basis of the aptitude assessment procedure in accordance with Section 7 (3) of the doctoral degree regulations.

Initiation must be applied for within 5 years of admission. An extension of the initiation period is possible on proposal (Section 9 (1) sentence 3 PromO). The reasons and period by which the period is to be extended must be stated in the proposal.

The following documents must be submitted for the application for initiation:

• As a rule, 6 copies of the dissertation (for each member of the examination committee and one copy for the file).
• Current enrolment certificate
• Affidavit that the applicant has written the dissertation independently, that the content has not already been used for a dissertation or similar examination paper (only in the cultural studies subjects) and that the aids used are listed in full
• Proposals for the referees and the other subject representative(s) for the examination committee (only in the cultural studies subjects)
• Evidence of any conditions imposed on admission, if applicable

Once the reviews/opinions have been received, there is a period of public display (Section 10 (3) PromO). After the deadline, the doctorate committee decides on the acceptance of the thesis. Together with the notification of acceptance, the doctoral candidate receives a copy of the expert opinions/special reports for information purposes.

Once the dissertation has been accepted, the thesis defence (§ 11 PromO) is scheduled. This should normally take place within 4 weeks of acceptance in the subjects of cultural studies, in the philological subjects at the earliest two weeks after acceptance and at the latest within four months. The doctoral candidate will receive a written invitation. The thesis defence comprises a public presentation of up to 30 minutes on the objectives, methods and results of the dissertation and a discussion immediately following the presentation. The Chair of the examination committee will inform the doctoral candidate of the result of the thesis defence without delay. After completion of the thesis defence, a written notification of the assessment of the doctoral performance is issued.

The doctorate is completed when the doctorate committee (cultural studies subjects) or the examination committee (philological subjects) determines that the thesis defence has been passed.

The dissertation must be published within one year of the thesis defence (§ 13 PromO). The final print copy must be submitted to the Chair of the doctorate committee. He or she shall issue the printing authorisation after receiving the opinion of the first supervisor. The submitted items must be provided with a title page, the front and back of which must be designed according to the template in Appendix 2 (cultural studies subjects) or Appendix 1 (philological subjects). Depending on the form of publication, different numbers of specimen copies must be submitted (§ 13 paragraph 1).

The most common forms are

If published by a publisher:

Three book copies and a copy of the publishing contract stating the number of copies (min. 100 copies for cultural studies subjects, min. 150 copies for philological subjects).

For electronic publication:

• Electronic version, the format of which must be agreed with Ms Annika Kwast (tel: 798 2237, or Mr Hülskamp, tel: 4895, email : ) of the University Library,
• as well as the provision of 5 printed and permanently bound copies of the dissertation to the University Library of the University of Oldenburg free of charge,
• as well as short summaries in German and English, authorised by the supervisor
• as well as a declaration that the printed and electronic versions are identical in terms of content and form.

The publication deadline can be extended by the Chair of the doctorate committee in accordance with Section 13 (4) PromO. This requires an informal proposal stating the reasons and the period by which the deadline is to be extended.

For enquiries regarding the publication of the dissertation or the submission of deposit copies to the BIS, please contact the following email address: .

See also: Information sheet: Mandatory submission / publication of dissertation

The doctoral certificate is only issued once the publication obligation has been fulfilled (Section 14 (1) PromO). It is not permitted to use the doctoral title before this. However, doctoral candidates in cultural studies subjects have the right to use the title Dr. des. The certificate is usually sent by registered mail or presented by the faculty management in a personal appointment.

The Presidential Board of the University of Oldenburg has published general recommendations for doctoral candidates on the use of generative AI in dissertations.

• Recommendations for the use of generative AI in doctoral theses

You can find subject-related advice, for example on financing and qualifications in structured doctoral programmes, on the Graduate School websites 3GO.