PhD Programme at the QUEST Leibniz Research School

Would you like to do your doctorate at QUEST Leibniz Research School and obtain the academic degree Dr. rer. nat.?
Our guide to the PhD makes it simple for you. 

Topics for Dissertations

If you have any questions on doctoral topics or if you would like to supervise your doctorate, please contact the professors of the relevant institutes directly.

Administration

If you have any questions about the administrative process, please contact our office.

Schedule of a Doctorade

We have compiled an overview of the most important formal steps in the doctoral process and the necessary forms for you.

Please note that this information sheet is only a working aid. Only the text of the German doctoral regulations is legally binding.

  • Step 1: Admission as Doctoral Researcher, Matriculation

    These steps are at the beginning of the work on your dissertation. The most important preconditions are a work theme and an academic supervisor. If you are interested in a doctoral thesis at QUEST Leibniz Research School, you should inform yourself about possible topics on the institute pages or the pages of Graduate Advancement and directly contact possible supervisors.

    Candidates who wish to submit their thesis and to apply for conferment of the doctoral degree must have been admitted as doctoral researchers for at least three months before submission of the dissertation. Doctoral students should enrol as doctoral students (§ 9 Paragraph 2 Sentence 4 of the NHG).

    Details on acceptance as a doctoral candidate and supervision can be found in §3 to §5 of the doctoral regulations.

    You will find a list of the documents and prepared forms required for the admission application here:

  • Step 2: Submission of the Thesis and Application of the Doctorate

    If all preconditions are fulfilled, the faculty will begin the examination of your thesis upon submission. Concurrently, referees and examiners as well as the chairmanship of the examining board are determined. Your supervisor should suggest the referees, the examining board and also suggest possible dates and rooms for your examination.

    Details on acceptance as a doctoral candidate and supervision can be found in §7 to §13 of the doctoral regulations.

    You will find a list of the documents and prepared forms required for the application for a doctorate here:

  • Step 3: Display of the Dissertation and the Reports

    In general the reports should be available six weeks after the application of disclosure. The dissertation and the reports will be displayed last at least two weeks.

    The dissertation is deemed to have been accepted if all experts have recommended their acceptance and if no objection has been made against the acceptance of the work within the period of the display period. The thesis may be accepted conditionally. In that case, the chairperson of examiners will contact the candidate and inform him or her about necessary changes.

  • Step 4: Determination of an Examination- or Disputationdate

     

    After the acceptation of your dissertation, the chaiperson decides on a date and place for the examination or the disputation and announces this information. There have to be at least five business days in between the announcement and the examination/disputation.

    The time between the handing in of your dissertation and the earliest possible examination/disputation date depends on the arrival of the reports. Therefore, supervisors should always discuss appointment proposals with the experts first.

     

  • Step 5: Examination/Disputation

    Directly after the oral doctoral examination or disputation, the chairperson informs the doctoral candidate about the results and hands out a temporary certificate on the results.

  • Step 6: Publication of the Thesis

    The publication of the approved final version of the thesis within one year after the passed oral doctoral examination or disputation is obligatory. Details on the publication of dissertations can be found on the websites of the TIB. Within two weeks after handing in, the TIB normally issues a confirmation and sends it to the QUEST-LFS.

  • Step 7: Promotion

    The degree is conferred by handing over or delivery of the PhD certificate. This is possible after the publication of the dissertation. It is only afterwards that the doctoral candidate has the right to lead the doctorate Dr. rer. nat..

Good Scientific Practice for Scientific Qualification Reports and Theses in Physics

Your Contact

Birgit Ohlendorf
Office
Address
Callinstraße 36
30167 Hannover
Building
Room
309
Address
Callinstraße 36
30167 Hannover
Building
Room
309