The following assignments must be completed:

- a written doctoral thesis (dissertation),
- an oral examination (disputation),
- successful participation in the accompanying curriculum (Dr. med.)
   or in the structured doctoral program (MD-Ph.D.),
- publication of the dissertation

The doctoral regulations regulate in § 7 para. 1 which persons can act as a supervisor. The supervisor accompanies the doctoral research and supports the doctoral procedure by a votum informativum. In addition, a doctoral committee is usually appointed, for which the doctoral candidate can submit suggestions.

A supervision agreement regulates the relationship between the doctoral candidate and the supervisor, as well as with the supervision committee, and regulates further aspects of the implementation and supervision of the doctoral project.

- Form Supervision Agreement Dr. med.

- Form Supervision Agreement MD-Ph.D. 

During the doctoral studies, a logbook documenting various milestones of your doctoral project must be kept and submitted with the submission of the dissertation.

• Logbook form [in preparation; please contact the doctoral office for the time being].

In case of questions, problems or difficulties in connection with the doctorate, there is always the possibility to contact the doctoral committee or the ombudsperson responsible for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Of course, the confidential treatment of the request or query is warranted.

Prior to the start of the doctoral project, the first step is the acceptance as a doctoral candidate in accordance with § 7 of the doctoral regulations by concluding the supervision agreement, which must be countersigned by the chairman of the doctoral committee.

In accordance with § 8a of the doctoral regulations, the admission to the doctoral program generally takes place at the same time. Under certain conditions (see Appendix 1 of the Doctoral Regulations "Procedural Regulations Dr. med."), the acceptance as a Dr.med. doctoral candidate can already take place before the completion of the Medicine degree programme, with the passing of the medical examination. In any case, the application for admission to the doctoral program as a doctoral candidate is made no later than one year after acceptance.

Please use the forms below:

• Form "Acceptance as a doctoral candidate"
• Form "Application for admission as a doctoral candidate"

Applications for acceptance as a doctoral candidate or for the admission to doctoral studies are to be addressed to the Doctoral Committee Dr.med./MD-Ph.D..

The Doctoral Committee Dr. med./MD-Ph.D. decides on the admission to the doctoral program as well as in all other procedural matters in its meetings.

All applications must be submitted in writing to the doctoral committee. The necessary documents must be submitted in their entirety, both in paper and electronic form, to the Doctoral Office no later than twelve days before the meeting of the doctoral committee.

Since an ethics vote is required for most medical doctoral projects, you should contact the Medical Ethics Committee of the University of Oldenburg before starting the research. For these inquiries, please use the form for the assessment of the duty of consultation by the ethics committee.

Form for the assessment of the duty to consult

After admission, doctoral students should enroll as doctoral students at the earliest possible date. Further information can be found on the homepage of the Admissions Office.

Dr. med.

Within the framework of the doctorate for the degree Dr. med., successful participation in the accompanying curriculum for the acquisition of scientific skills amounting to a total of 6 credit points (KP) is required. Through this accompanying curriculum, doctoral students acquire subject and methodological skills, as well as practical skills, which should enable them to successfully complete their doctorate and enter a science-based occupation. For further information on the accompanying curriculum, please refer to Annex 1 of the doctoral regulations and the following information sheet:

•   Informations accompanying curriculum 6 credit points

Please use the following routing slip as proof of successful participation in the accompanying curriculum:

•   Routing sheet

The proof of participation in the accompanying curriculum will be submitted together with the application documents when the doctoral procedure is initiated (see § 10 para. 2 PromO). The doctoral committee decides on the recognition of the achievements.

Twice a year, during the May and November meetings, you have the opportunity to submit your course planning in advance to the doctoral committee for review.

MD-Ph.D.

Within the framework of the doctorate for the degree MD-Ph.D., successful participation in the structured doctoral programme "Medicine and Health Sciences" at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Medicine and Technology, which amounts to 30 CP is required, among other things. Further information on the contents, registration modalities, etc. can be found on the OLTECH homepage. OLTECH decides on the recognition of the work performed in consultation with the coordination of the doctoral programme. More information can be found on the OLTECH homepage.

Contact persons for questions regarding the content of the structured doctoral program "Medicine and Health Sciences" are

Nina Löchte

Karine von Bochmann

The dissertation should be written in German or in English. Dissertations in German must also include an English abstract and dissertations in English, a German abstract. The guidelines of good academic practice of the University of Oldenburg always apply to the writing of the dissertation.

The dissertation can be written in monographic form or can be publication-based. Details are regulated in § 9 of the doctoral regulations.

When being submitted, the dissertation must include the title page from Appendix 3 of the doctoral regulations.  

Further instructions for writing the dissertation:

• Recommendations for writing the dissertation/Guidelines for the Dissertation
• Recommendations for citations (collection of examples according to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors)

The submission of the dissertation and the submission of an application to initiate the doctoral procedure is generally possible at the earliest one year and at the latest five years after admission. At the request of the doctoral candidate, these deadlines may be changed by the Doctoral Committee by a reasonable period of time. If the application to initiate the doctoral procedure is not submitted within the deadline, admission is deemed to have been withdrawn (Section 10 (1) of the Doctoral Degree Regulations).

