Below, you can find general information on the procedure to complete an (individual) doctorate at the Department of Education and Psychology of Freie Universität Berlin. In the case of a structured graduate program, the Dahlem Research School is involved.

As a matter of principle, TWO sets of doctoral study regulations are distinguished:

• Promotionsordnung zum Dr. phil. / Ph.D. der FU Berlin 17/2023 in German (non-official readable version of the Doctoral Study Regulations for Dr. phil. of 02.12.2008, including the amendment of 22.05.2023)
• Promotionsordnung zum Dr. phil. / Ph.D. der FU Berlin 60/2008 in German (in the original official version of 02.12.2008)
• English version: Doctoral Study Regulations for Dr. phil. / Ph.D. of FU Berlin of 02.12.2008 — note that the German version is the legally binding one.
• Zulassungsantrag (Application for Admission) to Dr. phil. / Ph.D. studies (in German)
• Betreuungsvereinbarung (Supervisor Agreement) for doctoral project to obtain Dr. phil. / Ph.D. (in German)
• Mustertitelblatt (Sample Cover Page) for Dr. phil or Ph.D. dissertation (in German)
• Obligation to Publish

• Promotionsordnung zum Dr. rer. nat. / Ph.D. der FU Berlin 17/2023 in German (non-official readable version of the Doctoral Study Regulations for Dr. rer. nat. of 08.08.2016, including the amendment of 22.05.2023)
• Promotionsordnung zum Dr. rer. nat. / Ph.D. der FU Berlin 35/2016 (in the original official version of 08.08.2016)
• English Version: Doctoral Study Regulations for the Degree of Dr. rer. nat. / Ph.D. of Freie Universität Berlin
• Zulassungsantrag (Application for Admission) to Dr. rer. nat. / Ph.D. studies (in German)
• Betreuungsvereinbarung (Supervisor Agreement) for doctoral project to obtain Dr. rer. nat. / Ph.D. (in German)
• Mustertitelblatt (Sample Cover Page) for Dr. rer. nat. or Ph.D. dissertation (in German)
• Obligation to Publish

• Antrag auf Verlängerung der Regelbearbeitungszeit in German (Application for an Extension)

Note. To apply, you should only submit the linked form including the agreement of your supervisor and an adapted work plan.

• Antrag auf Zusammensetzung der Promotionskommission in German (Application for Composition of the Doctoral Committee)
• Statute for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice applies to all members of the FU Berlin

A certificate documenting participation in a session on "Good Research Practice" is required. The E-Learning Module of the Berlin University Alliance is recommended.

• FAQs of the Doctoral Study Office

At the Department of Education and Psychology, there are two title options in connection with the completion of the doctorate: Dr. phil. OR Dr. rer. nat. (links to German Doctoral Study Regulations) – Both can be acquired in Psychology as well as Education. The relevancy of the doctoral project regarding content and/or method is definitive for the decision of the Doctorate Board - in which case and according to which of the regulations the applicant is approved for doctoral proceedings. The respective implementation rules for the selection of the Doctoral Study Regulations for Dr. phil. versus Dr. rer. nat. can be obtained from the Doctoral Study Office.

If the admission requirements for doctorate completion according to § 3 of the respective regulations are fulfilled and a supervisor authorized as an examiner has agreed to take on the doctoral project, an application for admission to doctoral studies according to the respective regulations for Dr. phil. OR Dr. rer. nat. can be submitted to the Doctoral Study Office.

Please note that your application will only be processed if it is complete and all documents are included. Also note that processing may take longer if the university degree is from a different country.

The following documents need to be included with the admission to doctoral studies (as scanned files in case of electronic submission):

1. Agreement to doctorate completion procedure and Supervisor Agreement (Betreuungsvereinbarung)

2. Work Plan (8–16 pages) with a realistic timetable (documentation of the true start of the doctorate, chronologically sorted and including dates)

3. Simple copies of degrees (if applicable, proof of at least 300 credit points in the relevant discipline, e.g., via transcript)

4. Language certificates where applicable (e.g., for English doctoral projects)

5. If applicable, proof of grant or membership in a graduate program to confirm your status as Ph.D. student => In case of a structured doctorate completion procedure (e.g. Cotutelle or Joint Degree), please request advice from the Dahlem Research School (contact: DRS-Team).

