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Doctoral studies leading to the degree of Dr. sc. hum.

You can apply to be admitted as a doctoral student if you have successfully completed the required pre-doctoral studies through an examination:

a relevant master's degree program,
a relevant course of study at a university of at least four years duration, or
a relevant post-graduate study course following an undergraduate degree at a university or other institution of higher education with the right to confer doctorates

As a rule, proof of a written pre-doctoral thesis and an above-average degree in a degree program with usually 300 ECTS is required for admission.

Graduates with only a medical or dental state examination or internationally equivalent degrees are generally excluded from admission to the doctoral procedure Dr. sc. hum. Exceptions can be found in the doctoral regulations (Promotionsordnung) § 4.

As a rule, the doctoral thesis should comprise approximately 3 years of full-time work.

In justified cases, cumulative dissertations are possible (see implementation regulations for publication-based dissertations).

If you are accepted as a doctoral student after March 1st, 2022, participation in a structured training program is mandatory (PromO Annex 2), see

Implementation regulations Structured study program

Detailed information on TAC meetings and the content of the structured program organized by the School of Translational Medicine of the Medical Faculty Mannheim (STMM) for doctoral students of Dr.sc.hum. can be found on their website: STMM.

Application for acceptance as a doctoral candidate

According to § 5 of the Promotionsordnung, an application for admission as a doctoral student should be submitted to the Medical Faculty Mannheim before the doctoral work begins. Digital registration for doctoral studies is done via the doctoral portal heiDOCS.

Please note: A written application to the Medical Faculty Mannheim is also required.

Please hand in all the documents listed below to the doctoral office, unless otherwise indicated. Please print out the documents, and make copies for your own use (the promotion office does not make copies). Please submit the documents listed below in the specified order, punched and unstapled (unstitched), without a brochure cover or loose-leaf binder. Only fully signed applications received by the doctoral office in the required form, and before the specified deadlines, can be considered by the doctoral committee.

Checklist I,
Application for acceptance as a doctoral candidate,
Exposé that conforms to the specified format,
If applicable, ethics vote and additionally a short summary of the content of the ethics vote,
If applicable, file number and NTP (non-technical project summary) of the permission to carry out animal experimentation,
Current curriculum vitae in tabular form,
In case of an industry-based or third-party funded doctoral project: Copy of the employment contract,
In the case of financial support or other contractual agreements with industrial partners: confirmation from the company that there will be no restrictions on the publication of the dissertation results,
Proof of studies already completed (diploma/examination) in the form of certified copies,
Proof of language proficiency for applicants whose native language is not German or English,
Doctoral agreement (Promotionsvereinbarung) with details of the individual study program
- Implementation regulations Structured Study Program
- Template Promotionsvereinbarung,
For identity verification, a valid identity card or passport must be presented when the application documents are submitted.

Writing the dissertation

In the case of a planned cumulative dissertation, an application for approval must be submitted to the doctoral committee before the dissertation is written. The Publication Summary Form can be used for this purpose (Implementation Regulations for Publication-Based Dissertations and Publication Summary Form).

Dissertation

Dissertation Abstract

Word Document Template Abstract

Reference management with EndNote

Please pay special attention to the link " Zeitschriftentitel im Literaturverzeichnis korrekt darstellen (Display journal titles correctly in the bibliography)" and contact the library if you have any questions.

Submission of the dissertation (opening of the doctoral examination procedure)

Please submit all of the required documents to the doctoral office, unless otherwise indicated. The dissertation does not have to be delivered in person. This can also be done by mail or by an appointed person. Please print the PDF documents listed below. Please copy all documents for your own use, as the doctoral office does not make copies.

Please submit the documents listed below in the specified order, punched and unstapled (unstitched), without a brochure cover or loose-leaf binder. Only fully signed applications received by the doctoral office in the required form, and before the specified deadlines, can be considered by the doctoral committee.

Three bound copies of the dissertation (five copies in the case of a summa-cum-laude procedure),
An electronic version (PDF) of the dissertation (your last name must be contained within the file name) sent by email on the day of submission to susanne.volz@remove-this.medma.uni-heidelberg.de,
Checklist II,
Application to initiate the doctoral examination procedure,
Written evaluation from the doctoral supervisor in original and in digital form (without the supervisor’s written evaluation the procedure cannot be initiated),
Proposals for two thesis reviewers, including current contact details such as address and e-mail. For summa-cum-laude theses, two additional external thesis reviewers (also with current contact details) must be named,
Ethics vote, if applicable,
Dissertation abstract (signed by the doctoral supervisor),
If some or all of the work has been published, a description of the doctoral candidate's contribution to the publication(s), signed by the doctoral supervisor,
For cumulative dissertations, a description of the doctoral candidate's own contribution to the publications using the Publication Summary Form,
A copy of the first page of any publications that have resulted from the dissertation work,
A confirmation of the completed study program signed by the doctoral supervisor with a list of courses attended, as well as proof of TAC meetings within the structured training program (Transcript of Records),
Tabular curriculum vitae (professional and scientific career),
Current (max. three months old) police clearance certificate,
Statistical sheet,
Deposit slip for 50,00 Euro (bank account: Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, IBAN: DE40600501010004616342, BIC: SOLADEST600. Reason for payment: Doctoral account cost center: 784126.2).

The procedure usually takes four to six months. You will be informed in writing about the acceptance of the thesis, correction requirements or missing documents. Please understand that due to the large number of doctoral examinations, it is not possible to answer interim inquiries about the status of the procedure.

After the oral examination

Upload an electronic version of the dissertation to the Heidelberg document server heiDOK. For this purpose, please note the Special regulations for the publication of dissertations ;

After the electronic dissertation has been uploaded, the following documents have to be handed in at the library (UMM, House 42):

Completed and signed declaration for the publication of electronic dissertations ,
A bound copy of the dissertation (Important: No ring binder or spiral binding). The print copy must exactly match the electronic version on heiDOK,
A screenshot of the successful upload of the dissertation to the heiDOK server.
Send the dissertation abstract as a Word file - your last name should appear in the file name - immediately after submission of the bound deposit copy by e-mail to bibl-dissertationen@remove-this.medma.uni-heidelberg.de.