Dissertation

Dissertation Procedure

After the completion of the thesis, the PhD candidate has to apply for the admission to the doctoral examination.

Admission to the Doctoral Examination

The written application for admission to doctoral examination has to be submitted to the following address:

Studiendekan für Informatik
Institut für Informatik
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Goldschmidtstr. 7
37077 Göttingen

The application has to enclose the following documents:
Document Details
1) Admission cover letter for doctorate examinations (Template) a) including the thesis title as well as research subject,
b) with a proposal for an examination committee of at least six members, including the members of the supervisory committee authorized to examine, as well as the two referees,
c) a proposed date for oral examination (disputation): the appointment for the oral exam/disputation should not be later than 6 weeks after the announcement to the doctorate procedure.
2) Copies of the thesis Three copies bound as book and one in digital form (preferably in PDF).
3) A proof of enrollment Overview of enrolled semesters during your PhD studies.
4) Major course assessment See checklist for PhD students based on the requirements of the PCS regulations. (DOCX)
5) A curriculum vitae which indicates the scientific development of the candidate (either in German or English). Since the publication regulations dictate the printed copies of the thesis have to contain the author's CV, it is recommended to directly include it in the thesis, too.
6) Publications written by the PhD candidate which are related to the dissertation.
7) Signed statements, as follows a) statement of authorship assuring that the thesis has been made independently and without unauthorised assistance,
b) binding confirmation that the digital version of the thesis matches with the written version of the thesis,
c) a confirmation that the dissertation is not or has not been used in any other doctoral procedure or comparable procedure at a university in Germany or abroad.
The deanship decides on the admission to the doctorate procedure. The applicants will receive a written answer about the admission to the doctoral examination.

Examination Board

For each doctoral examination procedure, the Dean’s Office shall set up an examination committee consisting of at least six members including the referees of the dissertation and further four thesis committee’s members who are authorised examiners (see List of Authorised Examiners). If an external examiner is supposed to be a member of the examination board, the candidate needs to hand in a formal request (Template).

Disputation

The disputation takes place as colloquium in German or English language chaired by the head of the examination board. At least two thirds of the members of the examination board must be present, including the two thesis referees. The dissertation defence consists of the following:

  • The candidate presents the dissertation results in a larger scientific context: a talk of maximum 30 minutes.
  • Afterwards related questions with committee members will be discussed.

The overall duration of the dissertation defence will be at most 90 minutes.

Regulations for the Ph.D-Programme in Computer Science (PCS)

Under the following link the PCS regulations are listed.

All documents, templates and regulations for the GAUSS programme can be found on the GAUSS website.

Publication of the Thesis and PhD Certificates

Publication

The thesis has to be published according to the PCS regulations, i.e. before the thesis can be published, the PhD candidate needs to get the signed revision slip for the final version of the thesis, approved by the thesis referee. The thesis can be published in the following manner:

According to the regulations for the publication of the dissertation the printed copies of the dissertation have to contain the author's curriculum vitae. This is not required for the electronic copy of the thesis.
More details about the current regulations for the publication of PhD thesis can be obtained from the doctorate examination office.
Title page of dissertation
Revision certificate

Certificates

Depending on the awarded degree (PhD or Dr. rer. nat.) and language (English or German) the PhD candidate will obtain a corresponding degree certificate.