The Doctoral Study Office passes on the application for admission to doctoral studies to the Doctorate Board which decides on admission of the applicant => Please note the Doctorate Board meeting dates on the main page (German website).

On application for admission to doctoral studies, applicants are additionally required to confirm by signature that they will take part in a session on "Good Research Practice". The Doctorate Board recommends the E-Learning Module of the Berlin University Alliance.

Recommendation on contents and structure:

1. Working title, address, date
2. Abstract. The work plan should begin with a brief abstract. The timetable in the work plan should document work on the dissertation since the true start of the doctorate, chronologically sorted and including dates.
3. Table of contents
4. Overview of international research into the selected topic
5. Own research hypotheses
6. Methodology (e.g., for empirical studies: Sample, instruments, experimental design, data analysis, methods)
7. Timetable for each step
8. References

Together with their application for admission to doctoral studies, the candidate provides the Doctorate Board with the supervisor agreement and the work plan. The Board then discusses whether the plan shows that the work meets the usual scientific requirements. Without wishing to anticipate the supervision or evaluation, the Doctorate Board will try to give early indications of potential problems. It is therefore in accordance with the Doctorate Board’s consultation role if work plans are returned with a request for revision.

Admission to the doctorate completion procedure is conditional on a work plan and the signed agreement of a professor or habilitated researcher that s/he will supervise the doctoral project submitted to the Doctorate Board.

Full-time professors, directors, research group leaders, heads of independent junior groups and corresponding employees of other universities, technical colleges, non-university research institutions, and educational institutions as well as third-party funded heads of junior research groups housed at Freie Universität Berlin can serve as supervisors.

For examination purposes: At least one person must be a full-time university professor at the Department of Psychology and Education [cf. § 8, Abs. 2 of both Doctoral Study Regulations]!

As a rule, a professor at the Department is also supervisor of the dissertation [cf. § 6, Abs. 3 of both Doctoral Study Regulations]. Categorically, the supervisor of the doctoral project is also appointed examiner [cf. § 8, Abs. 2 of both Doctoral Study Regulations]. If the supervisor’s term at Freie Universität Berlin ends, s/he maintains the right to complete the supervision of a started dissertation for three years. An exception to this applies if the doctoral project is to be supervised by a person who is not a full-time professor at the department.

In cases of supervision and evaluation of a doctoral project by a person who is not full-time professor at the department, the following needs to be taken into account:

As a professor working on a part-time basis, s/he can apply to the Doctorate Board to supervise or review a doctoral project in order to obtain the rights and duties as an examiner in this doctoral project as a part-time professor. The Doctorate Board evaluates whether s/he belongs to the eligible group and if so, whether supervision, review, or examination can be permitted in the respective individual case.

If the decision is positive:

(a) the external supervisor is appointed as a member of the Doctoral Committee,

(b) the additional reviewer must be a full-time professor of the Department and must already be named by the student when applying for admission to doctoral studies.

Within four weeks of receiving the admission for doctoral studies, you must enroll as a doctoral student. The admission is valid for a period of four years (three years until submission of the dissertation and a further year for completion of the doctorate).

A Library starter kit for doctoral candidates is on offer.

Upon finishing your dissertation, you must submit your thesis together with the Antrag auf Zusammensetzung der Promotionskommission (in German; Application for Composition of the Doctoral Committee) to the Doctoral Study Office.

At least one bound copy of the dissertation needs to be submitted. In parallel, you need to send a pdf version to promotion@ewi-psy.fu-berlin.de (please enclose the form separately, do not include it in the binding!).

One bound copy is for the Doctoral Study Office and further copies are for the five committee members if required. After approval by the Doctorate Board, the Doctoral Committee is appointed and the dissertation is passed on to its members.

