Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - School of Business and Economics

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

The following documents are required:

• Application for admission to the doctoral degree exam

• thesis in German or English in 5 bound copies (For the (1) title page, (2) declaration of independence and resources, and (3) cumulative dissertation please use the templates available at item regulations & forms.)

• up-to-date CV

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

• confirmation by your supervisor of completed seminar presentation

• proof of completed credits, if required ("conditions")

Please submit all previously specified documents including dissertation first digitally by 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 report

In parallel to the notice of admission to the doctoral exam, 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 vacation) begins once reviewer reports have been received. We will inform you of the beginning and end of the display period by email.

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

Once the display period has begun, you can start preparing for your thesis defence. 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 thesis defence. Please notice our Information on videoconferences, too.
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 the 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 email 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 thesis defence has been passed, the Graduate Office will issue you an interim certificate. Please make sure all the information on the certificate is correct.

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

Publication

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

If you intend to publish online using the University'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 deposit copies.

Doctoral degree certificate

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

Once you have received your doctoral certificate, you are entitled to bear the title of "Doctor".