Starting the path to a doctorate

After completion of your thesis and, if applicable, you have fulfilled the subject-specific obligations that arose upon acceptance as a doctoral student, you will be required to apply for admission to the doctoral examination procedure.

Please find more details in the doctoral regulations that apply to you and/or speak with your supervisor.

The relevant form for this procedure is also available online in German or English via HalDoc. To apply, click on the link, enter the email address that was recorded in the system upon your acceptance as a doctoral candidate or that was amended within the faculty in the meantime and follow the further information.

Please make sure that you have followed the guidance on the respective faculty webpages when applying.

Please note that after successfully defending your thesis, you will not be entitled to use the title of doctor until you have received your doctoral certificate.

The doctoral culture is essentially the same in the key aspects across the faculties of MLU, but the faculty-specific forms of the doctoral regulations contain particular features that must be observed, depending on historical/ regional factors or factors specific to certain subject areas.

Please check the regulations, which are also available in an English translation (reading version) for all faculties.

The purpose is the representation of your interests at MLU Halle-Wittenberg. They members represent the whole bandwidth of doctoral candidates/students in different positions: from scientific staff over scholarship holders to those doing their PhD externally. The representatives do this in the individual faculty councils as well as in the university’s senate. They have the right to speak and to propose motions, but no voting rights of our own.

What the representation stands for:

• improve the working, living, teaching and learning conditions during your PhD,
• fight for acknowledgement of your efforts and achievements within the university and
• give young scientist a strong voice.

The representatives also want to provide important information and contact points for you in a central place and keep you updated about developments concerning the status of PhD candidates/students.

Link to website of the doctoral representation

Academic work in general, and particularly in relation to obtaining a doctoral degree, rests on basic principles that apply equally across all academic disciplines.

Establishment of truth and the progression of knowledge based thereon require academic honesty, diligence and open discourse. These form the basis for the rules of academic practice that vary from discipline to discipline.

Doctoral candidates are required to adhere to these basic principles because they form an important prerequisite in preventing and avoiding academic misconduct, in the preservation of the ethical principles of science and, therefore, the reputation of Halle University.

“Charter on the principles for ensuring good scientific practice and on the handling of allegations of academic misconduct at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg”, (link in German)

Good Scientific Practice comprises the following:

• Observing the general principles of academic work, particularly
  • working lege artis,
  • recording results,
  • consistently challenging one’s own results,
  • preserving strict honesty in relation to the contributions of partners, competitors and predecessors,
• Collaboration and responsibility for leadership in workgroups,
• Coaching of young academics,
• Securing and storing primary data,
• Academic publications as the medium of accountability of academics with regard to their work,
• Respect for the property of other parties,
• Observing ethical standards in conducting investigations.

In the natural sciences and life science you first look for a supervisor. In the second step you discuss possible research topics for your doctorate.

In the humanities and social sciences you first identify a topic yourself and then look for a supervisor in the second step. This also applies to structured doctoral programs, where your topic needs to fit into the research focus of the graduate program.

InGrA and HR department Ref 3.2 offer workshops shaped to the needs of doctoral students and postdocs at MLU. Workshop language of InGrA and Ref 3.2 is English and German, respectively. InGrA workshops are designed for all doctoral students independent of their mother tongue. With English workshops most of scientists in an early career phase can be addressed. Please feel free to choose the workshops you are comfortable with.

Overview of workshops for doctoral students at MLU

The International Graduate Academy InGrA is the central university-wide institution for all doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers across all faculties. In addition to the departments and staff in the faculties who bear responsibility for the doctoral programmes in particular, InGrA can advise and support you in all stages of the process of obtaining your doctorate (orientation, entry, research and completion stages), or may be of assistance in any mediation with other parties as necessary.

Being accepted to the faculty as a doctoral candidate, you will regularly receive information electronically from InGrA relating to qualifications offered to target groups or doctoral candidates of all subjects, or information about other events or activities at or outside of MLU, which may be of interest to you in relation to successfully carrying out your doctoral project.

They members represent the whole bandwidth of doctoral candidates/students in different positions: from scientific staff over scholarship holders to those doing their PhD externally. The representatives do this in the individual faculty councils as well as in the university’s senate.

Link to website of the doctoral representation

At the International Office, local doctoral candidates who are planning a stay abroad during their doctorate can obtain advice regarding funding opportunities, particularly in relation to research or doctoral-related stays abroad, congress and conference funding and stays abroad within the scope of bi-nationally supervised doctoral programmes (Cotutelle).

International doctoral candidates who wish to spend their entire doctorate or a part thereof at MLU will receive advice and support from the PhD Network, particularly with regard to organisational issues prior to and during their stay at MLU. The PhD Network is a project that serves to promote social, linguistic and cultural integration of international doctoral candidates and postdocs, and is funded by DAAD with funds from the German Federal Foreign Office.

