Overview: Doctoral Programmes

Prerequisite for starting a doctoral programme at TU Graz is a relevant master’s degree (or equivalent) in the respective field from a university or another recognised post-secondary educational institution.

For admission you need to find a supervisor who is willing to provide you with a supervision confirmation. Afterwards, you can enrol as a doctoral student at the Registrar's Office.

Graduates of TU Graz

If you have graduated from your master’s degree programme at TU Graz, you only need the supervision confirmation for admission. With the confirmation you can go to the Registrar's Office and register for the ‘Doctoral Programme in Technical Sciences’ or the ‘Doctoral Programme in Natural Sciences’

Graduates of other universities or recognised post-secondary educational institutions

Graduates of other universities or recognised post-secondary educational institutions have to do an online application for the doctoral programme. You can find the required documents and the procedure here: Online application for the doctoral programme.

After admission to the doctoral programme, you and your supervisor (and co-supervisors) define a topic for your doctoral project and conclude an educational agreement. The necessary forms must be submitted electronically via TUGRAZonline (“My Doctoral Project”) within the first 3-6 months (at most 12 months) of your studies. Students can find further information on the intranet TU4U on the pages of the responsible dean's office:

• Deans Office for Architecture
• Dean’s Office for Civil Engineering
• Dean’s Office for Mechanical Engineering and Economic Sciences
• Dean’s Office for Electrical and Information Engineering
• Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Geodesy
• Dean's Office for Technical Chemistry, Chemical and Process Engineering, Biotechnology
• Dean’s Office for Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering

The supervisor – as an expert in your field – is your professional guide, your first response, your role model during the whole period of your doctoral study, who enables you to become a self-organized researcher. You are expected to show your own engagement and initiative and be self-organized during your doctoral study.

PhD students can nominate a mentor as a guide through the doctoral project, complementing the supervisor. More information on the Mentoring

During the doctoral programme you need to complete instructional classes for at least 18 ECTS-credits. These consist of courses on subject specifics, soft skills, scientific methods and communication, as well as a privatissimum.

If your master's degree is from outside the field of your doctoral study, the Dean of Studies may require more than the 18 ECTS-credits. Usually, at the beginning of your studies you select appropriate courses together with your supervisor and submit the selection to the Dean of Studies.

You are obliged to submit yearly reflection and progress reports via TUGRAZonline (“My Doctoral Project”) at the end of each year of your studies. These reports stimulate you to reflect on your progress so far and allows you to plan your next steps in the forthcoming year – use this chance! The yearly report also serves as a good starting point for the annual employee appraisal and your meetings with your mentor.

TU Graz activities in doctoral education are structured in different Doc Schools. Your Doc School is the home of all doctoral students and se­nior scientists of your field at TU Graz. Members of the Doc School are your first collaboration partners and colleagues to learn from and discuss problems with. You will also present your propo­sal and research results to them, in meetings of all the Doc School members (“Doc Days”) or in the Doctoral Seminar. A minimum of two presentations to the Doc School – one at the beginning and one at the end of your studies – is compulsory.

It is essential for your doctoral study to use the knowledge and expertise of your Doc School, your research group and the whole scientific/ arts community and to combine it with your own ideas to realize your research and contribute back to the community. Another im­portant part of your studies is to disseminate your research results in scientific publications, present them at conferences/exhibitions and build an international scientific network.

Doctoral thesis (Dissertation)

At the end of your studies, you write a doctoral thesis. It documents your ability to master new scientific problems independently.

Students can find details on formal criteria and how to submit their doctoral thesis on the intranet TU4U:

• Deans Office for Architecture
• Dean’s Office for Civil Engineering
• Dean’s Office for Mechanical Engineering and Economic Sciences
• Dean’s Office for Electrical and Information Engineering
• Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Geodesy
• Dean's Office for Technical Chemistry, Chemical and Process Engineering, Biotechnology
• Dean’s Office for Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering

Assessment and doctoral examination (defense)

The reviewers provide a written assessment of the thesis. The doctoral examination is your final exam in the doctoral programme. You start by giving a 30 minutes presentation of your research results. Afterwards, you are orally examined by the examination committee and defend your thesis.