Doctoral and habilitation regulations of the faculties of the RPTU in Landau
Faculty of Psychology at the RPTU in Landau
Faculty of Educational Sciences at the RPTU in Landau
Faculty of Cultural and Social Sciences at the RPTU in Landau
Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences at the RPTU in Landau
Information for those interested in a doctorate
This page will be filled in gradually and is intended to simplify the beginnings of your research. It is not legally binding. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: zgapl[at]rptu.de or the TU-Nachwuchsring gf[at]nachwuchsring.uni-kl.de
Doctoral Ombuds Committee
The Doctoral Ombuds Committee is available to all doctoral candidates who have problems with their doctorate as a first and low-threshold point of contact.
You can find the website of the Doctoral Ombuds Committee here.
External offers
The UniWiND working group “Open Science in the doctoral phase” has published a new website (www.openscience.uniwind.org) that provides an easy-to-understand introduction to the complex topic of Open Science, including a glossary, FAQs and linked resources for early career researchers and science managers.
The UniWiND Lunch Sessions, an online series on current higher education policy topics, will present the new Open Science website (www.openscience.uniwind.org) on February 3, 2025 from 12:00 to 13:00. Experts will present the content of the website, followed by an open Q&A session; registration is possible via the UniWiND website (https://www.uniwind.org/veranstaltungen/uniwind-lunch-sessions)
In principle, a doctorate requires:
- A Master's degree or equivalent.
- A person to supervise the doctoral project.
- The criteria of the doctoral degree regulations must be fulfilled (the doctoral degree regulations of the RPTU can be found here: Examination Regulations - RPTU University of Technology Kaiserslautern-Landau)
There are several financing options for living expenses, which are described under "Financing".
Under the following link you will find a further test that can give you an idea of whether a doctorate suits you: Test: Are you the type for a doctorate? – academics
There are different types of doctorates.
On the one hand, a distinction can be made between a monographic and cumulative doctorate.
- Monographic means that a complete text is written on one (doctoral) topic.
- A cumulative doctorate consists of several articles that are published in recognised specialist journals.
A further distinction can be made in the type of supervision:
- Individual doctorate
This form of doctorate means that future doctoral candidates independently find a supervisor for their doctoral project. - Structured doctoral programmes
In these programmes, there are often additional offers in the interdisciplinary and "soft skills" area for an additional qualification. - External doctorate
In this case, the doctoral candidates do not have an employment relationship at the chair where they are doing their doctorate. They usually have another job. This means that they often have fewer ties to the university.
There are several ways to finance a doctorate:
- Jobs at the university usually combined with another activity (e.g. teaching ).
(Job offers and careers - RPTU University of Technology Kaiserslautern-Landau can be found here) - Third-party funded positions or scholarships (here are good contacts for possible doctoral supervisors)
- Graduate College
(existing graduate programmes at the RPTU can be found here: Coordinated Research – RPTU University of Technology Kaiserslautern-Landau) - Scholarships
On the following pages you can find general information about scholarships. In the scholarship database you can research which scholarships are suitable for your subject.
General information: Homepage (stipendiumplus.de)
Scholarship databases: http://www.mystipendium.de
Scholarship database of e-fellows.net - e-fellows.net - So-called external doctoral studies: Financing your livelihood through another employment
- Co-operation in the private sector
When financing a doctorate, please note that scholarships are usually not subject to social security contributions. It is best to inform yourself in advance about the topic of "social insurance" in order to be able to make a good decision.
A useful FAQ on the use of artificial intelligence and good scientific practice from the Ombudsman for Science can be found here:
https://ombudsman-fuer-die-wissenschaft.de/13211/faq-kuenstliche-intelligenz-und-gute-wissenschaftliche-praxis/