Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - School of Business and Economics

When you have finished your thesis, submit your application for admission to the doctoral examination to the Graduate Office of the School of Business and Economics.

The following documents are required:

• Application for admission to the doctoral examination

• thesis in German or English in 5 bound copies. For the title page (1), the declaration of independence and resources (2), and in case of a cumulative dissertation (3) please use the following templates:

  • Template (1): title page
  • Template (2): declaration on indepedence and resources
  • Template (3): cumulative dissertation – declaration on co-authors, own contribution, and publication status
• up-to-date CV

• current enrolment document (Please note that you must be enrolled or registered as a doctoral candidate until the date of the doctoral colloquium.)

• confirmation by your supervisor on the completed seminar presentation

• proof of completed requirements ("conditions"), if applicable

Please submit all documents, including the dissertation, first digitally by e-mail to the Graduate Office before printing. After a preliminary review of the documents you will receive a short feedback. After that, we ask you to submit all documents in print and with original signatures to the Graduate Office. You will then receive the notice of admission to the doctoral examination from the Graduate Office.

Preparing the reviewer reports

In parallel to the notice of admission to the doctoral examination, the reviewers receive the order to prepare their reports within four months.

Please note that in case of external reviewers a decision of the Doctoral Degree Board must be obtained beforehand, which requires an appropriate lead time. Please contact the Graduate Office as early as possible.

The display period (two weeks during the semester; four weeks during the semester break) starts once the reviewer reports have been received. We will inform you of the beginning and end of the display period by e-mail.

At the same time, you will receive information about the next steps regarding the preparation for your doctoral colloquium.

Once the display period has commenced, you can start preparing for your doctoral colloquium. The following steps are necessary to do so:

1. Please first come to an agreement with your supervisor regarding the composition of the Doctoral Degree Committee as well as a date for your colloquium. Please also note the "Information on videoconferences".
2. Room 112 in Spandauer Str. 1 is usually available for the doctoral colloquium (suitable for video conferencing). In justified cases, an exception is possible.
3. Send the completed form Information on the doctoral degree exam with the detailed information about the colloquium and the proposed Doctoral Degree Committee by email to the Graduate Office not later than 14 days before the thesis defence.
4. The Dean then appoints the Doctoral Degree Committee, and the Graduate Office issues an official invitation to the members of the committee as well as to the doctoral candidate. Please confirm the receipt of the invitation by e-mail to the Graduate Office.
5. In preparation for your thesis defence, you are required to prepare a position paper. The position paper has no formal requirements. Please agree upon the scope and content with your supervisor. Please send your position paper by email to the members of the Committee and the Graduate Office not later than 10 days before the thesis defence.

Interim certificate

Once the doctoral colloquium has been passed, the Graduate Office will issue you an interim certificate. Please make sure that all information on the certificate is correct.

Please note that you will only be entitled to bear the academic degree of "Doctor" once you have received your final doctoral degree certificate.

Publication

Once you have passed your doctoral colloquium, you are required to publish your thesis within twelve month. To do this, please contact the Publications Office of the University Library of Humboldt-Universität or another suitable publisher.

If you intend to publish online using the Univesity's edoc server, please also clarify the technical details with the relevant department of the University Publications Office. Please see also the supplementary decision to the doctoral degree regulations.

Please provide the Graduate Office with the publisher's confirmation or the certificate from the University Publications Office of the University Library regarding the submission of the obligatory copies.

Doctoral degree certificate

Once the confirmation of publication has been received by the Graduate Office, the doctoral degree certificate will be issued. This usually takes four weeks to process.

Upon receipt of the doctoral degree certificate, you are authorised to use the doctoral degree.