Application for Doctoral Studies

Important notes:

• Applications for acceptance as a doctoral candidate can be submitted at any time; there are no deadlines.
• Applications for the subjects diaconal studies and social ethics (Faculty of Theology) are no longer possible.
• Please note that we only process complete applications.
• The doctoral commission generally decides on applications within six weeks of the complete application’s arrival. Applicants will be informed in writing about the decision of the doctoral commission. Please wait for this step.
• Please note that all signatures on the submitted forms have to carry the date on which they are actually signed and cannot be pre- or post-dated.
• An unofficial English translation of the doctoral degree regulations of our faculty can be found here.

• For submitting an application for acceptance as a doctoral candidate to our faculty, please follow these three steps in the order listed below:
  
  

  Step 1:
  The first step is to find one or more supervisor(s) for your doctoral project, agree with them on a topic/working title and fill and sign the "Doctoral Agreement” (GERMAN Version OR GERMAN/ENGLISH Version) together.
  
  Step 2:
  After you and your prospective supervisor(s) have signed the “Doctoral Agreement”, please register online in the heiDOCS Portal. This registration cannot be completed without a signed doctoral agreement. In case one of your prospective supervisors is external to the Faculty of Behavioural and Cultural Studies, the Dean’s Office (Doctoral Office) needs to be informed about who will cover the travel costs for the external supervisor (Form: Declaration: Travel costs external Supervisor). The faculty cannot cover travel costs.
  
  Step 3:
  After you have completed your registration on the heiDOCS portal, the application documents need to be submitted to the Dean’s Office (Doctoral Office).
  

  • Please contact Dr. Heribert Beckmann via e-mail (promotionsantraege@verkult.uni-heidelberg.de) and inform him about your application stating the subject in which you want to pursue your doctoral studies and who your supervisors will be.
  • Once potential questions have been clarified with Dr. Beckmann, please scan all of your application documents (1. to 8.; see below) and send them combined in one PDF file to us via e-mail (promotionsantraege@verkult.uni-heidelberg.de).
  • Please note that the documents listed under 8. (Proof of the admission reguirements in accordance with § 4 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations) also have to be submitted physically either via postal services or by dropping them directly into the mailbox outside of the building.
    
    
    1. Form: Application: Acceptance as a Doctoral Candidate
    2. Form: Declaration of any previous or current attempts to study for a Doctorate
    3. Formular: Promotionsvereinbarung DEUTSCH
       OR
       Formular: Promotionsvereinbarung DEUTSCH/ENGLISCH / Doctoral Agreement GERMAN/ENGLISCH
    4. Form: Declaration: Travel costs external Advisor (In case one of your prospective supervisors is external to the Faculty of Behavioural and Cultural Studies, the Dean’s Office (Doctoral Office) needs to be informed about who will cover the travel costs for the external supervisor. The faculty cannot cover travel costs.)
    5. A description of your educational, scientific, and professional background; in addition, other achievements, knowledge, and experience relevant to the doctoral project may also be presented
    6. Copy of photo identification
    7. Information about your proposed dissertation topic with a short summary (3 - 4 pages)
    8. Proof of the admission reguirements in accordance with § 4 of the Doctoral Degree Regulations:
       • Officially certified photocopies or duplicates of any degree certificates attained at an institution of higher education or a university (Magister, Diplom, Bachelor, Master, Staatsexamen), including a list of the individual grades. In addition, (with the exception of documents in English) an officially certified translation of the documents into German must be provided. You can find more information on certified copies and translations here.
       • If applicable, submission of publications with an accompanying letter - § 4 (4) of the Doctoral Degree Regulation. (Sample text for the accompanying letter: Regarding the matter of the fulfilment of the admission requirements according to § 4 (4) of the doctoral degree regulations, I hereby kindly ask you to consider the following selected publications with scientific focus in the subject …  . [List publications below].)
    9. If you are a citizen of a „third country“ (state outside the European Union), also as part of dual citizenship, the following declaration signed by all your designated supervisors has to be included in your application documents:
       • Erklärung zur Einhaltung exportkontrollrechtlicher Vorschriften für die Annahme eines/r Doktoranden/in aus einem Drittstaat (German version)
       • Declaration of compliance with export control regulations for the acceptance of a doctoral candidate from a third country (English version)
         
       • Information for supervisor