The Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences offers a variety of options for doctoral studies. In addition to the traditional individual doctorate at a chair of the university, you also have the option to become a member in one of our research groups (e.g. DFG Forschergruppe “Design and Behavior”) or you enroll in a course as a scholar of the Cologne Graduate School in Management, Economics and Social Sciences.
We recommend you to contact a professor of your field of expertise and discuss a possible personal supervision.
The application for admission to doctoral studies should be filed promptly, as soon as you have received the consent of your academic supervisor. The substantive admission requirements are detailed in Section 4 of the Doctoral Regulations. Without admission to doctoral studies, you cannot enroll as a doctoral student, nor can you acquire certificates for doctoral achievements pursuant to Section 5 of the Doctoral Regulations.
Admission, in particular, of international graduates or the holders of degrees other than those offered by the WiSo Faculty is subject to the decision of the Doctoral Committee. In planning your schedule, please note that the Committee as a rule convenes only once per semester.
If you have an international degree, please note the information of the ´Akademischen Auslandsamt der Universität zu Köln`.
Upon completion of your dissertation, you must personally hand in your doctoral examination request at the Dean’s Office using the prescribed form sheet. Here again, Ms Mundorf is the responsible contact.
The disputation, the oral examination, conduces to the defence of the scientific results of your dissertation in front of three professors. The disputation starts with a short presentation of 15 minutes about your most important findings. The following discussion will relate to the presentation and the objective and methodical fundamentals of the dissertation.
After passing the examination, doctorands are awarded their degree on the occasion of a public ceremony, whereupon they vow to the Dean that they will prove themselves worthy of the doctorate at all times. Parents, friends and colleagues are welcome guests at doctoral ceremonies.