Doctorate

The Faculty of Philosophy of Heidelberg University awards the academic degree of “Doktor/Doktorin der Philosophie” (Dr. phil. - Doctor of Philosophy) for academic achievements in the subjects offered in the faculty’s institutes and associated disciplines. The conferral of a doctorate is proof of the candidate’s aptitude for independent academic work and is based on the submission of a doctoral thesis (dissertation) in the doctoral subject, and an oral examination (defense) in the same subject.

The first step towards a doctorate should always be to find a supervisor (a professor or associate professor – “Privatdozent”) in the faculty and agree with him or her on a dissertation topic. Then the applicant and the supervisor complete the doctoral agreement together (using the appropriate form).

Information on this and all other steps in the procedure can be found in the Faculty's doctoral regulations or on our websites on the doctoral procedure. If you have any questions about the procedure, please do not hesitate to contact the responsible staff in the doctoral office. Information on funding opportunities is available from the Graduate Academy.

The Heidelberg Graduate School for the Humanities and Social Sciences (HGGS) is a central academic institute for doctoral candidates in the humanities, law and social sciences, who regard the exchange with academics from other disciplines as an important part of their own research. The HGGS offers doctoral candidates an interdisciplinary core programme that supports them with selected seminars, lectures, workshops and conferences in their own research activities and provides them with a constructive forum for reflecting on their dissertation projects.