Graduating from a Doctoral Programme

The positive completion of the doctoral programme requires:

  1. the completion of 18 ECTS credits of courses related to the scientific specialisation
  2. the writing of a positively graded dissertation and
  3. the successful completion of the doctoral examination (Rigorosum).

The doctoral examination is open to the public, lasts one hour and consists of a presentation (max. 30 minutes) and a subsequent discussion of the results of the dissertation (defensio). At the end of the doctoral examination, the final grade is awarded by the Examination Board in a closed session.

Submission

8 weeks before the doctoral examination (Rigorosum)

Please coordinate the date and time of the doctoral examination with all members of the examination board.

When submitting the form Application for the Doctoral Examination.pdf, opens a file in a new window all required data (date, time, examination board, reviewers) must already be entered.

Please note the following:

  • The examination board consists of at least three to five habilitated persons.

  • The supervisor of the thesis must always be appointed as a member of the examination board.

  • If possible, the reviewers should also be members of the examination board. At least one reviewer from TU Wien and at least one reviewer from another faculty or university or from an external research institution must be appointed.

  • The chairperson must not be from the same research unit as the doctoral candidate (preferably not from the same institute).

 

  1. Application for the doctoral examination.pdf

  2. Detailed CV (personally signed)

  3. Copy of birth certificate or passport

  4. For graduates with previous studies abroad: Notification of recognition of previous studies and examination certificates for any required additional studies and examinations, or notification of admission to doctoral programmes.

  5. Restriction of use (Benützungsbeschränkung) including justification (if required, download in TISS incl. justification)

  6. Leaflet for authors of university publications.pdf (ONLY if no restriction is to be placed on the thesis)

  7. Current Records of Studies (TISS Student Self Service)

  8. Transcript of Records (TISS Student Self Service) oder Nachweis der Lehrveranstaltungen über mindestens 18 ECTS.pdf (i.e. proof of passing classes worth 18 ECTS or more)

  9. Copy of the first page (title page) of the dissertation

  10. Positive statement of the supervisor (Template under Downloads)

  11. An up to date PDF file of your thesis sent to the Dean of Academic Affairs and CC sara.engel@tuwien.ac.at for the purpose of a plagiarism check (due 8 weeks before your doctoral examination)

  12. Announcement of a doctoral thesis.pdf  + Abstract -> This should be submitted to the Dean’s Office within 6 months of enrolling in the doctoral programme.

  13. Two bound copies of the dissertation -> Deadline 1-2 weeks before your doctoral examination

  14. The co-author form must be submitted at least two days before the viva voce for cumulative dissertations.

During the submission process, you can request an embargo period for your thesis for economic or legal reasons (§ 86 Universitätsgesetz 2002). This means that your thesis is made accessible at a later date.

Please download the form "Benützungsbeschränkung" in TISS. Mandatory fields are the duration (in years) and the reason of the restriction use.

  • Embargo period for 2 years - The approval is made by the Dean of Academic Affairs.

  • ATTENTION: A thesis EMBARGO will only be approved by the Dean of Studies for a maximum of 2 years. Once, upon a substantiated request, the embargo can be extended for an additional 3 years. The approval of the embargo is solely granted by the Dean of Studies.

Once the embargo period is approved, neither the printed version nor the electronic version of the thesis can be read or used (including the abstract).

The dissertation should be in A4 format, printed on both sides and bound with a hard cover.

The title page must be followed by an abstract of the thesis (German + English) and the affidavit (see Guide for Thesis).

The two bound copies must be submitted to the Dean's Office 1-2 weeks before the doctoral examination. Please make an appointment with Sara Freya Engel.

A cumulative dissertation is one in which the results of the academic work are presented not in the form of a monograph, but in the form of a collection of publications. This special form must be approved by the Dean of Studies when the topic is submitted. The "Richtlinie über die Verfassung von kumulativen Dissertationen.pdf, opens a file in a new window" (guideline on the composition of cumulative dissertations.pdf) is binding.

As a rule, a cumulative dissertation must contain at least three published or accepted scientific articles in internationally recognised scientific journals or books with scientific editing that have undergone a peer-review process.

 

To meet international standards, the following steps are required for your dissertation

  • Complete the form for each publication of your cumulative thesis.z
  • For each publication, list all co-authors by name and indicate their contribution to the publication.
  • Obtain the signature of all co-authors under each name column if this contribution is not explicitly stated in the publication.
  • For publications with more than five authors, at least the first two and the last two authors must sign.


The completed forms must be submitted at least two days before your oral presentation.

Guide for Thesis_deutsch.docx, opens a file in a new window

Guide for Thesis_englisch.docx, opens a file in a new window

Further tips and details can be found in the Script “How to write a scientific paper” by Prof.Dr. Paul Mayrhofer.

You will be contacted by Sara Engel, opens an external URL in a new window about 2 weeks after your doctoral examination to collect your final documents.

 

Once you have successfully completed your doctoral examination, you can register for the graduation ceremony.