Overview
According to the Statutes, the topic of the doctoral thesis has to be approved by the directorate of studies within the first year. The approval is based on the research proposal (Exposé) and its public presentation. The public presentation serves a twofold purpose:
- new doctoral candidates and their research projects are introduced to the faculty.
- the presentation is supposed to offer all attendants a platform for exchange and feedback.
The public presentation is chaired by the directorate of studies and attended by members of the doctoral advisory board of your faculty. They provide feedback to the projects and evaluate whether it meets the scientific standards and if it can be realized successfully in a reasonable timeframe.
Please note that the public presentation of the doctoral thesis project is the precondition for the approval of the topic. If your presentation was successful, your topic and the supervisor(s) usually get approved by the directorate of studies right after the presentation.
If your topic is not approved you have the possibility to recall your application, adapt your research proposal and reapply for the approval of your topic.