Your Doctoral Training

• As the first "Hochschule des 'Neuen Typs'" (= "New Type" University) in Germany, Hochschule Geisenheim University has been granted the right to award doctorates by the State Minister for Higher Education, Research, and the Arts in 2013.
• Doctorates at Hochschule Geisenheim University are realized through cooperation with a university faculty/department.
• There are currently 78 Doctoral Projects (March 2021) at Hochschule Geisenheim University that are conducted in cooperation with other institutions that also hold the right to award doctorates.

Doing a Doctorate at Hochschule Geisenheim University, coordinated by the Doctoral Platform Geisenheim - Giessen - Marburg, means that you can take advantage of the University's practical orientation and strong research as well as Justus Liebig University's or Philipps-Universität Marburg's areas of expertise in a unique and special way.

• Joint Doctoral Projects at Hochschule Geisenheim University as coordinated by the Doctoral Platform Geisenheim - Giessen - Marburg are conducted together with the Faculties 08 or 09 of Justus Liebig University Giessen or with the Department 17 of Philipps-Universität Marburg.
• A project coordinated by the Doctoral Platform can be realized of the fields of research of professors at Hochschule Geisenheim University correspond with the range of subjects of said faculties/departments.
• The Doctoral Platform coordinates Doctoral Projects in the following areas:
• Biology (Dr. rer. nat.)
• Agricultural Science or Oenology (Dr. agr.)
• Environmental Management (Dr. oec. troph.)
• Nutritional Science (Dr. troph.)
• This cooperation with strategic partners at the three universities allows for extensive access to optimal funding structures for Doctoral Candidates.

A Doctorate is your first independent body of research and it qualifies you as a scientist and researcher.

Different Procedures

• Structured Doctorate
• fixed curriculum
• set time period
• can be linked to funding
• tied to the membership in a graduate school or center. Most of the time, qualification measures are obligatory.
• Individual Doctorate
• independent time management since it is not tied to a graduate center or a Doctoral Program
• only continuous dialogue with supervisor
• especially suitable for External Doctoral Candidates
• more freedom and the possibility to adapt the Doctoral Process to the individual life style
• oftentimes not directly linked to funding opportunities

Doctorates at Hochschule Geisenheim University

• structured Doctorates
• are thus tied to the membership at its Graduate School

As the a "Hochschule des 'Neuen Typs'" (= "New Type" University), Hochschule Geisenheim University holds the right to award doctorates, which is excercized in cooperation with a German or foreign university that also holds the right to award doctorates.

• The Doctorate serves as proof that candidates are able to conduct in-depth scientific research.
• With your independently choosen subject, you have to achieve significant research progress.

This is why you first need to choose a subject of your research!

• You may freely choose your subject of research, however, for joint Doctorates at Hochschule Geisenheim University with Justus Liebig University Giessen or Philipps-Universität Marburg it needs to be within the university's range of subjects.
• The Doctoral Project has to be located at Hochschule Geisenheim University.
• Since professors are also free to choose which Doctoral Project to supervise, we highly recommend a first consultation with your (potential) supervisor early on.

You can download the guide by clicking on the image below!

• As a Doctoral Candidate, you may register as a Doctoral Student at Hochschule Geisenheim University.
• This can have various advantages. Please contact Hochschule Geisenheim University's Doctoral Office for more information!
• A Doctoral Project at Hochschule Geisenheim University is designed for a duration of three years. Doctoral Projects usually take up more time, with for example 4.3 years average in the natural sciences.
• Doctoral Candidates submit a written progress report anually by January 31 via Hochschule Geisenheim University's Doctoral Office to the supervisors. The reporting period is January - December.
• While working on a Doctoral Project, the following requirements have to be fulfilled as part of the curriculum of Hochschule Geisenheim University's Graduate School:
  • Presentation on your Doctoral Project as part of the Graduate School's Lecture Series at the beginning and at the end of the Doctorate;
  • Attending Hochschule Geisenheim University's Graduate School's Lecture Series 12 times (the current program is released at the beginning of each semester);
  • Taking part in three mandatory modules offered by the Graduate School;
  • Power Point or Journal Club at Hochschule Geisenheim University with at least for dates and a "paper" presentation;
  • Scientific presentation –speech;
  • Scientific writing workshop or scientific writing tutorial with four dates and a personal writing coaching session;
  • Taking part in three elective modules offered by the graduate school;
  • Attending conferences

  the Doctoral Platform makes further qualification measures offered by its cooperating institutions available for the Doctoral Candidates.

• You can publish your dissertation as a monograph or cumulatively. The publishing style of your dissertation is mostly determined by Hochschule Geisenheim University's Doctorate Regulations. Additionally, you should take deviating regulations in the cooperating university department's Doctorate Regulations into account.