After completion of the dissertation, the doctoral candidate submits the application to initiate the doctoral procedure in accordance with § 10 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations.

• Antrag auf Einleitung eines Promotionsverfahrens / Application for opening of a doctoral procedure

Further documents to be submitted are (see §10, para. 2 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations)

• a declaration in lieu of an oath that the applicant has "completed the dissertation independently and without any unauthorized help from third parties, i.e. without using any aids other than those specified and has identified the ideas taken directly or indirectly from external sources as such" (as part of the dissertation, see § 10, para. 2b)
• a declaration that the content of the dissertation has not already been used predominantly for a Bachelor's, Master's, diploma or similar examination (as part of the dissertation, see § 10 para. 2c)
• proof of the successful proof of successful participation in the accompanying curriculum (Dr. med.) or successful completion of the structured doctoral program (MD-Ph.D.; see § 10 para. 2d)
• proof that a logbook has been kept (see § 10 para. 2e)
• if applicable, an updated curriculum vitae in German with information on the educational background, supplemented by a list of any scientific publications (see § 10 para. 2f)
• a declaration as to whether clinical trials on humans, epidemiological studies with personal data or studies on human material with personal reference (ethics committee), experiments with genetically modified organisms (Genetic Engineering Act) or experiments on vertebrates (laboratory animal approval) have been carried out. If not already granted at the time of admission, a copy of the approval from the competent authority must be submitted to the doctoral committee in the relevant case (see § 10 para. 2g)
• if applicable, name proposals for a reviewer in accordance with § 6 (see § 10 para. 2h, e.g. possible via form Application for the initiation of a doctoral procedure) a declaration that the regulations on good scientific practice at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg have been followed (see Section 10 (2i); see also form Application to initiate a doctoral procedure, point 4)
• if necessary, proof of enrolment as a doctoral student in accordance with § 8a para. 6 (see § 10 para. 2j) a declaration that no mediation or counseling services (doctoral counseling) have been used in connection with the doctoral project (see § 10 para. 2k; see also form Application for the initiation of a doctoral procedure, point 5)
• in the case of a joint doctoral procedure or a bi-national doctorate pursuant to § 3 para. 2, confirmation from the cooperation partner that the doctoral project will be carried out (see § 10 para. 2l).

The application to initiate the doctoral procedure must be submitted in writing to the Doctoral Committee. The necessary documents must be submitted in full to the Doctoral Office in both paper and electronic form no later than twelve days before the meeting of the Doctoral Committee.

The doctoral committee opens the doctoral procedure by appointing two reviewers to assess the dissertation. As a rule, the assessors belong to different disciplines and together cover the breadth of the dissertation. Further details on the assessors are regulated in § 6 of the doctoral regulations.

After the expiration of the deadline and upon acceptance of the dissertation, the thesis defence takes place. The doctoral committee appoints an examination board to conduct the defence. Further information on the composition of the examination board is contained in § 5 of the doctoral regulations.

In due time, the doctoral candidate is informed by the Doctoral Office about the determined composition of the examination board and independently take over the organization of the thesis defence, i.e. the scheduling in coordination with the examiners as well as the reservation of a room. As soon as time and place are fixed, the Doctoral Office must be informed.

If the doctoral candidate and the members of the examination board schedule the time of the defence while the dissertation and the assessments are made available for consultation, it is recommended to ensure that there is an appropriate time gap between the expected end of the consultation time and the planned date of the disputation.

Following the defence, the doctoral committee determines how the doctoral performance of the doctoral candidate is to be evaluated overall (see § 13 of the doctoral regulations).

The doctorate is concluded with the publication of the dissertation according to § 14 of the doctoral regulations.

Within one year after the thesis defence, the doctoral candidate must make the dissertation available to the scientific public in an appropriate manner. The publication takes place via the Library and Information system of the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg. Further details on publication are regulated by § 14 of the doctoral regulations. For the printed copies, the title page according to the sample in Appendix 3 of the doctoral regulations is to be used.

The doctorate is completed with the award of the doctoral certificate and the doctoral candidate is entitled to use the degree of doctor (see § 15 of the doctoral regulations).

Pursuant to § 23 of the doctoral regulations, doctoral candidates who, at the time this new version of the doctoral regulations (13.10.2021) came into effect, had already been accepted as doctoral candidate in accordance with §1 para. 6 of the previous doctoral regulations of School VI Medicine and Health Sciences of the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg for the award of the degrees "Doktor der Medizin (Dr. med.)" and "Medical Doctor - Doctor of Philosophy (MD-Ph.D.)" (version of 08.03.2014) with the doctoral committee and had received a confirmation of the doctoral committee, and who apply for the admission to the doctoral procedure according to § 10 within five years after the entry into force of these regulations (cut-off date 13.10.2026) or who have already applied before the regulations came into effect can apply for the previously valid doctoral regulations of the School VI Medicine and Health Sciences of the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg for the award of the degrees "Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med.)" and "Medical Doctor - Doctor of Philosophy (MD-Ph. D.)" in the version of 08.03.2014 (Amtliche Mitteilungen / 33. Jahrgang - 1/2014, pp. 135-146) to be applied.

Doctoral students affected by these transitional regulations can download the form for admission according to the doctoral regulations in the version of 08.03.20214 here.