Application Steps
At TUM, the traditional German individual doctorate remains the most common way to do your doctorate. The individual doctorate is based on a close collaboration between the doctoral candidate and his/her supervisor, also called “Doktorvater” or “Doktormutter” (thesis father/thesis mother) in German. Doctoral candidates mainly work independently on their research projects and are supported by their dissertation supervisor. Therefore, as the doctorate is highly individualized, there is no central application platform for doctoral programs where you can submit your application documents. Instead, there are, in general, two paths to an individual doctorate at TUM that differ in funding and application steps:
Open Position Application
At TUM, the most common way to do your doctorate is within the framework of employment as research staff at your research group/chair. With this path to a doctorate, you will be part of the university academic staff, receive a monthly salary, and your doctoral supervisor will also be your boss. Open positions as research assistants are advertised on the TUM’s Job Portal or directly on the website of the relevant chair/research group or school. Upon acceptance, a doctoral position based on the requirements detailed in the job description is available to you. Generally, your research topic is part of a broader research topic within the research group/chair. Further information on doing your doctorate as part of TUM’s research staff can be found in the section Types of Doctorate.
If you cannot find a suitable open position, your only option to apply for a doctorate at TUM is the self-initiative application.
Self-Initiative Application
In contrast to the open position application, where the broader research topic is already defined, you are free to suggest your own research topic within the framework of a self-initiative application.
With the self-initiative application format, you apply directly to a potential supervisor with your own individually developed research proposal. If the professor supports your research proposal and accepts your application, you can start applying for doctoral admission. However, in contrast to the open position application, self-initiated applications do not automatically imply employment at TUM that comes with a monthly salary; thus, in most cases, you must take care of your funding, e.g., with an external scholarship. If you already have a doctoral scholarship, e.g., from a foundation or your home country (or intend to apply for one), or plan to pursue a so-called external doctorate, the self-initiative application is your proven application path.
- Browse for open positions as academic staff
Browse for suitable advertised doctoral positions for research assistants on the web pages of relevant schools/chairs/research groups or the TUM Job Portal.
- Apply for position(s) as academic staff
Read the job advertisement carefully. If the position’s topic and conditions appeal to you and you match the required qualifications (e.g., academic background) and preconditions (e.g., language requirements), submit your application documents according to the application information stated in the job advertisement. After handing in your application documents, you might be invited for an (online) job interview with the responsible person at the chair/research group. During the job interview, you can discuss the possibility of doing your doctorate besides your employment as a research associate.
- Get accepted
Once you get a positive answer on your application for an open position, you will become part of TUM’s research staff. The person in charge of HR at your future chair/research group will initiate the hiring process and contact you with all the required documents.
You do not have to search for a supervisor for your doctorate separately, as your future boss or another senior researcher at the chair/research group will be your doctoral supervisor. However, please be aware that being hired as a research associate does not automatically mean you are admitted as a doctoral candidate! Instead, you have to actively apply for doctoral admission by applying for entry into the doctoral candidacy list (please see admission steps 4-7 below).
You do not need to apply for any doctoral funding, as your living expenses are covered through your monthly salary as a research associate.
- Find a dissertation topic
The first step towards a doctorate is defining the research question/hypothesis you wish to tackle with your doctoral research. You should clearly understand why you want to do your doctoral research in your proposed area and why the research question is essential. Writing a research proposal will help you make your research project more specific regarding objectives, research methods, and outline. With our Information Sheet: Research Proposal, we’ve compiled extensive information on how to write your research proposal.
- Find a doctoral supervisor
The next step is to find a supervisor for your intended doctoral project. Ideally, you already know a professor at TUM whom you may have met during your Master's studies, at a conference, a symposium, or in another academic context. It is also an excellent start to finding out whether professors at your home university collaborate with TUM professors.
If you do not have any contacts with TUM professors, you can start your search on the website of the respective TUM School in your research area. On the websites of our TUM Schools, you will find an overview of all chairs, research groups, and professors, as well as their primary research areas, current research projects, and publications. Look for professors with a research focus that matches your education, professional experience, and research interests.
Please contact the professor directly with your application documents, consisting of your academic CV, cover letter, bachelor’s & master’s degree certificates/transcripts, (if applicable) abstracts of your publications/conference papers, reference letters, and your research proposal. If your degree certificates are not in German or English, it is advisable to submit official translations. Please visit the Requirements page in the Application section for more information about how to find a supervisor.
- Secure funding
TUM does not charge any tuition fees for doctoral research. On the other hand, with very few exceptions, TUM also does not offer its own doctoral scholarships. Therefore, if your supervisor cannot provide you with a research position, you have to secure your own funding through external scholarships or other means of financing. Please visit the Funding section for more information about possible funding options.
The following steps are the same for both application paths and cover steps after being accepted as a doctoral candidate by a TUM professor.
4. Contact a Graduate Center
Together with your supervisor, identify the appropriate Graduate Center at TUM and discuss all further (administrative) steps. Contact your Graduate Center and inform yourself about the subject-specific requirements, regulations for involvement in the TUM academic environment, etc.
Please refer to the Timeline of the Doctorate for an overview of mandatory doctoral elements and an introduction to the supervision agreement and mentoring.
5. Conclude a supervision agreement
Conclude a supervision agreement with your supervisor specifying your planned doctorate's parameters. You can find the supervision agreement on your Graduate Center's website.
6. Application for entry into the doctoral candidacy list
Once you have finalized your supervision agreement, it’s time to conclude your application for doctoral admission with your entry into the doctoral candidacy list using the online platform DocGS. During your application for entry into the doctoral candidacy list, TUM/your TUM School will check whether you fulfill the requirements for a doctorate. If you have a foreign master’s degree, your degree will be checked for equivalency at this stage.
Further instructions on how to apply for entry into the doctoral candidacy list can be found in our TUM-GS wiki.
Your doctoral admission is only final after your successful registration in the doctoral candidacy list of your TUM School.
7. Enrollment (optional)
After entering the doctoral candidacy list, doctoral candidates may apply for enrollment at TUM for up to 8 semesters. Unlike entering the doctoral candidacy list, enrollment is not mandatory for TUM doctoral candidates.
Applying for a guest doctorate
If you are completing your doctorate at another university abroad but are also interested in doing parts of your research at TUM for a limited period, you can apply for a guest doctorate. Guest doctoral candidates need a supervisor at TUM but do not have to register via DocGS and apply for registration on the doctoral candidacy list. Further information about how to do a guest doctorate can be found in the section Guest Doctorate.