Doctoral Council

What exactly is a Doctoral Council?

The Doctoral Council represents all doctoral researchers at the university. It was introduced in the State of Berlin with the new Berlin Higher Education Act (Berliner Hochschulgesetz). At Freie Universität Berlin, it consists of two elected members per department, i.e. a total of 22 members. The current council consists of seven people (BCP is represented by two council members and one deputy) as some departments did not see any nominations.

What are the tasks of the doctoral representatives?

The Doctoral Council represents the interests of doctoral researchers towards the university leadership and other bodies.
We focus on, among others, improving supervision standards, creating a better support system for international doctoral researchers, and building a stronger student community to advocate for our common needs.

What rights and influence does the Doctoral Council have?

Representatives of doctoral researchers can speak and propose motions in the Academic Senate and Department Councils. They can also take part in meetings and events organized within the entire academic environment of Berlin. They hold four voting seats on the Dahlem Research School's Permanent Commission. The Doctoral Council must be consulted on changes to doctoral regulations and can issue recommendations to all university bodies.

https://www.fu-berlin.de/sites/promovierendenvertretung/ueber-uns/PromV-S_Amtsblatt082024.pdf

Representatives at the Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy

Anita Kowalczyk and Stephanie Himpich

Sarah Lewandowski (Deputy representative)

Contact: doctoral-council@bcp.fu-berlin.de

Keywords

doctoral council

Overview Doctorate Procedure

1. Supervision, Topic and Funding

What are the requirements for admission? What has to be done before starting the doctorate? What funding opportunities are there?

2. Start of Work

What insurance cover is required at the start of work?

3. Admission

When and where should I submit my application for doctorate admission? What documents are required for admission?

Mitgliedschaftsverhältnis FU / Enrollment

4. FU Membership and Enrollment

Is there a need to become a member of the FU Berlin? Is enrollment including the student ID card and the semester ticket necessary?

Regelbearbeitungszeit / Standard Time to Completion

5. Standard Time to Completion

What is the standard time to completion for the doctorate? What should I do if the standard time can not be met? How can a change of supervisor take place?

Schreiben der Dissertation / Writing the Thesis

6. Writing the Thesis

Is a monograph necessary or may a cumulative work also be submitted? What must be considered? What should be on the title page?

7. Submission of the Thesis

How many copies have to be submitted? What should be taken into account when submitting a cumulative thesis? Which forms are necessary for submitting the thesis?

8. Review and Display Period

Who appoints the doctoral committee? How is the review procedure organized? How long is the display period?

9. Defense of the Thesis

Who organizes the disputation? When should the disputation be announced? How many members of the doctoral committee must be present? How long does the disputation take?

10. Publication of the Thesis

When does the publication take place? Which kinds of publication are possible? Is the publication required for the award of the certificate?

11. Awarding of the Doctoral Degree

When can the title be used? When and where do I get the certificate?

Das Alumni-Magazin „wir“ der Freien Universität Berlin erscheint zwei Mal im Jahr.

12. Offer: Joining the Alumni Network of ERG

How can I register for the alumni network of the Ernst-Reuter-Gesellschaft? What are the advantages?

Image Credits

Graduate Center / Doctorate