The Student Service Center is the right place if you want to enrol as a “Promotionsstudent” at MLU.

Please note that enrolment is possible while doing a doctorate, but that is not a condition for doing so. If you do enrol, the advantages for you include free use of buses and trains in Halle and within the entire “Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund” (MDV) with a semester ticket, discounted prices in the cafeterias of the Halle Student Union (“Studentenwerk”), access to all libraries of MLU and other discounts dependent on student status.

Doctoral candidates at MLU may contact the Equality Office for any equality-related matters, particularly

• issues with the study, research or employment position
• if they are planning projects on the topic of equality and require specialist support
• if they are interested in funding opportunities for women
• in cases of discrimination and sexual harassment

The Family Office of MLU supports doctoral candidates in combining their qualifications, professional work and family. It advises and provides information on any topic relating to

• studying for a doctorate with a child
• care for dependants,

including childcare options, among other things. Other services and information, such as in relation to child-friendly infrastructure in the University and holiday care can be found on the Family Office homepage.

Our University places importance on treating one another without discrimination or violence, collaboration based on equality, trust, good working and studying conditions.

The use of violence, (sexual) harassment, direct and indirect discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin, gender, religion or conviction, a disability, age or sexual identity constitute a violation of the rights and obligations in service and employment contracts and of membership, as well as a significant disruption to university activities. The personality development, self-esteem and the freedom to act and make decisions of an individual concerned are affected.

In this context, the Academic Senate has adopted a “Guideline on safeguarding against discrimination, (sexual) harassment and violence” on the basis of the German Universal Equality Act [Allgemeinen Gleichbehandlungsgesetzes (AGG)]. Employees who feel aggrieved or discriminated against should contact the Office for complaints under the Universal Equality Act.

Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg attaches particular importance to the comprehensive promotion of its young scientists. In the course of active personnel development, the university provides its employees with target-group-specific and tailor-made information, advice and further training opportunities for competence development, career development and networking.

Division 3.2 – Personnel Development offers for PhD students employed at MLU, a broad spectrum of education opportunities in German, e.g. the certificate programme “Successful Teaching”, “Scientific Writing for Doctoral Studies” (German and English), “Career Planning for PhD Students – The Path to Science” or “Voice Coaching for Teachers”.

The training program appears semi-annually and is available for download. Here you will also find further offers for your individual training.

The members of the ombuds committee are personally available as contact persons for all members of the MLU who have allegations of scientific misconduct to make.

The Ombudsman acts as a trusted representative to advise anyone who notifies him/her of suspected academic misconduct, or takes action on the basis of relevant indications of which he/she becomes aware. He/she examines the allegations from the perspective of plausibility for tangibility and significance, for possible motives and with regard to possibilities for dispelling the allegations.

The International Students and Staff Officer acts as the trusted representative and contact person for international students, doctoral candidates and academics. He/she also acts as a trusted representative and contact person for German members and affiliates of MLU in the event of issues with international students, doctoral candidates and academics.

The International Students and Staff Officer acts in an advisory capacity in the development and implementation of measures for the continued internationalisation of our University.

Please note that the international students and staff officer is not responsible for general issues in the doctorate or specific aspects within the scope of the doctoral examination procedure.

Department 6 – Research, Transfer and External Funding Service supports members of the University in all issues of externally funded research.

Division 6.1 – Research Funding and Cooperation, EU Office informs and advises doctoral candidates who are due to complete their doctorates on funding options in the postdoc phase (e.g. EU, DFG). Applications for research projects that are to be carried out at MLU are also supported. Advice concentrates on nationally and EU-funded programmes.

Division 6.3 – Transfer and Start-up Service advises doctoral candidates on intellectual property and transfer. Doctoral candidates who are considering establishing an enterprise may use the department’s inventing and incorporating consultation service, as well as advice on the transfer of research results to commercial ventures.

The Career Center is the interface between the university and the employment market. It advises mainly students and graduates personally on questions of professional orientation and their application strategy, teach skills in practical seminars and lectures that prepare them for working life and establish contact between students, young professionals and employers.

The Studentenwerk Halle fulfils public tasks of economic, social, health and cultural promotion of students at German universities. This includes university catering. At MLU there are five cafeterias at various MLU sites that provide food at low prices on a daily basis: the “Burse zur Tulpe” cafeteria on the Universitätsplatz, the Harzmensa, the Weinbergmensa, the Heidemensa, and the Franckesche Stiftung cafeteria. There are numerous interesting meal options to choose from and you can eat what you really like.
When you start your doctorate, you not only face new professional challenges, but often also personal challenges. The Studentenwerk Halle therefore offers psychosocial counselling where personal problems can be discussed.

After completing your doctorate, you are therefore warmly invited to keep in touch with your alma mater via Alumni Halenses.

We would be pleased to keep you up to date with news and activities relating to Halle University.