Doctoral Studies Thesis Submission

Thesis submission and defense.

All inquiries should be made by email, and all documents must be deposited in the blue mailbox outside building INF 234 or on the 2nd floor, where the Ph.D. office is housed. Similarly, we will email relevant documents to you. So make sure that we have your correct email address. 

FAQ:

-     Will there be an extension of your Ph.D. period?

Due to COVID-19 your doctoral period will be extended by six months without special application.

• Can the defense be via video conference?  

YES (examiners only):  The examiners can be connected online (via heiCONF or other secure platforms), except for at least one examiner, who must be present in person in a room with the candidate in Heidelberg.

NO (doctoral candidates): The candidate must be present in person at the examination in Heidelberg. The doctoral candidate and at least one examiner have to be personally present in one room in Heidelberg.

• Can the deadlines and processing times be shortened?

NO: Plan at least 8 weeks (+ closure times) from the time of thesis submission to the date of the doctoral defense examination. Please see below "time restrictions".

• Where can I defend?

The University Institutions are open for examinations. To find a suitable seminar room, please contact the chair of your defense committee.

• Are electronic signatures allowed on the "Zusatzblatt zur Prüfungskommission"?

YES, both your supervisors/referees may sign this form electronically. But the second page has to be signed originally by yourself.

Time restrictions

• Please make sure that you submit your thesis with the required documents to the Ph.D. Office no later than 8 weeks before your oral examination, together with the confirmed date of your defense. When the Ph.D. Office is closed (see “Contact & PhD Office” for closure times), you have to add these periods to the 8-week advance submission requirement; however, you can schedule your defense examination during these times.
• Calculation:       Defense in calendar week “X” --> thesis submission in calendar week “X” - 8.   If the Ph.D. office is closed e.g. 2 weeks, the submission has to take place 2 weeks earlier: “X” - 10.
• It is more relaxed if you don’t plan the thesis submission at the last possible date - you may also submit more than 8 weeks before the defense date.

Submitting the thesis

• Fill in and sign the form “Application Defense”.
• Please note the change in terminology for supervisors / reviewers: Your former “Erstgutachter” / “first supervisor” is now called “Fakultätsgutachter” (FGA) / “Faculty supervisor” and your former “Zweitgutachter” / “second supervisor” is now called “Gutachter” (GGA) / "supervisor".
• In addition to your registered reviewers (Faculty supervisor / Fakultätsgutachter and supervisor / Gutachter) find a third and fourth examiner from the List of Examiners.
• Let both your reviewers sign the Zusatzblatt zur Prüfungskommission (Examination Commission Form). Please note that only examiners mentioned on the list as 'Vorsitz' can be chairpersons of your examination committee. You have to sign the second page of the Zusatzblatt yourself.
• Arrange a date for the thesis defense by the Faculty's regulations.
• Carefully read “How to Defense” (PDF) to see which documents you have to submit to the Ph.D. Office. Use the checklist at the end to ensure you have all the required documents.
• Please send the following information with the email the day before submission: name of the chairperson, date of defense, and your personal email-address, PDF of the abstract of your thesis.
• Submit two copies of your thesis and all documents via the mailbox of the Ph.D. Office (main entrance INF 234 or second floor INF 234).
• Thesis submission is not possible during the closure times of the Ph.D. Office.
• The examination must take place in an institute of Heidelberg University or one of the affiliated research institutions in Heidelberg.
• Provide your reviewers and examiners with a copy of your thesis.
• When you have registered for your thesis defense, you will receive a confirmation letter in German. Our international Ph.D. students may find the English translation of this letter here: Admission to Defense (English translation). This translation is for information purposes only.

After Defending

• After successfully defending your thesis, you must publish your thesis (§13) to conclude the Ph.D. process. If you don't publish within two years of your exam, you will forfeit your Ph.D. degree altogether.
• Fill in, sign, and let your Faculty supervisor (FGA) and, if differing, also your direct supervisor sign the Veröffentlichungsnachweis (Proof of Publication Form). You need to pick up your thesis's “Original” issue at the Ph.D. Office, submit it to the university library and get the “Veröffentlichungsnachweis” signed and stamped there. Finally, you return the “Veröffentlichungsnachweis” to the Ph.D. Office.
• You may publish your thesis in print or online through the university library's document service (information about online publishing provided by heiDOK ) or by first-author publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
• An application for an embargo on the publication can be directed to the library. This is possible when the dissertation is connected to a patent application or a journal publication. More details and the relevant forms can be found on the page FAQ of the university library (Volltextserver). If you apply for an embargo, you must upload the electronic version of your dissertation onto the heiDOK repository and follow the FAQ instructions.
• Information about opting in/out from the PhD Celebration can be found in the list to the right.