Note. You can depart from the submission of six hard copies if the committee members do not require them. The copies can differ in their configuration, e.g., two top-quality copies (printed one-sided and in color) for the two reviewers and four more basic copies (printed double-sided, black and white). Please make sure that each copy includes a German and English abstract and a signed Eigenständigkeitserklärung (in German; Declaration of Independence)!

Furthermore, it should be made clear which contributions other people have made to the completion of the thesis. Where applicable, the names of these people should be listed along with a precise description of the nature of their contribution. This becomes relevant, for instance, in cases of (a) the use of results or text portions from qualification work supervised by the doctoral student, (b) publications co-written with other authors that are part of the dissertation (the proportion of which parts of the respective publication were produced by whom should be quantified), or (c) the development of research hypotheses, measurement instruments, or data collection in collaboration with others in a research project or research group; in this case, the project/group should be named as well as its funders => Anteilserklärung und Zustimmung der Co-Autor:innen (in German; Declaration and Consent of the Co-Authors).

References to all sources that are cited verbatim or in a broader sense (including internet sources and AI-based tools) must be identified.

After all of the dissertation reviews have arrived, a two-week display period of the dissertation with the suggested grading is mandatory. Thereafter, the Doctoral Committee decides on the acceptance, rejection, or return of the dissertation, the admission of the doctoral student to the defense, and the assignment of the grade of the dissertation.

Guidelines

The doctoral student him/herself is responsible for the organization of the defense (timing, location, technical equipment). The date of the defense is decided in agreement with the committee members. The Doctoral Study Office is informed by e-mail via the official invitation: promotion@ewi-psy.fu-berlin.de.

Notes

Defenses are usually carried out during the lecture period of the semester. The date needs to be agreed with the members of the Doctoral Committee. The supervisor (respectively the Committee’s chair) is in charge of the invitation to the defense (=> including the date, time, and location). Together with both reviews (or three in the Dr. rer. nat. procedure), the invitation is sent to the members of the Doctoral Committee, the candidate, and the Doctoral Study Office (via mail: promotion@ewi-psy.fu-berlin.de)!

In case of a digital or hybrid defense (via WebEx) the Doctoral Study Office requires an informal announcement and the agreement of all committee members (as ONE collated file) by mail. This agreement should also be documented in the defense minutes!

After the defense, the Doctoral Committee determines the overall grade for the dissertation completion procedure. The doctoral student receives an interim certificate that includes the dissertation title, the individual grades of the dissertation and defense as well as the overall grade. The interim certificate does NOT represent authorization to use the doctoral title! According to the rules of the currently valid Doctoral Study Regulations, the premature use of the title Dr. des. is also NOT allowed.

According to § 13 of the Doctoral Study Regulations for Dr. phil./ Ph.D. or Dr. rer. nat/ Ph.D. of Freie Universität Berlin, the dissertation needs to be made publicly available adequately via reproduction and dissemination. Before going to print, the doctoral candidate receives permission to publish the respective text from the Doctoral Committee (=> Imprimatur). The publication and fulfilment of the duty to deliver copies need to be completed within two years of the date of the defense.

Potential publication types and number of the copies to be delivered:

Photo print:                   35 bound copies
Microfiches:                   20 + 1 master fiche + 3 bound photo prints
Published edition:      3 copies
Online dissertation:   Digital version + 2 bound photo prints

Further information at: Dissertations Department at the University Library - Hochschulschriftenstelle

The doctoral certificate can only be handed out after the Dissertations Department at the University Library – Hochschulschriftenstelle has issued the confirmation note that the duty to deliver copies of the thesis has been fulfilled.

Only the Doctoral Certificate allows you to use the doctor title!

• Dahlem Research School (DRS) collates information and advice for doctoral students of Freie Universität Berlin. Together with the partners Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité - Universitätsmedizin in context of the Berlin University Alliance, DRS also provides extensive qualification offers that reflect the various phases in the course of completing a doctorate.
• The central advisory body to ensure good scientific practice is the Coordination Office for Research Integrity.

• A recent publication outlines different (legal) positions: Who "owns" research data?
• Further information on Completing a Doctoral Degree at Freie Universität Berlin
• Central Counseling for Doctoral Candidates
• Library starter kit for doctoral candidates of the University Library